Template:Citation needed/doc
Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. {{Citation needed}} is a template used to identify claims in articles, particularly if questionable, that need a citation to a reliable source. This template produces the superscripted message Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. and is installed with no spaces directly after punctuation.
Use
- Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
- Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
Notes:
- The
|date=parameter consists of the full English name of the current month (with initial capital and rest lowercase), a space, and the year. For example, "January 2013" but not "jan13" or "January 23, 2013". Deviation from this rule will place the article in Category:Articles with invalid date parameter in template.
- To automatically add the current date, you can use substitution like this:
{{subst:Citation needed}}. - If the
|date=parameter is not given, a bot will soon add it (AnomieBOT's TagDater task) but it's better if you add it yourself to avoid an extra edit to the article's history.
- To automatically add the current date, you can use substitution like this:
- The
|reason=parameter is for an explanation why you think the material needs a source. It is optional but very helpful. It is displayed as a tooltip in some browsers (hover the mouse here Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. to check behaviour of your browser). For example, the following usage might be appropriate to the claim that "Humphrey Bogart was an avid snooker player":
- Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
- Use only plain text for the
|reason=parameter. It does not support wiki markup like wikilinks, which can mess up the tooltip. - Double quotation marks used within the
|reason=parameter will likewise mess up the tooltip; use single quotes or the HTML code"instead. - If omitted, the tooltip "This claim needs references to reliable sources." is used by default.
- Use only plain text for the
- This template should usually be installed directly after punctuation, such as a full stop (period) or a comma.
- Use of this template places the article into Category:All articles with unsourced statements and Category:Articles with unsourced statements from June 2026 (example; past months are listed in Category:Articles with unsourced statements).
- Remove the template when you add a citation for a statement.
Examples
Example 1
This sentence shows the template used at the end.{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=June 2026}}
This wikitext will be rendered as follows:
- This sentence shows the template used at the end.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
Example 2
[[Humphrey Bogart]] was an avid snooker player.{{Citation needed|date=June 2026}}
The template indicates that it may be that Humphrey Bogart played snooker at some point and it may be that he was enthusiastic about the game but no reliable, published sources were given to verify it and the information is not considered common knowledge.
- Humphrey Bogart was an avid snooker player.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
Example 3
If it is considered that he might have played snooker but was not an avid player, a reason for the need of a citation may be given, displayed as a tooltip when the mouse hovers on "citation needed":
[[Humphrey Bogart]] was an avid snooker player.{{Citation needed|date=June 2026|reason=Only aware he was photographed playing once. Not aware of any source that claims he played a lot.}}
- Humphrey Bogart was an avid snooker player.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
In this example, it may be better to use the {{Citation needed span}}, which has slightly different syntax, template to highlight the word "avid".
When not to use this template
Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced should be removed immediately. Do not tag it; immediately remove it. This includes material that is disparaging, misrepresentative, insulting, harmful, or possibly libelous. For some policy about this, see the sections "Remove contentious material that is unsourced or poorly sourced" at Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons and "Burden of evidence" at Wikipedia:Verifiability.
The {{Citation needed}} template is intended for use when there is a general question of the verifiability of a statement, or when an editor believes that a reference verifying the statement should be provided. Other templates are available for other or more specific issues; see the list of inline templates. For example, claims that you think are incorrect should be tagged with {{Dubious}}, and those which represent a non-neutral view should be tagged with {{POV statement}}. Being specific about the nature of the problem will help other editors correct it.
Within a lead section that is clearly written as a summary of a substantially sourced article,
- statements that are supported with citations within the body of the article should not be tagged,
- statements that are not supported in the article body should be tagged with {{Not verified in body}}.
If you have the time and ability to find an authoritative reference, please do so. Then add the citation yourself, or correct the article text. After all, the ultimate goal is not to merely identify problems, but to fix them.
While an editor may add this template to any uncited passage for any reason, many editors object to what they perceive as overuse of this tag, particularly in what is known as "drive-by" tagging, which is applying the tag without attempting to address the issues at all. Consider whether adding this tag in an article is the best approach before using it, and use it judiciously. Wikipedia's verifiability policy does not require reliable sources for common well-known facts (e.g., "the Moon orbits the Earth"), neither that citations be repeated through every sentence in a paragraph. All direct quotations and facts whose accuracy might be challenged (e.g., statistics) require citations. See WP:MINREF for the list of material that is absolutely required to be followed by an inline citation, rather than a general reference or no citation at all. Also note that the burden of evidence lies with the editor who adds or restores material.
This template is intended for specific passages that need citation. For entire articles or sections that contain significant material lacking citations (rather than just specific short passages), there are other, more appropriate templates, such as {{Unreferenced}} and {{More citations needed}} (for whole articles) as well as {{Unreferenced section}} and {{More citations needed section}} (for sections of articles).
Do not use this template to tag policies or guidelines.
How to respond to this tag
The addition of this tag is a request for an inline citation to support the tagged statement. If you are able to provide a citation to support the claim, then please do so.
Except for contentious claims about living people, which should be immediately removed if not cited, there is no specific deadline for providing citations. Please do not delete information that you believe is correct solely because no one has provided a citation within an arbitrary time limit. If there is some uncertainty about its accuracy, most editors are willing to wait at least a month to see whether a citation can be provided.
Template data
TemplateData for Citation needed
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The template is used to identify claims in articles, particularly if questionable, that lack a citation to a reliable source.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month and year | date | Provides the month and year of the citation request; e.g., 'January 2013', but not 'jan13'
| String | suggested |
| Reason for citation | reason | A reason as to why, or for what content, the citation is needed; use single quotes, if any | String | optional |
Tracking categories
- [[:Category:Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.|Category:Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.]] (0) – a hidden maintenance/tracking category which is added to pages using this template with unsupported parameters
- [[:Category:Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.|Category:Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.]] (0)
Redirects
- Template:Cn (redirect page) (← links)
- Template:Fact (redirect page) (← links)
See also
- Citation needed, Wikipedia's mainspace article about this template
- Template:Not verified in body, a similar template specifically for the lead of articles
- Template:Medical citation needed
- Template:More citations needed
- Wikipedia:Citing sources, especially Unsourced material
- Wikipedia:Reliable sources
- Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup#Verifiability and sources
- Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles
- Wikipedia:Verifiability
Inline templates
- {{Additional citation needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request addition of more sources.
- {{Quote without source}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request source for quotations.
- {{Clarify}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request clarification of wording or interpretation.
- {{Example needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request examples for clarification.
- {{Nonspecific}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a general, yet factual statement as needing to be made more specific before it can be verified.
- {{Page needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request a page number for an existing citation.
Highlighting some text that needs a citation
- {{Citation needed span}}: similar, except that the text needing the citation is changed to a dark slate-gray color while being encapsulated in an off-white box with a pale pink outline. For example:
- Beetles constitute Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. the largest order of insects, with Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.
Incomplete citations
- {{Deep link needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: inline request for the exact web page. Use when a web site is referenced but the exact web page is not given.
- {{Full citation needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: inline request for full citation, for example when only author, year are given.
- {{Incomplete short citation}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: inline warning and request for enough information to allow the short citation to uniquely identify a long citation.
- {{Page needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: inline request for the page number(s) in a work that support a citation.
- {{Time needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: inline request for the specific time in a recording that supports the citation; see:
|minutes=or|time=in {{Cite AV media}}. - {{Season needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1., similar to {{page needed}}: for missing TV season and episode number.
- {{Volume needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1., similar to {{page needed}}: for missing journal, newspaper, comic, volume and issue numbers, etc.
Verification
- {{Better source needed}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flags a statement as requiring a better source.
- {{Dead link}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: tag a ref or an external link as dead.
- {{Failed verification}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: source was checked, and did not contain the cited material.
- {{Request quotation}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request a direct quote from an inaccessible source, for verification purposes.
- {{Self-published inline}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1. or {{Self-published source}} Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a source that cites the author.
- {{Unreliable source?}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a source as possibly being unreliable or unverifiable.
- {{Verify source}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request that someone verify the cited source backs up the material in the passage.
Content
- {{According to whom}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a vague, unreferenced, third-party claim with no specific, identifiable individuals or groups named who could verify the claim.
- {{By whom}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement that has a claim by a third party who is not well identified and/or well sourced.
- {{Chronology citation needed}}/Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: request a source confirming or providing the chronology or timeline of a statement.
- {{Definition}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a definition as being ambiguous or confusing.
- {{Dubious}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag something as suspected of being incorrect; explain why on the talk page and briefly in the |reason= parameter.
- {{Original research inline}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement as possibly containing original research.
- {{Peacock inline}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement that contains peacock terms.
- {{POV statement}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag something as possibly not having a neutral point of view.
- {{Quantify}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement as being vague regarding the amount of something.
- {{Technical inline}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a word or phrase that is both technical and not understandable.
- {{Undue weight inline}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement that does not ascribe appropriate weight to its sources, according to their levels of prominence.
- {{Vague}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement that is too vague to be unambiguously verifiable.
- {{Weasel inline}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement that contains weasel words.
- {{When}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement that has a time period that's vague or ambiguous.
- {{Who}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: flag a statement that needs a description or identification of a person or group of persons.
Timeliness
- {{Update after}}Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.Lua error: Internal error: The interpreter exited with status 1.: a template that only shows itself after a specified time, indicating an exceptional statement that will date quickly.
Article message box templates
- {{Cite check}}: article or section may have inappropriate or misinterpreted citations.
- {{More citations needed}}: article or section has weak or incomplete sources, references, or citations.
- {{Unreferenced}} and {{Unreferenced section}}: article or section has no sources, references, or citations given at all.
- Citation method and style
- {{Citation style}}
- {{No footnotes}}
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