Help:Reverting

A revert will undo the changes made to an article after a specific time. The page will return to the state it was at that time.

A partial revert is accomplished by editing a current version or by editing an older version of a page. The former is useful for partial reversion of a recent addition, while the latter is useful for a partial reversion of a deletion.

Reverting should be taken seriously. It should be considered to improve an article rather than resort to a revision.

When to revert

Do

• Reverting is a decision that should be taken seriously.
• Reverting is used primarily for fighting vandalism.
• If you are unsure whether a revert is appropriate, discuss it rather than making the revert.
• If you feel that the edit is unsatisfactory, improve on it rather than simply reverting or deleting it.

Do not

• Do not simply revert changes that were made as part of a dispute. Be respectful to the contributions of other editors.
• Do not revert good faith edits. Unless you have firm, substantial and objective proof to the contrary, do not revert the edits. See also, Wikipedia:Assume good faith
• Do not revert edit if it is unsatisfactory. Improve on the edit instead.

How to revert

• Go to the edit history of the page by clicking on the History link.
• Choose the time and date of the earlier revision you wish to revert.
• Verify that you have selecteed the correct version and click on the Edit link to edit the page.
• You will get a warning above the edit box about editing an out-of-date revision.
• Enter the edit summary. MechaBay uses "rv" was the shorthand for reverting. It is useful to include the version in the edit summary. See the section below for an example.
• Save the page.
• Go to the edit history of the page again. Your revert should have been added to the history.

Reversion edit summary

The edit summary shorthand used on MechaBay is "rv". A good summary should include the version and usernames associated with the versions you re reverting to and from.

For example, if an article was vandalised by an unregistered user:

rv edits by [[User:IP address|IP address]] to last version by [[User:Username|Username]]

This would give:

rv edits by IP address to last version by Username

It is good practice to include an explanation for making the revert.

rv edits by IP address to last version by Username | Reason for reverting

Explain reverts

When a revert is necessary, it is very important to explain why you reverted it. You can explain in the edit summary. If the reasons are too complex, you can comment on the article's talk page.

This helps the editor who made the reverted edit because they can edit the page and avoid makign the same problems as those that were pointed out. This also helps others to understand why the revert was made. A revert war can be avoided through simple communication between contributors.

A good practice is to explain the revert and gather opinions of other contributors before making the revert.

If someone reverts your changes without providing an explanation, wait for a while for an explanation. You can also take the initiative and ask politely on the article's talk page or on the user's talk page.

Undoing a revert

To undo a revert, view the comparison between the previous version and the new version of the page and click on the undo link above the new version. The revert will be undone and an edit summary automatically added.

This would only work if the new version has not been edited. If an edit has been made to the new version, the revert will have to be undone manually by merging the new changes with the old version of the article.

Avoid revert wars

Revert wars are harmful.

1. They disrespect the work of the contributor. The contributor put in the effort to make the edits and it is demoralizing to see their hard work reverted.
2. They breed ill-will between useful and destabilize articles.
3. They mess up the page history.
4. They make it hard for others to contribute to an article.
5. They flood the recent changes page and users' watchlists, affecting others that are not involved in the page.

Instead of reverting an edit, improve on the edit. If there is any dispute, discuss the issue civilly on the article's talk page to find the best solution to the problem.