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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Florence Merlevède

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I am nominating Florence Merlevède for deletion as she does not meet WP:PROF criteria for academic notability.

Research Impact (WP:PROF#C1): While Merlevède has published in probability theory, her citation count (2,329 on Google Scholar){{cite web |url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=EXAMPLE |title=Florence Merlevède |publisher=Google Scholar |access-date=2024-03-15}} falls short of the threshold typically considered "highly cited," even in low-citation fields like mathematics.

Selective Honors (WP:PROF#C3): The 2021 IMS Fellowship{{cite web |url=https://imstat.org/2021/04/22/ims-names-2021-fellows/ |title=IMS names 2021 Fellows |publisher=Institute of Mathematical Statistics |date=2021-04-22 |access-date=2021-10-16}} is not clearly exceptional: about 34 fellows are selected annually{{cite web |url=https://imstat.org/ims-fellows/ |title=IMS Fellows: a little history |publisher=Institute of Mathematical Statistics |access-date=2024-03-15}} from ~4,000 members{{cite web |url=https://imstat.org/about/ |title=About IMS |publisher=Institute of Mathematical Statistics |access-date=2024-03-15}} — a substantial proportion.

Other criteria: No indication of major academic awards, named chairs, or high-profile research leadership. Editorial board service{{cite web |url=https://link.springer.com/journal/440/editors |title=Probability Theory and Related Fields editors |access-date=2024-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315093717/https://link.springer.com/journal/440/editors |archive-date=2024-03-15}} is routine and insufficient on its own.

Sourcing (WP:GNG, WP:V, WP:PRIMARY): The article is based largely on primary or routine sources: university homepage{{cite web |url=http://lama.u-pem.fr/membres/merlevede.florence |title=Florence Merlevède |publisher=Université Gustave Eiffel |access-date=2021-10-16}}, the Mathematics Genealogy Project{{cite web |url=https://mathgenealogy.org/id.php?id=226460 |title=Florence Merlevède |publisher=Mathematics Genealogy Project |access-date=2021-10-16}}, brief catalog reviewsReviews of Functional Gaussian Approximation for Dependent Structures: Dominique Lépingle, {{Zbl|1447.60003}}; N. C. Weber, {{MR|3930596}}, and the IMS announcement. No in-depth coverage from independent reliable sources has been found.

BLP and NOTDIR Concerns: The article is largely a CV-style listing of affiliations and roles, with no detailed discussion of impact. As a WP:BLP, higher standards of sourcing and notability apply. The subject appears notable within her institution, but not in a way that meets Wikipedia inclusion standards.

Conclusion: This article does not meet WP:PROF, WP:GNG, or WP:BLP standards. Without evidence of exceptional academic impact or significant independent coverage, deletion is appropriate. Alternatively, content could be merged into Probability theory or related articles per WP:MERGE.

I am nominating the article on Florence Merlevède for deletion because it demonstrably fails to meet Wikipedia’s notability guidelines for academics (WP:PROF) and the general notability guideline (WP:GNG). Despite Merlevède’s position as a professor at Gustave Eiffel University and her 2021 Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) fellowship, the article lacks evidence of the exceptional impact or widespread recognition required for a standalone Wikipedia page. A thorough search across Google Scholar, news outlets, JSTOR, and general web sources reveals no independent, reliable secondary sources providing significant coverage of her work or contributions, as required by WP:GNG.

The article’s sources are inadequate to establish notability:

1. The Gustave Eiffel University profile [1] is a primary source, offering no independent analysis.

2. The Mathematics Genealogy Project [2] is a routine database entry, irrelevant to notability.

3. The two reviews of her book *Functional Gaussian Approximation for Dependent Structures* [3] are standard academic reviews (Zbl 1447.60003, MR3930596), not evidence of broad impact or recognition.

4. Her editorial role in *Probability Theory and Related Fields* [4] is a common academic responsibility and does not demonstrate exceptional distinction under WP:PROF.

5. The IMS fellowship announcement [5] is a primary source from the IMS website, lacking in-depth, independent coverage.

A comprehensive search for additional sources confirms this deficiency. On Google Scholar, Merlevède’s publications, including her 2019 book, have modest citation counts (tens to low hundreds), far below the threshold of highly cited works typical for notable academics under WP:PROF. No news articles in major outlets (e.g., Le Monde, The New York Times) or in-depth scholarly discussions on JSTOR mention her contributions. The absence of independent profiles, biographies, or significant awards beyond the IMS fellowship—shared by many academics without Wikipedia pages—further underscores the lack of notability.

Potential arguments for keeping the article, such as the IMS fellowship or editorial role, do not hold under scrutiny. WP:PROF requires that honors like fellowships reflect exceptional impact (e.g., major international awards or field-defining contributions), and the IMS fellowship, while prestigious, is not rare enough to confer automatic notability. Similarly, editorial roles are routine for senior academics and do not alone justify a standalone article. Without robust, independent sources demonstrating significant coverage or impact, retaining this article risks undermining Wikipedia’s notability standards by including academics with routine credentials.

I urge editors to provide verifiable, independent secondary sources (e.g., news articles, books, or in-depth reviews) to establish notability during this discussion. If no such sources are found, I propose deleting the article or, as a lesser alternative, merging any salvageable content into a broader article on probability theory or dependent random variables. restored and struck original nomination - StarryGrandma (talk) 19:59, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

EditorSage42 (talk) 20:35, 5 June 2025 (UTC) — EditorSage42 (talk • contribs) has made few or no other edits outside this topic. {{#if:|A sockpuppet investigation is open at Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/{{{spi}}}.{{sp}}|}}

{{reflist-talk}}

  • Keep per WP:PROF#C1 (well-cited publications [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5Dh05SUAAAAJ] for a low-cited area, probability theory) and WP:PROF#C3 (Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics), and give a WP:TROUT to the nominator for using AI text generation to hide their nomination rationale in a sea of unreadable verbiage, and for a bad deletion rationale that claims to evaluate the article against WP:PROF but actually only considers WP:GNG-related criteria. In particular, WP:PROF does not require secondary sourcing. —David Eppstein (talk) 21:34, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :@David Eppstein: WP:PROF#C1 requires "highly cited" work - her papers have modest citations (tens to low hundreds), not the threshold typical for notable academics. WP:PROF#C3 fellowships are common - hundreds receive IMS fellowships without Wikipedia pages. The detailed rationale reflects thorough research, not poor faith editing. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:00, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Academics and educators-related deletion discussions. —David Eppstein (talk) 21:38, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Women-related deletion discussions. —David Eppstein (talk) 21:38, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Note: This discussion has been included in the list of France-related deletion discussions. —David Eppstein (talk) 21:38, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Mathematics-related deletion discussions. —David Eppstein (talk) 21:38, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Speedy keep, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics says she is notable (she has "outstanding contributions" in the field). Let's not waste editors time in this. 2804:14D:4CD8:423A:2D44:F041:4133:F431 (talk) 22:03, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :@2804:14D:4CD8:423A:2D44:F041:4133:F431: IMS fellowships are awarded to hundreds of academics annually. "Outstanding contributions" is standard fellowship language, not evidence of exceptional notability warranting a Wikipedia article. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:01, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • ::In fact this is completely false. The number of IMS Fellows named in 2024 was 34 [https://imstat.org/2024/05/17/2024-ims-fellows-announced/], not "hundreds". This is in line with other societies for which we count fellowship as an honor worthy of WP:PROF#C3. —David Eppstein (talk) 07:04, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :::@David Eppstein: You're correct about 34 annual fellows, but this strengthens the deletion case. With 1,098 total Fellows since 1935 and ~470 living Fellows among 4,700 members, this represents 10% of membership - hardly exclusive. Annual counts vary from 7-38 with median 17, so 34 is above average. When hundreds globally hold this honor, it's insufficient alone for Wikipedia notability without independent secondary sources showing broader impact - which Merlevède lacks per WP:GNG. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:10, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Keep. Citation records look credible for WP:NPROF C1 in a low citation field (noting that her work is more torward mathematics than statistic), and I think the IMS fellow program meets NPROF C3. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 22:27, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :@Russ Woodroofe: "Credible" citations aren't equivalent to "highly cited." Her work falls below citation thresholds typical for notable academics even in specialized mathematical fields. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:01, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • ::{{u|EditorSage42}}, I'm seeing several papers with over 100 citations. In a low-citation field like mathematics, I think that is enough. Combined with the election as an IMS fellow, it looks unambiguous. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 08:04, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :::{{ping|Russ Woodroofe}} Thanks. Papers with 100–200 citations are respectable, but WP:PROF#C1 requires *widely* cited work—even in low-citation fields. IMS Fellowship is an honor, but with 30+ awarded yearly and many fellows lacking Wikipedia pages, it isn’t by itself enough for WP:PROF#C3. Merlevède is a strong academic, but that alone doesn’t meet Wikipedia’s notability threshold. EditorSage42 (talk) 08:20, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • ::::Only, based on past consensuses, it very clearly does. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 08:46, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :::::{{ping|Russ Woodroofe}} If IMS fellowship clearly meets notability, why do many IMS fellows with similar or stronger records not have Wikipedia pages? That suggests the honor alone isn’t always enough.
  • :::::Also, per WP:PROF, notability requires *exceptional* impact. With 30+ fellows named annually, the title is respected but not rare. Without strong independent sources or widely cited work, this article doesn’t meet Wikipedia’s standards. Deletion still seems appropriate. EditorSage42 (talk) 09:15, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Keep. Passes WP:Prof#C1 in a low-cited field. Xxanthippe (talk) 22:29, 5 June 2025 (UTC).
  • :@Xxanthippe: Low-cited fields don't mean lowered standards. Even within probability theory, truly notable academics demonstrate significantly higher citation counts and broader recognition. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:02, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • Keep, WP:NPROF C3: IMS fellow and WP:NPROF C1: several highly-cited works (where she is first author, i.e. it's not a 15th-of-30 authors-situation). Zzz plant (talk) 22:33, 5 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :@Zzz plant: Her highest-cited works have ~100-200 citations - hardly "highly-cited" for mathematics. First authorship doesn't compensate for modest overall impact. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:02, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

:Response to keep arguments: Wikipedia isn't a directory of professors with fellowships. Without independent sources demonstrating broader impact beyond routine academic credentials, this article fails basic notability standards regardless of field-specific considerations. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:02, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

::Since you appear to be new here, despite finding your way to WP:AFD, you might want to read WP:BLUDGEON. —David Eppstein (talk) 07:05, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

:::Understood. I'll limit further responses to substantive new points only. The core issue remains: lack of independent secondary sources per WP:GNG. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:12, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

::::Which is completely irrelevant to WP:PROF. —David Eppstein (talk) 07:21, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

:::::Point taken regarding WP:PROF sourcing standards. I'll focus on whether the specific WP:PROF criteria are met rather than WP:GNG requirements. EditorSage42 (talk) 07:23, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

  • Keep Some of the claims in the nominator's deletion argument are irrelevant, and the others are incorrect. For example, using the Mathematics Genealogy Project and a university homepage are not bad things. Sources like that are fine for routine claims, like who a person's PhD supervisors were, which is how they are used here. The article is not written like a CV; a CV would recapitulate the whole list of publications, rather than giving a brief synopsis of the education and career highlights as done here. Even if it were written like a CV, that by itself wouldn't be a reason to delete the article, but rather a reason to clean it up. I am convinced that the criteria for being a highly-cited researcher and for being recognized by a prestigious fellowship are both met. Despite the nominator's claim above, "low-cited fields" do "mean lower standards", insofar as it requires smaller absolute numbers to stand out relatively. Likewise, even if many IMS fellows currently lack Wikipedia pages, that doesn't mean that IMS fellowship is a minor deal. Plenty of meritorious subjects lack Wikipedia articles simply because nobody has had the time to write them yet. The nomination is written in a verbose, bullet-point-ish style, and the references in it that weren't copied from the original article fail to support the claims to which they are attached. The citation for "about 34 fellows are selected annually" redirects to [https://imstat.org/2014/07/01/ims-fellows-2014/ IMS Fellows 2014], which says nothing about the annual average. The title of that supposed citation, "IMS Fellows: a little history", only appears on [https://imstat.org/2015/07/14/ims-fellows-a-little-history/ a 2015 blog post], which says that the median number for 1971–2015 was 17. The citation for "~4,000 members" redirects to [https://imstat.org/about-the-ims-bulletin/ the About page for the IMS Bulletin], which obviously says nothing about how big the IMS membership is. The formatting, the disconnect between text and references, and some features of the many replies above suggest that a chatbot was used, which merits censure. (The nominator repeatedly rewriting the nomination while the discussion is ongoing is also quite confusing.) Stepwise Continuous Dysfunction (talk) 16:50, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :Incidentally, the nomination statement has been significantly revised since the original nomination. —David Eppstein (talk) 17:39, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • ::I noticed that. I don't know if there's an explicit rule against that, but it's definitely impolite. And I have the suspicion that multiple passes through a chatbot were involved. Stepwise Continuous Dysfunction (talk) 18:19, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • :@Stepwise Continuous Dysfunction: I accept your corrections. However, they strengthen the deletion case:
  • :1. Citations
  • :* Merlevède: 2,312[https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5Dh05SUAAAAJ Google Scholar]
  • :* Top probability theorists: 10,000–30,000[https://mathcitations.github.io/ Mathematics Citation Rankings]
  • :* Even field-adjusted per IMU guidelines[https://www.mathunion.org/fileadmin/IMU/Report/CitationStatistics.pdf IMU Report], not exceptional
  • :2. IMS Fellowship
  • :* ~10% selectivity (470 fellows / 4,700 members)[https://stat.uchicago.edu/news/article/rina-foygel-barber-named-ims-fellow/ UChicago]
  • :* Compare: NAS ~0.02% of US scientists[http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/election/ NAS]
  • :* Many fellows lack Wikipedia pages
  • :3. WP:PROF Failure
  • :* WP:PROF#C3: 10% ≠ "highly selective"
  • :* WP:PROF#C1: No independent sources showing "significant impact"
  • :* Editorial boards = "routine and insufficient"
  • :4. Precedent
  • :* Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics regularly deletes similar profiles
  • :* WP:NOTDIR: Not a professional directory
  • :5. Gender
  • :* Women underrepresented (20% IMS)[https://imstat.org/2023/05/09/written-by-witten-where-my-ladies-at/ IMS]
  • :* Lowering standards isn't the solution
  • :* Focus on women who clearly meet criteria
  • :Conclusion: Standard academic career. WP:PROF presumes average professors not notable. Without exceptional impact or significant coverage, delete. EditorSage42 (talk) 21:15, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

{{reflist-talk}}

  • ::No. You keep repeating yourself without showing any indication that you understand the replies being made to you. For example, I explained why fellows lacking Wikipedia pages is not an argument for deletion, yet you just repeat that it is. You say that "Wikipedia:WikiProject Mathematics regularly deletes similar profiles", but WikiProject Mathematics is just a place for Wikipedia editors who like mathematics to hang out. It's not a decision-making body, and it doesn't delete any pages. And the people who do hang out there say that this page should be kept. You link to a page supposedly about "top probability theorists" for no clear reason; Wikipedia doesn't require a person to be among the top-5 most cited mathematicians in a field to be notable. Your "Gender" bullet point is completely irrelevant. Stepwise Continuous Dysfunction (talk) 21:50, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
  • ::I should add that this reply increases my confidence that a chatbot is being used to produce these replies. Stepwise Continuous Dysfunction (talk) 22:10, 6 June 2025 (UTC)

:{{ping|Stepwise Continuous Dysfunction}} You're right to call out my citation errors, and I apologize for those mistakes. However, your response actually exposes the fundamental flaw in the keep argument: you make assertions without evidence while criticizing me for the same.

:You claim she meets "highly cited" standards but provide zero citation thresholds or comparative data. You assert IMS fellowship is sufficiently "prestigious" but offer no analysis of its selectivity or comparison to other honors we reject. When I noted approximately 10% selectivity among living members, you simply ignored the mathematics entirely.

:Your "editorial time" explanation for missing fellow pages is particularly weak—if IMS fellowship truly met our notability bar, we'd see more coverage, not systematic gaps. You can't simultaneously argue it's an exceptional honor while explaining away why most recipients lack Wikipedia presence.

:Most critically, you completely avoid the sourcing issue. This article has zero independent coverage—no news profiles, no scholarly discussions of her impact, no book reviews examining her contributions. Just institutional pages and databases. You correctly note WP:PROF doesn't require secondary sources, but when "highly cited" and "highly selective" become purely subjective (as here), independent coverage typically distinguishes truly notable academics from accomplished ones.

:Your argument reduces to: "trust my judgment that these accomplishments are exceptional." But Wikipedia requires verifiable standards, not editorial opinion. Without objective metrics or independent sources, we're creating precedent that routine academic success—respectable citations plus professional honors—warrants inclusion, directly contradicting WP:NOTDIR. EditorSage42 (talk) 08:30, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

::{{u|EditorSage42}}, I do not think that your WP:BLUDGEONing of the process is having the effect that you wish it to have here. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 08:43, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

:::{{Ping|Russ Woodroofe}} You're right. I've made my position clear and should let the discussion proceed without further repetitive arguments from me. I'll step back now and let others weigh in. EditorSage42 (talk) 08:48, 7 June 2025 (UTC)

  • Keep Seems to meet WP:NPROF as others have already said, for a low citation rate field and the fellowship. Doesn't really add much weight, there is at least one short review of her book. I also note that {{tq|hundreds receive IMS fellowships without Wikipedia pages}} isn't a valid reason for deletion, as per WP:WHATABOUTX. -Kj cheetham (talk) 10:03, 7 June 2025 (UTC)
  • weak delete not a clear-cut case but the citation count is on the very low end to meet NPROF#1 and the case for NPROF#3 is really not that strong. An h-index of 26 is in the somewhat low side so I would say that this is rather WP:TOOSOON and the field is not *that* low in citation as a glance at the papers that cite her work confirms, hundreds to thousands of citations for high impact papers are not that uncommon in this field as well. She doesnt really pass the "average professor" test in her field. --hroest 17:08, 8 June 2025 (UTC)