Before I list an article at AfD I usually leave a message on its talk page asking for verification of the information. If nothing turns up I proceed with an AfD nomination. I've now made a template to accomplish the same goal, it reads like this: - - - - - '''Article name''' needs your help to stay in Wikipedia. In order for an article to remain in the encyclopedia it must be possible to verify all the information in it using reputable publications. You can help by providing citations about the topic in sources like published books, newspapers or reputable websites. If no-one is able to provide verification soon the article may be nominated for deletion. If you need help to verify the information try contacting the helpdesk. - - - - - The template tries to be friendly, helpful and urgent at the same time. If an article has been tagged like that for a while without anything happening and I can't find decent verification myself then I'll proceed with an AfD nomination. The thing is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Needs-verification Rename/reword/TfD/use/criticize or mutilate at will. Regards, Haukur