The Wikipedia Intensive Care Unit is a place for articles written about a subject that one or more editors believes is likely notable, but the article itself is in such poor condition that it may face deletion on other grounds. It is an effort to turn bad articles about good subjects into those that meet Wikipedia standards.

The ICU came about through an idea by Realkyhick, a self-described deletionist who spends quite a bit of time on new-page patrol. He had nominated some articles for AfD which were about subjects that were possibly notable, but the articles themselves were sorely lacking in many respects such as reliable sources. During the AfD process, other editors improved the articles to the point where they then met Wikipedia standards. Realkyhick then withdrew the nominations, satisfied that the issues prompting the nominations had been fixed. Some editors criticized him for what they saw as an abuse of the already-overloaded AfD process, so Realkyhick came up with the idea of the ICU for such articles, to perhaps take some strain off of AfD and put these articles in a place where those with expertise in specific issues such as references, citations, verification, style and copy editing, and so forth.

Editors would first place an {{icu}} tag on the article page, and then a {{icu-triage}} tag on the article's talk page that lists the problems that need to be fixed (in a parameter to the tag), in a process similar to triage in a hospital or emergency room.

The ICU concept was created on September 2, 2007. The concept is very much a work in progress. Any and all suggestions and help are most welcome. This cannot succeed as a one-editor project, so round up all the friends and neighbors. Let's put on our surgical masks, scrub up and get to work. (We may need a screen shot from an episode of M*A*S*H here.)

• Place a {{icu}} tag on the article page
• Place a {{icu-triage}} on the article's talk page, with the issues to be fixed as a parameter, such as:
  

  {{icu-triage|Additional sources needed; removal of promotional language; general cleanup; lead paragraph needs rewrite to conform to WP style.}}

• Similar criteria would apply for articles admitted directly, bypassing triage.

• Create an ICU page named Wikipedia:Intensive Care Unit/Article name, and place the following at the top of that page (specifying the appropriate article name):

{{subst:ICUarticle |Article name}}

• This may be cut directly from here and pasted at the top of an article's ICU page.
• Note that whitespace must not be placed between the | character and the article name.
• The article's ICU page should be named Wikipedia:Intensive Care Unit/Article name, using the article's actual name.

• List the article as having been admitted by inserting a line similar to the following into the appropriate section of this page, specifying the appropriate article name:

{{Wikipedia:Intensive Care Unit/Article name}}

• If the article has survived an AfD, remove the {{icu}} and {{icu-triage}} templates. Please label the article's talk page with {{icu-saved}}. Then move the article from the main listing below to the Wikipedia:Intensive Care Unit/Article archive.
• If the article never came to an AfD, remove the {{icu}} and {{icu-triage}} templates as above, and tag the talk page with {{icu-treated}}. Then move the article to the archive as above.

• If an article has been in the ICU for two weeks without ever being treated, and you feel that there is limited potential for improvement, the article can be removed from the ICU. To do so, remove any icu tags, and add whatever cleanup or dispute you feel are needed. Then de-list it from this list.
• Also, consider adding {{findsourcesnotice}} to the talk page as a way to suggest where editors may find reliable source material for the topic.
• In severe cases, articles may be nominated for deletion under the deletion policy. However, this should be a last resort for removing articles from the ICU, and is not a substitute for treatment.

If you care to join our merry band of meatball surgeons, you can add one of those user boxes to your user page:

• Wikipedia:Intensive Care Unit/Article archive

It's still been a bit slow around this project, perhaps because it seems that there aren't many "borderline cases" that needed treatment. The vast majority of articles have been fairly cut-and-dried — they are either easily bound for deletion or not, with little in between.

On July 26, 2008, User:Inclusionist took it upon himself to, in essence, hijack W*I*C*U and the Article Rescue Squadron and merge them into another project. Inclusionist did post a proposal to merge the projects on our talk page, but then waited a whopping two hours before merging the projects himself. Inclusionist redirected our talk page to that of ARS, and also changed or redirected all of our user boxes and templates. I'm still repairing the damage. While Inclusionist may have been well-meaning, it was definitely unwelcome, at least without gathering a consensus first. Please check our templates, user boxes and any articles still in "treatment" to see if I missed anything. Meanwhile, please go to our talk page and express your opinion on a propsed merging of the related projects. - Realkyhick (Talk to me) 20:58, 26 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Remember that an article does not have to be in any sort of deletion procedure (speedy, prod or AfD) to qualify for an {{icu}} tag and our attention. If it's an article that looks like it needs immediate attention before it does face deletion, go ahead and tag it. Don't be shy.

Click the article names below to access their activity logs.

To add an article, edit this page and add the article using a similar format to the articles already listed.

Industrial and organizational psychology (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

• One of the worst Wikipedia articles I have ever seen. Just look at it and see for yourself. --⟳ausa کui ^× 01:07, 12 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Jay Perez (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Article needs more sources and expansion. Initial version was a likely copyvio which got speedied then stubified. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • ^{(Broken clamshells • Otter chirps • HELP)} 17:24, 13 September 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Adolf Hitler in popular culture (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

This article is really, really a mess. It's basically an indiscriminate list that says almost nothing about Hitler's importance in popular culture, and is also excessively long. This really is an important topic, but this article isn't helping it at all.

Battle of Yavin (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Editors keep redirecting to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, citing WP:FICT; but I think all the article needs is some sprucing. Real world content would be a big help. Ichormosquito 18:31, 10 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

• We might end up merging to Battles in the Star Wars film saga. Any sources you can find that would help support that project would be appreciated. Ichormosquito 14:57, 11 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How much can you say about the Battle of Yavin that isn't synthesizing mutiple retcon-heavy fictional accounts? It seems like this is Yet Another fictional article that treats fictional works as historical accounts, creating a pseudohistory out of fictional stories.

So, what can you say about the Battle of Yavin that isn't actually about A New Hope or some other Star Wars fictional work? If the answer is "nothing" or "nearly nothing," this can safely be redirected to the article on A New Hope. (Redirecting to a LIST of syntheses of multiple retcon-heavy fictional accounts is not really solving the problem; it's just shuffling it around.) Once we've identified what this article can say other than just recapping a plot, we have a place to start improving (or, really, actually write) the article. - A Man In Bl♟ck (conspire | past ops) 06:04, 28 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Aghunato (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Geographic region in India (added from category) — Timotab ^{Timothy (not Tim dagnabbit!)} 18:06, 20 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added Geography Stub India to this article and created its Talk Page with the appropriate templates. Kathleen.wright5 04:22, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added Internal Links to this article. Kathleen.wright5 11:02, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The article contained a couple of unexpanded refs. I added a references section and expanded the refs there. -- Boracay Bill 07:02, 13 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Ahmed Soultan (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Moroccan singer (added from category) — Timotab ^{Timothy (not Tim dagnabbit!)} 18:06, 20 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added Internal Links to this article. Kathleen.wright5 10:03, 25 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added the appropriate templates to this article and created this articles Talk Page where the appropriate templates have been added. Kathleen.wright5 06:15, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Christian media (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Needs references and examples. This article came about as a result of several articles such as Christian newspapers, Christian software, Christian magazines and such, which were simply dictdefs of each media with the word "Christian" added along with a handful of examples. Those have since been redirected to this article, or will be as soon as their AfD's are closed out (the consensus is overwhelming). Wikilinks are preferred to external links. - Realkyhick (Talk to me) 05:12, 24 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

On 26 January I added some Wikilinked examples under Christian television and Christian newspapers. Kathleen.wright5 14:05, 27 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Community Education (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Integrating schools with communities (added from category) — Timotab ^{Timothy (not Tim dagnabbit!)} 18:06, 20 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added the ICU triage Template to this articles Talk Page. Kathleen.wright5 06:26, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I've corrected formatting and spacing on this article. Kathleen.wright5 13:34, 26 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I have added a number of references and undertaken a somewhat substantial rewrite, however this still needs a lot of work Oboler (talk) 19:08, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Courtney Crutcher (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

National triathlete champion (added from category) — Timotab ^{Timothy (not Tim dagnabbit!)} 18:06, 20 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added Internal Links to this article. Kathleen.wright5 12:52, 25 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Tagged {{nofootnotes}}, renamed section IAW WP:GTL. Improved cite cosmetics. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 03:33, 4 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Aaron Robert Fisher (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Martial arts fighter (added from category) — Timotab ^{Timothy (not Tim dagnabbit!)} 18:06, 20 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I added Internal Links to this article earlier and have just added Phuket City. Kathleen.wright5 13:06, 25 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I added a ref and external link, but I have some doubts about notability. From the article, the person has only had 9 bouts, which might not meet the notability guideline. (Although one of the fights was televised). --Bfigura ^(talk) 04:38, 26 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have created this articles Talk Page and added the Triage Template. Kathleen.wright5 06:32, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Fleshed out cites -- Boracay Bill (talk) 03:46, 4 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sukyo Mahikari (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Japanese new religious movement. Article has very many problems. Itsmejudith 17:32, 22 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I've done some work on this to straighten out a lot of the cites and to remove some vandalism from one particular past edit. The article still has a lot ofproblems. -- Boracay Bill 03:57, 24 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added Internal Links and deleted Websites because of Page not found or Server not found notices. Kathleen.wright5 15:00, 25 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added the icu template to this article and added the icu triage template to its Talk Page. Kathleen.wright5 06:41, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Carla Moran (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

A fictional character, who is supposed to be real, but then she isn't, and if she was she wasn't called Carla Moran, but maybe she was... Itsmejudith 19:20, 3 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have added Internal Links to this article. Kathleen.wright5 06:50, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Where is the triage template? Just watched the movie that was supposedly written of true accounts and there is nothing here. 2601:3C8:201:3AA0:15AE:A2D0:1FD8:1D91 (talk) 07:34, 19 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

I have added the icu triage template to this articles Talk Page. Kathleen.wright5 07:46, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

I have hidden some of the text that really did seem to assume a belief in the paranormal (article should not assume this but should be useful to people with all views on the topic or none). Itsmejudith 21:58, 31 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Apprentices mobility (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

I would really like to see this article improved, as it is an important topic for many people. But it currently has very many issues. Itsmejudith 21:57, 31 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have updated the websites in this article where needed. Kathleen.wright5 04:55, 1 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I added an {{unreferenced}} tag and fleshed out some links. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 08:55, 5 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Cycle of poverty (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

This article has been around for a while but could use some intervention and cleanup. Itsmejudith (talk) 21:25, 13 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I've replaced two paragraphs in the article which made unsupported assertions of a general nature and which had been challenged with {{fact}} tags with two other too-wordy paragraphs which make more specific assertions and which are supported by cited sources. I'm not sure how much of an improvement this is, but perhaps in this case change will stimulate improvement. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 04:02, 5 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Pushead (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

• Submitted this article for WP:ICU evaluation and possible work after noticing this talk page exchange, according to which the article has been deleted twice but is referenced by quite a few other articles. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 07:36, 7 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Fleshed out the citations and placed some maintenance tags. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 02:08, 27 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Position paper (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Substub article, poorly sourced. It should be possible to provide context and sourcing. Taemyr (talk) 19:11, 17 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Done some of that.--Frostyservant (talk) 17:08, 20 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I redid and regularized the refs and cites and suggested a WP:LEDE rewrite on the article talk page. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 23:17, 24 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Open Voting Consortium (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

Due to COI the best I can do is list some supporting citations (for WP:N) on the talk page. It would be appreciated if someone could integrate these into this stub of an article and remove the references tag. Thanks. Low Sea (talk) 06:12, 29 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Mission: Wolf (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

• I think there is the basis for a worthwhile article here if we can find some references. I have chopped out some non-encyclopedic stuff and a quick Google search throws up some hits that may be useful. – ukexpat (talk) 00:42, 6 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

No substantive treatment but there are a few mentions in the New York Times.[1]. Ah, this is better: A Wolf in the Garden, Hiking Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Wilderness and The Rocky Mountains.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 02:45, 6 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Chums Scout Patrols (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) — (ICU)

To join, simply add " * ~~~ " to the list. That will post your name automatically without a timestamp. If you have a "fancy" signature, feel free to use it instead. (We wouldn't want to infringe on your creativity. :-) )

• Realkyhick
•  — Timotab ^{Timothy (not Tim dagnabbit!)}
• Boracay Bill
• Nick mallory
• 1redrun ^Talk
• • nancy •
• DGG (talk) 00:49, 8 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• Helmsb
• Rudget (talk · contribs)
• Blueboy96
• LaMenta3
• --Darkwind (talk)
• Vgranucci
• Kathleen.wright5
• Bfigura ^(talk)
• Itsmejudith 17:30, 22 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• -- ALLSTAR ECHO 09:07, 28 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
• NickSentowski
• --victor falk 14:04, 2 November 2007 (UTC) talk• Contributions[reply]
• Dc76\^talk, but unfortunately I have very little time to browse regularly through AfD lists. I like to do 1-2 things at a time, not 100, so... If you need help, please leave me a note here. I can not promiss help within minutes, neither a wisard's stick, but I can be at your side and honestly help with all I can.
• FW07 (talk) 17:00, 14 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• --Le Grand Roi des Citrouilles^Tally-ho! 17:55, 24 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

• Celarnor ^{Talk to me} 21:59, 28 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Protonk (talk) 19:00, 27 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• J.T Pearson (talk)
• "Honestyisbestpolicy (talk) 17:47, 18 June 2008 (UTC)"[reply]
• Alx xlA (talk)
• -- Tinu Cherian -
• Oboler (talk)
• DiverScout (talk) 13:43, 15 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
• Famous Mortimer (talk) 17:14, 20 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]