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{{Notice|An introductory version of this documentation is provided at [[Wikipedia:Citation needed]].}}

{{Tl|Citation needed}} (also known by the redirects {{Tl|Cn}} and {{Tl|Fact}}) is a [[Wikipedia:Template messages|template]] used to identify questionable claims in articles that lack a [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|citation]] to a [[WP:Reliable sources|reliable source]]. The template produces a superscripted notation like the following:

:[[Humphrey Bogart]] has won several [[snooker]] world championships.{{Citation needed|date={{currentmonthname}} {{currentyear}}}}.
Humphrey Bogart ''may'' have played snooker at some point and ''may'' have won a tournament at one time, there is no ''reliable'', ''published'' source to verify this. Also it is not [[common knowledge]].

===Usage===

You may append a date to the template in the following format:
:<code><nowiki>{{Citation needed|{{subst:DATE}}}}</nowiki></code>

'''Notes''':
* [[Help:Substitution|Substitution]] of this template will automatically fill the date parameter.
* If you don't add a date parameter, a [[Wikipedia:Bots|bot]] will date your entry with the month and year at a later time.
* The date parameter consists of the name of the current month and the year only, not full dates. The names of the months are capitalised in English. ''Any deviation from these two rules will result in an "invalid date parameter" error.''

It is also recommended to add the (non-displayed) {{para|reason}} parameter to leave a better record for future editors. For example, the following usage might be appropriate to the claim that "Humphrey Bogart has won several snooker world championships.":
:<code>{{Tlx|Citation needed|reason{{=}}This claim needs a reliable source; Bogart was a famous actor, and his major biographies don't mention snooker.}}</code>

Adding this template to an article places the article into [[:Category:Articles with unsourced statements]] or a dated subcategory thereof.

Please remove the template when you add a citation for a statement.

===Examples===

:<code>This sentence shows the template used at the end.{{Tlx|Citation needed|reason{{=}}reliable source needed for the whole sentence}}</code>

''The above wikitext will render as follows:''

:This sentence shows the template used at the end.{{Citation needed|reason=reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date={{currentmonthname}} {{currentyear}}}}

The template should be inserted ''after'' punctuation, such as a period or comma.
<!--
:<code>While this example{{Tlx|Citation needed|2=1=shows the template}} used to request a citation for a specific part of a sentence.</code>

''The above wikitext will render as follows:''

While this example {{Citation needed|1=shows the template}} used to request a citation for a specific part of a sentence.
 -->

===When not to use this template===

Unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material about [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons|living persons]] should be '''removed immediately'''. Do not tag it: immediately remove it. For more information, see the section on [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons#Remove unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material|poorly sourced contentious material]] in the policy page ''Biographies of living persons''.

Material that is doubtful, harmful (and possibly [[slander]]ous) may be removed immediately, rather than tagged. See [[Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden of evidence|Burden of evidence]]. 

The <nowiki>{{Citation needed}}</nowiki> 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 [[Template:Cn#Inline_templates|list of inline templates]]. For example, claims that you think are incorrect should be tagged with {{Tl|Dubious}}, and those which represent a non-neutral view should be tagged with {{Tl|POV-statement}}. Being specific about the nature of the problem will help other editors correct it.

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 (hit-and-run). Consider whether adding this tag in an article is the best approach before using it, and use it judiciously. Wikipedia's [[WP:V|verifiability policy]] does '''not require''' reliable sources for [[Common knowledge|common well-known facts]] (e.g., "The Moon orbits the Earth"), or 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 [[Wikipedia:Inline citation|inline citation]], rather than a [[Wikipedia:General references|general reference]] or no citation at all.

This template is intended for specific passages that need citation. For entire articles or sections that contain significant material lacking sources (rather than just specific short passages), there are other, more appropriate templates, such as {{Tl|Unreferenced}} or {{Tl|Refimprove}}.

Do not use this template on policies, guidelines, or other non-article pages.

=== 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 [[WP:BLP|certain kinds of claims about living people]], which require immediate production of inline citations, there is no specific deadline for providing citations. Please do not delete information that you believe is correct simply because no-one has provided a citation within an arbitrary time limit. Where there is some uncertainty about its accuracy, most editors are willing to wait about a month to see whether a citation can be provided.

=== See also ===

* [[Wikipedia:Citing sources]]
** Especially: [[Wikipedia:Citing sources#Dealing with unsourced material|Unsourced material]]
* [[Wikipedia:Verifiability]]
* [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources]]
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Fact and Reference Check]]

==== Inline templates ====

*{{Tl|Cite quote}}{{Cite quote}}: for "actual quotations" which need citations to make them proper.
*{{Tl|Clarify}}{{Clarify}}: request clarification of wording or interpretation.
*{{Tl|Examples}}{{Examples}}: request examples for clarification.
*{{Tl|List fact}}{{List fact}}: request a citation of a source which justifies inclusion of a given entry in a [[Wikipedia:List guideline|list]].
*{{Tl|Nonspecific}}{{Nonspecific}}: flag a general, yet factual statement as needing to be made more specific before it can be verified.
*{{Tl|Page needed}}{{Page needed}}: request a page number for an existing citation.

===== Highlighting some text that needs a citation =====

*{{Tl|Citation needed span}}({{Tl|Cn-span}}/{{Tl|Fact span}}): {{Citation needed span|Example text|date={{currentmonthname}} {{currentyear}}}}: similar, except that it outlines the text that needs a citation with a box.
*{{Tl|Reference necessary}}: {{Reference necessary|Example text|date={{currentmonthname}} {{currentyear}}}}: lightly underlines the text that needs a reference.

===== Incomplete citations =====

*{{Tl|Full}}{{Full}}: in-line request for full citation, for example when only (Author, YEAR) is given.
*{{Tl|Page needed}}{{Page needed}}: in-line request for the page number or page numbers in a work such as journal for an existing citation.
*{{Tl|Season needed}}{{Season needed}}, similar to {{Tl|page needed}}: for missing [[television|TV]] season & episode number.
*{{Tl|Volume needed}}{{Volume needed}}, similar to {{Tl|page needed}}: for missing journal, newspaper, comic, etc., volume and issue numbers).

===== Verification =====

*{{Tl|Better source}}{{Better source}}: flags a statement as requiring a better source.
*{{Tl|Dead link}}{{Dead link}}: request a fix for a [[Wikipedia:Dead external links|dead external link]] within a paragraph or a reference citation.
*{{Tl|Failed verification}}{{Failed verification}}: source was checked, and did not contain the cited material.
*{{Tl|Request quotation}}{{Request quotation}}: request a direct quote from an inaccessible source, for verification purposes.
*{{Tl|Self-published inline}}{{Self-published inline}} or {{tl|Self-published source}} {{Self-published source}}: flag a source that cites the author.
*{{Tl|Source need translation}}{{Source need translation}}: Self explanatory. See [[WP:NONENG]] for policy requirements.
*{{Tl|Verify credibility}}{{Verify credibility|name=Citation needed}}: flag a source as possibly being [[WP:RS|unreliable]] and/or [[WP:V|unverifiable]].
*{{Tl|Verify source}}{{Verify source}}: request that someone verify the cited source backs up the material in the passage.

===== Content =====

*{{Tl|Definition}}{{Definition}}: flag a definition as being ambiguous/confusing
*{{Tl|Dubious}}{{Dubious}}: flag something as suspected of being incorrect
*{{Tl|Technical-statement}}{{Technical-statement}}: ...flag a word or phrase [[Wikipedia:Make technical articles understandable]]
*{{Tl|Or}}{{or}}: flag something as possibly containing [[Wikipedia:No original research|original research]]
*{{Tl|Peacock term}}{{Peacock term}}: [[Wikipedia:Avoid peacock terms|Avoid peacock terms]] too
*{{Tl|POV-statement}}{{POV-statement}}: dispute the [[Wikipedia:Neutral point of view|neutrality]] of a passage
*{{Tl|Quantify}}{{Quantify}}: flag a statement as being vague regarding the amount of something
*{{Tl|Time fact}}/{{Tl|Chronology citation needed}}{{Chronology citation needed}}: request a source confirming or providing the chronology or timeline of a statement
*{{Tl|Undue-inline}}{{Undue-inline}}: show that a statement does not ascribe appropriate weight to its sources, according to their prominence; use in preference to...
*{{Tl|Vague}}{{Vague}}: flag a statement that is too vague to be unambiguously verifiable.
*{{Tl|Weasel-inline}}{{Weasel-inline}}: flag for [[Wikipedia:Avoid weasel words|weasel word]] cleanup
*{{Tl|When}}{{When}}: flags a particular time period as being vague or ambiguous
*{{Tl|Who}}{{who}}: for placement after descriptions of a group of persons
*{{Tl|Whom}}/{{Tl|By whom}}{{By whom}}: placement after mention of a vague third party claim that is not sourced
*{{Tl|Whom?}}{{Whom?}}

=====Timeliness=====
*{{Tl|Update after}}{{Update after}}: a template that only shows itself after a specified time, indicating an exceptional statement that will [[Wikipedia:Avoid statements that will date quickly|date quickly]].

====Article message box templates====

*{{Tl|Cite check}}, article/section may have inappropriate or misinterpreted citations.
*{{Tl|Refimprove}}, article/section has weak or incomplete sources/references/citations.
*{{Tl|Unreferenced}}, article/section has no sources/references/citations given at all.
* Citation method and style
** {{Tl|Citation style}}
** {{Tl|No footnotes}}

{{Inline tags}}

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<!-- Template categories and interwiki links -->

[[Category:Inline citation and verifiability dispute templates|Citation needed]]

[[af:Sjabloon:Feit]]
[[als:Vorlage:Beleg]]
[[ar:قالب:حقيقة]]
[[as:cn]]
[[az:Şablon:Fact]]
[[be:Шаблон:Крыніца?]]
[[be-x-old:Шаблён:Няма крыніцы інфармацыі]]
[[bg:Шаблон:Посочи източник]]
[[ca:Plantilla:Citació necessària]]
[[cs:Šablona:Doplňte zdroj]]
[[cy:Nodyn:Angen ffynhonnell]]
[[da:Skabelon:Kilde mangler]]
[[dsb:Pśedłoga:Fakt]]
[[eo:Ŝablono:Citon]]
[[el:Πρότυπο:Εκκρεμεί παραπομπή]]
[[es:Plantilla:Cita requerida]]
[[et:Mall:Lisa viide]]
[[fa:الگو:مدرک]]
[[fi:Malline:Lähde]]
[[fr:Modèle:Citation nécessaire]]
[[ko:틀:출처]]
[[he:תבנית:מקור]]
[[hr:Predložak:Nedostaje izvor]]
[[hsb:Předłoha:Fakt]]
[[hu:Sablon:Forr]]
[[id:Templat:Fact]]
[[is:Snið:Heimild vantar]]
[[it:Template:Citazione necessaria]]
[[ja:Template:要出典]]
[[ka:თარგი:ფაქტი]]
[[lv:Template:Nepieciešama atsauce]]
[[lt:Šablonas:Faktas]]
[[ml:ഫലകം:തെളിവ്]]
[[nl:Sjabloon:Bron?]]
[[no:Mal:Trenger referanse]]
[[nn:mal:kjelde manglar]]
[[pl:Szablon:Fakt]]
[[pt:Predefinição:Carece de fontes]]
[[ro:Format:Necesită citare]]
[[ru:Шаблон:Нет источника]]
[[sc:Template:Esigit tzitassione]]
[[simple:Template:Fact]]
[[sk:Šablóna:Bez citácie]]
[[sl:Predloga:Navedi vir]]
[[sq:Stampa:Citim i duhur]]
[[sr:Шаблон:Чињеница]]
[[sv:Mall:Källa behövs]]
[[te:Template:మూలాలు అవసరం]]
[[th:แม่แบบ:ต้องการอ้างอิงเฉพาะส่วน]]
[[tl:Template:Fact]]
[[vi:Tiêu bản:Cần chú thích]]
[[uk:Шаблон:Fact]]
[[zh:Template:Fact]]

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