How to Cite Sources on Wikipedia

Co-authored by Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: October 11, 2022 References

Whether you're writing a new article on Wikipedia or adding to an existing one, statements you include must be verifiable. This means every paragraph should have at least one citation. In addition, hard facts (such as statistics), quotations, or potentially controversial claims must have their own citation. Citing sources on Wikipedia typically requires knowing a little Wiki Markup code, but it's fairly simple. Once you have a few citations under your belt the process will become relatively automatic.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating a List of Citations

1
Determine the referencing style used in existing articles. If you're adding to an existing article, look at the page to determine whether footnotes or parenthetical in-text citations are being used. Footnotes are most common on Wikipedia, but some pages use other styles.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- Look at the article in the edit box to get a sense of how the references are coded in Wiki Markup. If you're not familiar with the coding for that particular style, use the help guides on Wikipedia to bring yourself up to speed before you start editing the page.
Tip: Generally, the first major contributor to an article chooses the referencing style. Follow the style they've chosen rather than mixing different referencing styles in the same article. If you're the first major contributor, choose the style you're most comfortable with.^{[3]
X
Research source}
2
Go to the edit page and scroll to the bottom. If you're editing an existing page, either the template or tag will likely be there. The "{{Reflist}}" template is the most common. You may also see a "<references />" tag, which has the same effect.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- With either the tag or the template, any references you add to the text of the article using reference tags will automatically appear in the references section at the bottom of the page.
3
Create a "References" section if one doesn't already exist. If you're starting a new page or editing a page that doesn't have any references, set up the references section so all of your citations will automatically populate at the bottom of the page. The "{{Reflist}}" template is the most common and easiest for you and other editors to use.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- From your edit page, your "References" section on the edit page of the article should look like this:
  == References ==
  {{Reflist}}
4
Format your citations consistently. Wikipedia doesn't have a preferred citation format like you might be required to use when writing a paper for school. Instead, you can use any format that you want, as long as you use the same format for every citation.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- If you're expanding an existing article, use the same format that's been previously used rather than changing the format of the existing citations.
Advertisement

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Using Reference Tags

1
Provided you're using a browser that supports JavaScript, you'll see the refToolbar at the top of your edit box. Click on "Cite" at the top of the toolbar to activate refToolbar. The refToolbar will automatically add "<ref>" and "</ref>" to the beginning and end of your citations.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- Place your cursor directly after the text you're using the citation to verify, then choose the correct template from the "Templates" drop-down menu.
- Fill in the box that appears with as much information as you have, then hit "Preview" to make sure your citation has been created correctly. If you're satisfied, click the "Insert" button.
Tip: If you're going to use the source more than once, create a "refname" so you don't have to keep entering the same information over and over again.
2
Add reference tags manually to the article text after any punctuation. If you don't have access to the refToolbar, you'll have to add your citations manually. Generally, you'll place a "<ref>" at the beginning of your citation, type out the citation, then add a "</ref>" to the end of the citation.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- If you're entering reference tags manually, there are templates you can use (available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Template_index/Sources_of_articles/Citation_quick_reference) to make sure all of your citations are formatted consistently.
3
Include enough information that readers can find the source. The point of a citation is to verify the information in your article. If readers can't easily find the source, the information can't be verified. Even though you might not have a lot of information about a source, include as much as you can so readers can locate it.^{[9]
X
Research source}
- For example, if you're citing a book, include the ISBN in your citation. This allows readers to quickly find the exact edition of the book that you used.
- If you're entering reference tags manually, you might want to use the templates available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_templates to make sure your citation includes as much information as possible and it's formatted correctly.
Tip: Generally, use a free internet source if it's available, rather than a print source. For articles from scholarly journals, find out if they're available on Google Scholar or another free internet source.
4
Remove ref tags to place citations on lists without numeric superscripts. In some articles, you may want a "Further reading" or "Bibliography" section in addition to a "References" section. These sections typically don't use superscripted numbers.^{[10]
X
Research source}
- If you're using the refToolbar, simply add the citation in the section it relates to. Then, go back into your article, find it, and remove the ref tags. The citation will appear in the "Further reading" or "Bibliography" section you've set up.
- If you're adding citations manually, simply include the citation in the list at the bottom of your page.
Advertisement

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Identifying When Citations Are Needed

1
Add a source for any statement that is likely to be challenged. While all information in a Wikipedia article should be verifiable, it's especially important to add a citation for any information that's potentially controversial. Anyone who reads the page needs to know that you got the information from a reliable source.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- Information that is controversial or disputes common knowledge is likely to be challenged if it isn't sourced. For example, if you edited an article about clouds to state that clouds are made of marshmallows, you would need to back up that statement with an authoritative, published source.
- Information is also more likely to be challenged if it's relatively recent. For example, if you're writing about an event that happened last week, you would likely need to include more sources than you would if you were writing about an event that happened 20 years ago.
2
Support information about living people with a citation. In this context, citations are particularly important if the information could be considered defamatory or is likely to be challenged for other reasons. When writing an article that references a living person, citations help back up the information you provide and keep it from being deleted.^{[12]
X
Research source}
- With living people, be especially careful about the authoritativeness of the source. For example, while a newspaper or magazine would typically be considered a relatively reliable source, a tabloid magazine would not.
- Even with citations, controversial or critical information about a living person is likely to be challenged or removed if the cited source is less than reputable. Be wary of any source that seems biased or overly critical about the person.
3
Include an in-text attribution with quotes or close paraphrases. When you add a quote or close paraphrase to the text of the article, it's usually appropriate to mention the name of the author or source in the text as well. A footnote at the end of the sentence then leads to the full citation for the source where the material can be found.^{[13]
X
Research source}
- If you have any doubts, go ahead and attribute to the source. Generally, it's better to err on the side of caution and shows that you're being careful and conscientious about attributing information to the correct source.
4
Provide general references as a supplement to in-line citations. General references don't necessarily support any specific statement in the article but can help readers learn more about the subject. While general references are never necessary, you might want to add them in articles that discuss more complex topics.^{[14]
X
Research source}
- General references can be added as footnotes along with the in-line citations or included in a separate, non-numbered list, such as a "Further reading" section.
Tip: Citations can also be used to point readers to additional information that they might find interesting but doesn't really belong in the article.
5
Avoid citations in the lead section of the article. Because the lead section of an article merely summarizes the information in the article itself, it normally doesn't need citations. Instead, the citation would be included with the information when it was discussed in further detail in the article itself. However, quotations should be cited, as well as any controversial statements about living people.^{[15]
X
Research source}
- Disambiguation pages typically don't have any citations either. Any information that would require a citation should be included in the target page rather than on the disambiguation page.
Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Warnings

This article is about citing your sources in a Wikipedia article, not about how to cite a Wikipedia page in another paper.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
Use only reliable, third-party, published sources that have a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. If a source is questionable, the content might be challenged or deleted.^{[16]
X
Research source}

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0