Difference between revisions of "Help:Footnotes"

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Footnotes are created using the {{cite.php}} software extension. This extension adds the HTML-like elements {{tag|ref}}, {{tag|references|s}} and {{tag|references}}. The elements are also used in a number of templates; for example, it is becoming more common to use {{tl|reflist}} rather than {{tag|references|s}} as it can style the reference list.
 
Footnotes are created using the {{cite.php}} software extension. This extension adds the HTML-like elements {{tag|ref}}, {{tag|references|s}} and {{tag|references}}. The elements are also used in a number of templates; for example, it is becoming more common to use {{tl|reflist}} rather than {{tag|references|s}} as it can style the reference list.
  
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==Overview=rss=
+
==Overview==
 
{{VE documentation|style=width: 25%; font-size: 87%; float:right}}
 
{{VE documentation|style=width: 25%; font-size: 87%; float:right}}
 
The Footnotes system shows two elements on the page:
 
The Footnotes system shows two elements on the page:
Line 34: Line 34:
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{anchor|Footnote markers: the basics}}
 
{{anchor|Footnote markers: the basics}}
 +
 +
==Footnotes: the basics==
 +
To create the footnote marker, determine the point in the page content where the marker is desired and enter the markup with the citation or note inside the {{tag|ref}} tags. For example:
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref>LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|This is page content.<ref>LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
:The {{tl|reflist}} template will be explained in the next section.
 +
 +
The content inside the {{tag|ref}} will show in the reference list. The ref tags can be added anywhere a citation or note is needed. There must be content inside the tags, else an error will show.
 +
 +
{{anchor|Where_to_place_ref_tags}} Ref tags should follow any punctuation (usually a period), not precede it; see [[WP:REFPUNC]]. There should be no space between the punctuation and the tag:
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>...text.<ref>Content of the reference</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|...text.<ref>Content of the reference</ref> &nbsp; &nbsp; {{xt|Right}}
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
|<nowiki>...text<ref>Content of the reference</ref>.
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|...text<ref>Content of the reference</ref>. &nbsp; &nbsp; {{!xt|Wrong (tag before punctuation)}}
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
|<nowiki>...text. <ref>Content of the reference</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|...text. <ref>Content of the reference</ref> &nbsp; &nbsp; {{!xt|Wrong (space before tag)}}
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
The content of the ref tags can be formatted using most wikimarkup or HTML markup, although techniques such as the [[Help:Pipe trick|pipe trick]] and [[Help:Substitution|template substitution]] will not work in footnotes. For example:
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
The ref tag content may also contain an internal or external link:
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref>''[http://www.example.org LibreOffice For Starters]'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|This is page content.<ref>''[http://www.example.org LibreOffice For Starters]'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
{{MediaWiki URL rules}}
 +
 +
==Reference lists: the basics==
 +
Once any number of footnotes have been inserted into the content, the reference list must be generated. For the basic reference list, add {{tl|reflist}} wherever the list is desired. Once the page is saved and viewed, the footnotes will be automatically generated and numbered and the reference list will be generated. The main reference list is placed in a separate section, usually titled "References", "Notes" or the like.
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
 +
==References==
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
 +
 +
{{fake heading|sub=2|References}}
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
'''Notes'''
 +
{{shortcut|HELP:MULTIREF}}
 +
* In some cases, a page has more than one reference list. Until 2014, multiple uses of {{tl|reflist}} on the same page required use of a {{para|close}} parameter; that bug has been fixed and the{{para|close}} parameter may safely be removed.
 +
*When editing, {{tag|references|s}} may be seen instead of {{tl|reflist}}. This is valid, but {{tag|references|s}} does not offer the advanced features of {{tl|reflist}}.
 +
 +
{{anchor|Naming a ref tag so it can be used more than once|Footnote markers: using a source more than once}}
 +
 +
==Footnotes: using a source more than once==
 +
{{Shortcut|WP:REFNAME|WP:NAMEDREFS}}
 +
You can cite the same source more than once on a page by using named footnotes. The syntax to define a named footnote is:
 +
:{{tag|ref|params=name=<var>"name"</var>|content=<var>content</var>}}
 +
 +
To invoke the named footnote:
 +
:{{tag|ref|s|params=name=<var>"name"</var>}}
 +
 +
{{refname rules}}
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref name=manchester2002>''LibreOffice for Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref> This is more content.<ref name=manchester2002 />
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|This is page content.<ref name=manchester2002>''LibreOffice for Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref> This is more content.<ref name=manchester2002 />
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
The actual name used can be almost anything, but it is recommended that it have a connection to the citation or note. A common practice is to use the author-year or publisher-year for the reference name. This helps editors remember the name, by associating it with the information that is visible to the reader.
 +
 +
Note that the footnote labels are incremented in the order they are used, and that they use the same label when reused, thus the labels can seem out of order:
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>This is starter content.<ref name=manchester2002>''LibreOffice for Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref> This is expert content.<ref name=lexington2004>''OpenOffice for Experts'', Lexington, 2004, p. 18</ref> And more starter content.<ref name=manchester2002 /> And more expert content.<ref name=lexington2004 />
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|This is starter content.<ref name=manchester2002>''LibreOffice for Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref> This is expert content.<ref name=lexington2004>''OpenOffice for Experts'', Lexington, 2004, p. 18</ref> And more starter content.<ref name=manchester2002 /> And more expert content.<ref name=lexington2004 />
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
When using both names and [[#Footnotes:_groups|groups]], the syntax is:
 +
:{{tag|ref|params=name=<var>name</var> group=<var>groupname</var>|content=Content}}
 +
Care should be taken when deleting references to avoid creating a cite error. See [[Wikipedia:Avoiding common mistakes#Deleting...|Avoiding common mistakes]]
 +
 +
==Reference lists: columns==
 +
{{shortcut|H:REFCOLS}}
 +
{{hatnote|Columns are not supported by Internet Explorer 9 and below; see {{tl|reflist}} for technical details}}
 +
When using {{tl|reflist}}, the list can be split into columns.
 +
:{{tlx|reflist|<var>xx</var>em}} where <var>xx</var> is the column width in [[em (typography)|em]].
 +
By setting the width in em, the number of columns will automatically be adjusted to the width of the display.
 +
 +
The [[Template:Reflist#Columns|set columns feature]] is now [[deprecated]] in favor of the options described above, which is better suited to flexible formatting for a variety of display screen sizes, ranging from mobile phones and tablets to wide-screen "cinema" displays. Forcing a fixed number of columns has been disabled in mobile view.
 +
 +
The number of columns to use is up to the editor, but some major practices include:
 +
* {{tlx|Reflist}} - 1 column (default): Where there are only a few {{fnote}}; see {{oldid|Silver State Arena|530211388#References|Silver State Arena (23:05, 28 December 2012)}}
 +
* {{tlx|Reflist|30em}}: Where there are many footnotes plus a page-width Bibliography subsection: see {{oldid|Ebola virus disease|561190497#References|Ebola virus disease (06:28, 23 June 2013)}}
 +
* {{tlx|Reflist|20em}}: Where {{sfnote}} are used; see {{oldid|NBR 224 and 420 Classes|442508215#Notes|NBR 224 and 420 Classes (13:32, 1 August 2011)}}.
 +
 +
For example:
 +
Using {{tlx|Reflist|30em}} will create columns with a minimum width of 30 em,
 +
{{markup|title=30em wide columns
 +
|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum.<ref>Source name, access date, etc.</ref>
 +
 +
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.<ref>Source name, access date, etc.</ref>
 +
 +
==References==
 +
{{Reflist|30em}}</nowiki>
 +
|Lorem ipsum.<ref>Source name, access date, etc.</ref>
 +
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.<ref>Source name, access date, etc.</ref>
 +
 +
{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
 +
{{Reflist|30em}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
==List-defined references==
 +
{{shortcut|WP:LDR}}
 +
{{main|Help:List-defined references}}
 +
Some or all of the footnotes can also be defined within the reference section/list, and invoked in the page content. This keeps those citations in one central location and avoids cluttering the text (and any infobox). This is purely a source code change{{snd}}the actual display of the citation in the text to a reader is unaffected. For a more detailed evaluation of this method, see [[WP:LDRHOW]]. The syntax is:
 +
 +
<source lang="xml">
 +
{{reflist|refs=
 +
<ref name=name1>Content</ref>
 +
<ref name=name2>Content</ref>
 +
<ref name=name...n>Content</ref>
 +
}}
 +
</source>
 +
 +
or, alternatively,
 +
 +
<source lang="xml">
 +
<references>
 +
<ref name=name1>Content</ref>
 +
<ref name=name2>Content</ref>
 +
<ref name=name...n>Content</ref>
 +
</references>
 +
</source>
 +
 +
The footnote markers are included as usual for a named footnote. For example:
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.<ref name=LazyDog/>
 +
Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.<ref name=Jukeboxes/>
 +
How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts.<ref name=JumpingFrogs/>
 +
 +
==References==
 +
{{reflist|
 +
refs=
 +
<ref name=Jukeboxes>This is the jukeboxes reference.</ref>
 +
<ref name=LazyDog>This is the lazy dog reference.</ref>
 +
<ref name=JumpingFrogs>This is the jumping frogs reference.</ref>
 +
}}</nowiki>
 +
|The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.<ref name=LazyDog/>
 +
Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.<ref name=Jukeboxes/>
 +
How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts.<ref name=JumpingFrogs/>
 +
 +
{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
 +
{{reflist|
 +
refs=
 +
<ref name=LazyDog>This is the lazy dog reference.</ref>
 +
<ref name=Jukeboxes>This is the jukeboxes reference.</ref>
 +
<ref name=JumpingFrogs>This is the jumping frogs reference.</ref>
 +
}}}}
 +
 +
The references will be numbered, and appear in the output, ''in the order that they are first referred to in the content,'' regardless of their order within the list. All references in reference list must be referenced in the content, otherwise an error message will be shown.
 +
{{anchor|Embedding references within footnotes}}
 +
 +
==Footnotes: embedding references==
 +
{{shortcut|WP:REFNEST}}
 +
 +
{{See also|WP:Nesting footnotes}}
 +
 +
Explanatory notes may need to be referenced. Because of limitations in the {{cite.php}} software, reference tags cannot be nested; that is, a set of {{tag|ref}} tags cannot be placed inside another pair of {{tag|ref}} tags. Attempting to do so will result in a cite error.
 +
 +
The template {{tl|refn}} may be used to nest references. The markup is:
 +
 +
:{{tlx|refn|2=name=name|3=group=group|4=content}} where ''name'' and ''group'' are optional. The content may include {{tag|ref|o}} tags.
 +
 +
The other templates listed below in [[#Footnotes: predefined groups|Predefined groups]] are variants of {{tl|refn}} that include a styled group and have a matching styled reference list template.
 +
 +
Example:
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{refn|group=nb|A footnote.<ref>A reference for the footnote.</ref>}}
 +
 +
==Notes==
 +
{{reflist|group=nb}}
 +
 +
==References==
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
</nowiki>
 +
|The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{refn|group=nb|A footnote.<ref>A reference for the footnote.</ref>}}
 +
 +
{{fake heading|sub=3|Notes}}
 +
{{reflist|group=nb}}
 +
 +
{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
The use of the magic word <code>#tag:ref</code> is valid, but the sequence of parameters is invariant and nonintuitive. {{tl|refn}} and its variants use this markup internally.
 +
 +
:<code>&#123;&#123;#tag:ref|<var>refcontent</var>|name=<var>name</var>|group=<var>groupname</var>}}</code>
 +
{{anchor|Grouping footnotes}}
 +
 +
==Footnotes: groups==
 +
{{shortcut|WP:REFGROUP|WP:CITELABEL}}
 +
 +
Sometimes it is useful to group the footnotes into separate lists, for example to separate explanatory notes from references, or to list references for tables, image captions, infoboxes and navboxes. The sequence of footnote labels is independent in each group.
 +
 +
The syntax to define a footnote with a group is:
 +
:{{tag|ref|params=group=<var>groupname</var>|content=Content}}
 +
 +
The footnote marker group name ''must'' be enclosed in quotes if the group name includes a space, else a cite error will occur, otherwise quotes are optional.
 +
 +
The syntax for the reference list with a group is:
 +
:{{tlx|reflist|2=group=<var>groupname</var>}}
 +
 +
The reference list group name does not need to be enclosed in quotes.
 +
 +
Example:
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>This part of the text requires clarification,<ref group=note>Listed separately from the citation</ref> whereas the entire text is cited.<ref>Citation.</ref> And this needs even more clarification.<ref group=note>Another note</ref>
 +
 +
==Notes==
 +
{{reflist|group=note}}
 +
 +
==References==
 +
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
 +
|This part of the text requires clarification,<ref group=note>Listed separately from the citation</ref> whereas the entire text is cited.<ref>Citation.</ref> And this needs even more clarification.<ref group=note>Another note</ref>
 +
 +
{{fake heading|sub=3|Notes}}
 +
{{reflist|group=note}}
 +
 +
{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
Note that the footnote labels in the reference list show only the numbers and not the group name.
 +
 +
When using both names and [[#Footnotes:_groups|groups]], the syntax is:
 +
 +
:{{tag|ref|params=name=<var>name</var> group=<var>groupname</var>|content=Content}}
 +
 +
For the repeated note:
 +
 +
:{{tag|ref|s|params=name=<var>name</var> group=<var>groupname</var>}}
 +
 +
==Footnotes: predefined groups==
 +
{{shortcut|H:PREGROUP|WP:EXPLNOTE}}
 +
{{for|technical details|Help:Cite link labels}}
 +
{{for|Shortened footnotes with explanatory footnotes|Help:Shortened footnotes#Explanatory notes}}
 +
{{See also|Wikipedia:Citing sources#Variation in citation methods|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout#Notes and references}}
 +
<section begin=pregroup /><!--this section is used as the documentation for the efn/notelist templates-->
 +
There are several predefined groups that can have a styled reference list such that the footnote labels match between the footnote marker and the footnote in the reference list. These predefined groups and reference lists have templates that make the markup simpler and also allow a standard reference to be inserted, so that an explanatory note can have a reference.
 +
<section begin=pregrouptable />
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
 +
! Group name !! Footnote marker template<br/>or markup !! Reference list template !! Sample labels
 +
|-
 +
| ''none'' || {{tag|ref}} || {{tlx|reflist}} || 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 +
|-
 +
| ''none'' || {{tlx|refn}} for nested references || {{tlx|reflist}} || 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 +
|-
 +
| lower-alpha || {{tlx|efn}}  || {{tlx|notelist}} || a b c d e f g h i j
 +
|-
 +
| upper-alpha || {{tlx|efn-ua}} || {{tlx|notelist-ua}} || A B C D E F G H I J
 +
|-
 +
| lower-roman || {{tlx|efn-lr}} || {{tlx|notelist-lr}} || i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x
 +
|-
 +
| upper-roman || {{tlx|efn-ur}} || {{tlx|notelist-ur}} || I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X
 +
|-
 +
| lower-greek{{efn|Not supported by Internet Explorer 7 and below}} || {{tlx|efn-lg}} || {{tlx|notelist-lg}} || α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ
 +
|}
 +
{{notelist}}<section end=pregrouptable />
 +
 +
* {{tlx|efn}} supports {{para|name}} and {{para|group}}, which work the same as the parameters in {{tag|ref|o}}. Do not enclose values in quotes.
 +
* {{tlx|notelist}} supports the column parameter, {{para|refs}} and {{para|group}} which work the same as the parameters in {{tlx|reflist}}. Do not enclose values in quotes.
 +
 +
In these examples, the footnote labels match between the footnote marker and the reference list:
 +
 +
{{markup|title=With lower-alpha labels
 +
|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|Footnote 3}}
 +
 +
{{notelist}}
 +
</nowiki>
 +
|Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|Footnote 3}}
 +
 +
{{notelist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
{{markup|title=With lower-roman labels
 +
|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn-lr|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn-lr|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn-lr|Footnote 3}}
 +
 +
{{notelist-lr}}
 +
</nowiki>
 +
|Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn-lr|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn-lr|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn-lr|Footnote 3}}
 +
{{notelist-lr}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
{{markup|title=With named references
 +
|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|name=fn1|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|name=fn1}}
 +
 +
{{notelist}}
 +
</nowiki>
 +
|Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|name=fn1|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|name=fn1}}
 +
{{notelist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
{{markup|title=With named references, the references are defined in the notelist
 +
|<nowiki>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|name=fn1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|name=fn2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|name=fn1}}
 +
 +
{{notelist|refs=
 +
{{efn|name=fn1|Very long footnote 1}}
 +
{{efn|name=fn2|Very long footnote 2}}
 +
}}
 +
</nowiki>
 +
|Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|name=fn1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|name=fn2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|name=fn1}}
 +
{{notelist|refs=
 +
{{efn|name=fn1|Very long footnote 1}}
 +
{{efn|name=fn2|Very long footnote 2}}
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
'''Issues'''
 +
* Multiple backlink labels are always styled as lower-alpha. This can be confusing when {{tlx|efn}} is used.
 +
* The entries in the reference list will show the default decimal styling if:
 +
** The value for {{para|group}} in {{tlx|reflist}} or {{tag|references|s}} does not exactly match one of the predefined values; use {{tlx|efn}} or variant as {{para|group}} will not be needed.
 +
** The value for {{para|group}} in {{tlx|reflist}} or {{tag|references|s}} is enclosed by quotes; use {{tlx|efn}} or variant as {{para|group}} will not be needed.
 +
** {{tlx|reflist}} is indented with the {{code|:}} markup.
 +
** {{tag|references|s}} is used instead of {{tlx|reflist}}
 +
* The entries in the reference list will have no styling if:
 +
** A reference is included in {{tlx|navbox}} or one of the variants and the style is set to <code>bodyclass=hlist</code>; to resolve this, replace the style with <code>listclass=hlist</code>.
 +
*Including external link markup will result in an error. Use the {{tlx|URL}} template instead: <code><nowiki>{{URL|</nowiki>1=''url name''<nowiki>|</nowiki>2=''optional display text''<nowiki>}}</nowiki></code>.<section end=pregroup />
 +
 +
==Reference lists: automatically generated==
 +
{{main|Help:Automatically generated reference list}}
 +
A page with {{tag|ref|o}} tags but no reference list markup used to display an error, except on talk and user pages. In recent versions of Wikipedia, the error no longer appears; instead an automatically generated reference list (AGRL) is displayed at the bottom of the page.
 +
 +
Compared to the reference lists on properly formatted pages, an AGRL can be confusing to both readers and editors. But it is easily corrected by adding reference list markup such as the following. Add it at the position where the reference list would normally appear.
 +
<pre style="width: 10em;">
 +
==References==
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
</pre>
 +
 +
On talk pages, the {{tl|reflist-talk}} template can be used to add a reference list to a specific discussion.
 +
 +
{{anchor|Citing one book repeatedly with different page numbers}}
 +
 +
==Footnotes: page numbers==
 +
{{main|Help:References and page numbers}}
 +
 +
Suppose you would like to cite one book, but different facts appear on different pages. You would like to cite the book again and again, but point each fact to the proper page. Suppose one fact is on page 8, a different fact on page 12, a third fact on page 18, a fourth fact on page 241. You could put a line in the "pages" parameter saying "see pages 8, 12, 18, 241" but a fact-checker might have to check all of them before figuring out the right one. Or, you could duplicate the entire citation for the book in each instance, but that would be redundant. One common approach is to use [[Help:Shortened footnotes|shortened citations]], which requires the use of a References section following the footnotes section. Another approach is to attach a {{tlx|rp|8}} right after the footnote marker and replace the "8" with the appropriate page number.
 +
 +
For example:
 +
 +
{{markup
 +
|<nowiki>Schudson said the Constitution shaped citizenship in fundamental ways.<ref name="Schudson">{{Cite book
 +
| last = Schudson
 +
| first = Michael
 +
| title = The Good Citizen: A Brief History of American Civic Life
 +
| publisher = Simon & Schuster
 +
| date = 1998
 +
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=aawMAQAAMAAJ
 +
| isbn =0-684-82729-8 }}</ref>{{rp|8}} But elections in early American politics did not generate much interest<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|12}} while "open discussion of differences" was generally avoided.<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|18}} Citizenship later shifted to a polity of essentially "self-absorbed citizens", according to his analysis.<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|241}}</nowiki>
 +
|Schudson said the Constitution shaped citizenship in fundamental ways.<ref name="Schudson">{{Cite book
 +
| last = Schudson
 +
| first = Michael
 +
| title = The Good Citizen: A Brief History of American Civic Life
 +
| publisher = Simon & Schuster
 +
| date = 1998
 +
| url = http://books.google.com/books?id=aawMAQAAMAAJ
 +
| isbn =0-684-82729-8}}</ref>{{rp|8}} But elections in early American politics did not generate much interest<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|12}} while "open discussion of differences" was generally avoided.<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|18}} Citizenship later shifted to a polity of essentially "self-absorbed citizens", according to his analysis.<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|241}}
 +
{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
}}
 +
 +
When using [[#WP:LDR|list-defined references]], {{tlx|r}} can be used for the same style of in-text page references.
 +
 +
==Previewing edits==
 +
When you [[Help:Section#Section editing|edit a single section]] of a page, the footnotes list will be visible when you [[Help:Show preview|preview your edits]] under the heading "Preview of references", although you will still not be able to see named references which were defined in other sections.
 +
 +
Tools that can be used are the [[user:js/ajaxPreview]] or [[User:Anomie/ajaxpreview.js]] scripts or the [[User:Cacycle/wikEd|wikEd]] gadget.
 +
 +
==RefToolbar==
 +
{{main|Wikipedia:RefToolbar/2.0}}
 +
[[File:Cite web named ref 01.png|thumb|400px|Using the citation toolbar to name the first reference.]]
 +
[[File:Citation toolbar named ref.png|thumb|400px|Using the citation toolbar to insert additional references to the first source.]]
 +
You can use the citation toolbar to name references. When you first create a reference, you can enter a value in the "Ref name" box. When you want to reuse this reference, click the "Named references" button on the citation toolbar and choose which reference you would like to insert.
 +
{{clear}}
 +
 +
==Issues and limitations==
 +
* {{cite.php|bug}}
 +
* [[Help:Substitution|subst:]] does not work within {{tag|ref|o}} tags. {{phab|T4700}}
 +
* The [[Help:Pipe trick|pipe trick]] does not work within {{tag|ref|o}} tags. {{phab|T4700}}
 +
 +
 +
== Flagging inadequate referencing ==
 +
{{See also | Template: Unreferenced/doc#Usage}}
 +
* The template {{Tlx|Refimprove}} should be added to articles where there are '''some, but insufficient, inline citations to support the material''' currently in the article. For [[WP:BLP|biographies of living persons]], use {{tlx|BLP sources}} instead.
 +
* The template {{Tlx|Unreferenced}} should be added to articles with '''no references at all'''. For biographies of living persons, use {{tlx|BLP unsourced}} instead.
 +
* The template {{Tlx|Unreferenced section}} is for '''individual sections that have no citations''' in articles that have at least one citation somewhere else. For biographies of living persons, use {{tlx|BLP unsourced section}} instead.
 +
* The template {{Tlx|Medref}} is specifically for articles '''needing additional ''medical'' references'''.
 +
 +
==See also==
 +
* [[Template:Harvard citation#Using CITEREF directly]] and {{tl|sfnref}}
 +
* [[Wikipedia:Citing sources/Further considerations]]—a how-to article with some additional considerations for citing sources
 +
* [[Wikipedia:Help desk]]—to ask questions about using footnotes in articles if you were not able to find the information you need on this help page.
 +
 +
{{Wikipedia referencing}}
 +
{{Help navigation}}
 +
 +
[[Category:Wikipedia editor help]]

Revision as of 11:41, 27 May 2016

For the official guideline on citing sources, see Wikipedia:Citing sources.
"WP:FN" redirects here. For the fringe theories noticeboard, see Wikipedia:Fringe theories/Noticeboard.

Template:Wikipedia how to

This page explains how to create the Footnotes section for Wikipedia articles. In this context, the word "Footnotes" refers to the Wikipedia-specific manner of documenting an article's sources and providing tangential information, and should not be confused with the general concept of footnotes. This how-to does not cover the formatting of citations within the Footnotes section, which is reviewed in Citing sources.

Footnotes are used most commonly to provide:

The use of Footnotes is only one of several options for providing source information in the article. Other systems of inline citation, including Shortened footnotes and Parenthetical referencing, may be used at the editor's discretion in accordance with the guideline on Variation in citation methods.

Only certain types of material on the English Wikipedia are required to have an inline citation. There is no requirement to provide a citation for every sentence, because multiple sentences may be supported by the same footnote. For advice on which material should be cited, see the guidelines on When you must use inline citations, the Good article criteria and When to cite. For advice on how to organize and format bibliographic citations, see the guideline on Citing sources and examples of Citation templates.

Footnotes are created using the Cite.php software extension. This extension adds the HTML-like elements <ref>...</ref>, <references /> and <references>...</references>. The elements are also used in a number of templates; for example, it is becoming more common to use {{reflist}} rather than <references /> as it can style the reference list.

Overview

Template:VE documentation The Footnotes system shows two elements on the page:

  • A Footnote marker is displayed in the article's content as a bracketed, superscripted number, letter, or word. Examples shown respectively are: [1] [a] [Note 1]. This footnote label is linked to the full footnote. Clicking on the footnote marker jumps the page down to the footnote and highlights the citation. Hovering over a footnote marker will, depending on the user's settings, show a pop-up box containing the footnote.
  • A Footnote displays the full citation for the source. Together the footnotes are displayed in an ordered list wherever the reference list markup {{reflist}} is placed. Each entry begins with the footnote label in plain text. The entire reference list is formatted in a slightly smaller font.
Each successive footnote label is automatically incremented. Thus the first footnote marker would be [1], the second would be [2] and so on. Custom labels are also incremented: [a][b][c], [Note 1] [Note 2] [Note 3].
For a single use footnote, the label is followed by a caret (^) that is a backlink to the matching footnote marker. For example:

Template:Dummy footnote

If a named footnote is used in the text multiple times, then the footnote has multiple backlinks shown as letters:

Template:Dummy footnote

Clicking on the backlink or pressing backspace Template:Keypress returns to the footnote marker.

Footnotes in action

This is a footnote marker.[1]

  1. ↑ This is a footnote that contains a citation or note.

Footnotes: the basics

To create the footnote marker, determine the point in the page content where the marker is desired and enter the markup with the citation or note inside the <ref>...</ref> tags. For example:

Markup Renders as 
This is page content.<ref>LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
{{reflist}}

This is page content.[1]

  1. ↑ LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18
The {{reflist}} template will be explained in the next section.

The content inside the <ref>...</ref> will show in the reference list. The ref tags can be added anywhere a citation or note is needed. There must be content inside the tags, else an error will show.

Ref tags should follow any punctuation (usually a period), not precede it; see WP:REFPUNC. There should be no space between the punctuation and the tag:

Markup Renders as 
...text.<ref>Content of the reference</ref>
{{reflist}}

...text.[1]     Right

  1. ↑ Content of the reference 
...text<ref>Content of the reference</ref>.
{{reflist}}

...text[1].     Wrong (tag before punctuation)

  1. ↑ Content of the reference 
...text. <ref>Content of the reference</ref>
{{reflist}}

...text. [1]     Wrong (space before tag)

  1. ↑ Content of the reference

The content of the ref tags can be formatted using most wikimarkup or HTML markup, although techniques such as the pipe trick and template substitution will not work in footnotes. For example:

Markup Renders as 
This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
{{reflist}}

This is page content.[1]

  1. ↑ LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18

The ref tag content may also contain an internal or external link:

Markup Renders as 
This is page content.<ref>''[http://www.example.org LibreOffice For Starters]'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
{{reflist}}

This is page content.[1]

  1. ↑ LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18
URLs must begin with a supported URI scheme. http:// and https:// will be supported by all browsers; however, ftp://, gopher://, irc://, ircs://, mailto: and news: may require a plug-in or an external application and should normally be avoided. IPv6 host-names are currently not supported.
If URLs in citation template parameters contain certain characters, then they will not display and link correctly. Those characters need to be percent-encoded. For example, a space must be replaced by %20. To encode the URL, replace the following characters with:
sp " ' < > [ ] { | }
 %20  %22  %27  %3c  %3e  %5b  %5d  %7b  %7c  %7d
Single apostrophes do not need to be encoded; however, unencoded multiples will be parsed as italic or bold markup. Single curly closing braces also do not need to be encoded; however, an unencoded pair will be parsed as the double closing braces for the template transclusion.

Reference lists: the basics

Once any number of footnotes have been inserted into the content, the reference list must be generated. For the basic reference list, add {{reflist}} wherever the list is desired. Once the page is saved and viewed, the footnotes will be automatically generated and numbered and the reference list will be generated. The main reference list is placed in a separate section, usually titled "References", "Notes" or the like.

Markup Renders as 
This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

This is page content.[1]

References
  1. ↑ LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18

Notes Template:Shortcut

  • In some cases, a page has more than one reference list. Until 2014, multiple uses of {{reflist}} on the same page required use of a |close= parameter; that bug has been fixed and the|close= parameter may safely be removed.
  • When editing, <references /> may be seen instead of {{reflist}}. This is valid, but <references /> does not offer the advanced features of {{reflist}}.

Footnotes: using a source more than once

Template:Shortcut You can cite the same source more than once on a page by using named footnotes. The syntax to define a named footnote is:

<ref name="name">content</ref>

To invoke the named footnote:

<ref name="name" />

Names for footnotes and groups must follow these rules:

  • Names are case-sensitive
  • Names MUST NOT be purely numeric; they should have semantic value so that they can be more easily distinguished from each other by human editors.
  • Names must be unique—you may not use the same name to define different groups or footnotes
  • Quotation marks are optional if the only characters used are letters A–Z, a–z, digits 0–9, and the symbols ! $ % & ( ) * , - . : ; < @ [ ] ^ _ ` { | } ~.
    • The forbidden printable ASCII characters are # " ' / = > ? \ .
  • Inclusion of any other characters, including spaces, requires that the reference name be enclosed in quotes: name="John Smith".
  • The quote marks must be the standard straight keyboard marks ("); curly or other quotes will be parsed as part of the reference name.
  • Quote-enclosed reference names may not include a less-than sign (<) or a double straight quote symbol ("). These may be escaped with &lt; and &quot;, respectively.
  • Please consider keeping reference names simple and restricted to the standard English alphabet and numerals.
  • You may optionally provide reference names even when the reference name is not required. This makes later re-use of the sourced reference easier.
Markup Renders as 
This is page content.<ref name=manchester2002>''LibreOffice for Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref> This is more content.<ref name=manchester2002 />
{{reflist}}

This is page content.[1] This is more content.[1]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 LibreOffice for Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18

The actual name used can be almost anything, but it is recommended that it have a connection to the citation or note. A common practice is to use the author-year or publisher-year for the reference name. This helps editors remember the name, by associating it with the information that is visible to the reader.

Note that the footnote labels are incremented in the order they are used, and that they use the same label when reused, thus the labels can seem out of order:

Markup Renders as 
This is starter content.<ref name=manchester2002>''LibreOffice for Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref> This is expert content.<ref name=lexington2004>''OpenOffice for Experts'', Lexington, 2004, p. 18</ref> And more starter content.<ref name=manchester2002 /> And more expert content.<ref name=lexington2004 />
{{reflist}}

This is starter content.[1] This is expert content.[2] And more starter content.[1] And more expert content.[2]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 LibreOffice for Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 OpenOffice for Experts, Lexington, 2004, p. 18

When using both names and groups, the syntax is:

<ref name=name group=groupname>Content</ref>

Care should be taken when deleting references to avoid creating a cite error. See Avoiding common mistakes

Reference lists: columns

Template:Shortcut

Columns are not supported by Internet Explorer 9 and below; see {{reflist}} for technical details

When using {{reflist}}, the list can be split into columns.

{{reflist|xxem}} where xx is the column width in em.

By setting the width in em, the number of columns will automatically be adjusted to the width of the display.

The set columns feature is now deprecated in favor of the options described above, which is better suited to flexible formatting for a variety of display screen sizes, ranging from mobile phones and tablets to wide-screen "cinema" displays. Forcing a fixed number of columns has been disabled in mobile view.

The number of columns to use is up to the editor, but some major practices include:

For example: Using {{Reflist|30em}} will create columns with a minimum width of 30 em,

30em wide columns
Markup Renders as 
Lorem ipsum.<ref>Source name, access date, etc.</ref>

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.<ref>Source name, access date, etc.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

Lorem ipsum.[1] Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.[2]

References
  1. ↑ Source name, access date, etc.
  2. ↑ Source name, access date, etc.

List-defined references

Template:Shortcut

Main page: Help:List-defined references

Some or all of the footnotes can also be defined within the reference section/list, and invoked in the page content. This keeps those citations in one central location and avoids cluttering the text (and any infobox). This is purely a source code change – the actual display of the citation in the text to a reader is unaffected. For a more detailed evaluation of this method, see WP:LDRHOW. The syntax is:

<source lang="xml">

Cite error: <ref> tag defined in <references> has group attribute "" which does not appear in prior text.
Cite error: <ref> tag defined in <references> has group attribute "" which does not appear in prior text.

Cite error: <ref> tag defined in <references> has group attribute "" which does not appear in prior text.

</source>

or, alternatively,

<source lang="xml">

Cite error: <ref> tag defined in <references> has group attribute "" which does not appear in prior text.
Cite error: <ref> tag defined in <references> has group attribute "" which does not appear in prior text.
Cite error: <ref> tag defined in <references> has group attribute "" which does not appear in prior text. </source>

The footnote markers are included as usual for a named footnote. For example:

Markup Renders as 
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.<ref name=LazyDog/>
Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.<ref name=Jukeboxes/>
How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts.<ref name=JumpingFrogs/>

==References==
{{reflist|
refs=
<ref name=Jukeboxes>This is the jukeboxes reference.</ref>
<ref name=LazyDog>This is the lazy dog reference.</ref>
<ref name=JumpingFrogs>This is the jumping frogs reference.</ref>
}}

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.[1] Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.[2] How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts.[3]

References
  1. ↑ This is the lazy dog reference.
  2. ↑ This is the jukeboxes reference.
  3. ↑ This is the jumping frogs reference.

The references will be numbered, and appear in the output, in the order that they are first referred to in the content, regardless of their order within the list. All references in reference list must be referenced in the content, otherwise an error message will be shown.

Footnotes: embedding references

Template:Shortcut

See also: WP:Nesting footnotes

Explanatory notes may need to be referenced. Because of limitations in the Cite.php software, reference tags cannot be nested; that is, a set of <ref>...</ref> tags cannot be placed inside another pair of <ref>...</ref> tags. Attempting to do so will result in a cite error.

The template {{refn}} may be used to nest references. The markup is:

{{refn|name=name|group=group|content}} where name and group are optional. The content may include <ref> tags.

The other templates listed below in Predefined groups are variants of {{refn}} that include a styled group and have a matching styled reference list template.

Example:

Markup Renders as 
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{refn|group=nb|A footnote.<ref>A reference for the footnote.</ref>}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.Template:Refn

Notes
References

The use of the magic word #tag:ref is valid, but the sequence of parameters is invariant and nonintuitive. {{refn}} and its variants use this markup internally.

{{#tag:ref|refcontent|name=name|group=groupname}}

Footnotes: groups

Template:Shortcut

Sometimes it is useful to group the footnotes into separate lists, for example to separate explanatory notes from references, or to list references for tables, image captions, infoboxes and navboxes. The sequence of footnote labels is independent in each group.

The syntax to define a footnote with a group is:

<ref group=groupname>Content</ref>

The footnote marker group name must be enclosed in quotes if the group name includes a space, else a cite error will occur, otherwise quotes are optional.

The syntax for the reference list with a group is:

{{reflist|group=groupname}}

The reference list group name does not need to be enclosed in quotes.

Example:

Markup Renders as 
This part of the text requires clarification,<ref group=note>Listed separately from the citation</ref> whereas the entire text is cited.<ref>Citation.</ref> And this needs even more clarification.<ref group=note>Another note</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

This part of the text requires clarification,[note 1] whereas the entire text is cited.[1] And this needs even more clarification.[note 2]

Notes
  1. ↑ Listed separately from the citation
  2. ↑ Another note
References
  1. ↑ Citation.

Note that the footnote labels in the reference list show only the numbers and not the group name.

When using both names and groups, the syntax is:

<ref name=name group=groupname>Content</ref>

For the repeated note:

<ref name=name group=groupname />

Footnotes: predefined groups

Template:Shortcut

For technical details, see Help:Cite link labels.
For Shortened footnotes with explanatory footnotes, see Help:Shortened footnotes § Explanatory notes.
See also: Wikipedia:Citing sources § Variation in citation methods, and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout § Notes and references

<section begin=pregroup /> There are several predefined groups that can have a styled reference list such that the footnote labels match between the footnote marker and the footnote in the reference list. These predefined groups and reference lists have templates that make the markup simpler and also allow a standard reference to be inserted, so that an explanatory note can have a reference. <section begin=pregrouptable />

Group name Footnote marker template
or markup 		Reference list template Sample labels
none <ref>...</ref> {{reflist}} 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
none {{refn}} for nested references {{reflist}} 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
lower-alpha {{efn}} {{notelist}} a b c d e f g h i j
upper-alpha {{efn-ua}} {{notelist-ua}} A B C D E F G H I J
lower-roman {{efn-lr}} {{notelist-lr}} i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x
upper-roman {{efn-ur}} {{notelist-ur}} I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X
lower-greek[lower-alpha 1] {{efn-lg}} {{notelist-lg}} α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ
  1. ↑ Not supported by Internet Explorer 7 and below
<section end=pregrouptable />
  • {{efn}} supports |name= and |group=, which work the same as the parameters in <ref>. Do not enclose values in quotes.
  • {{notelist}} supports the column parameter, |refs= and |group= which work the same as the parameters in {{reflist}}. Do not enclose values in quotes.

In these examples, the footnote labels match between the footnote marker and the reference list:

With lower-alpha labels
Markup Renders as 
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|Footnote 3}}

{{notelist}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.[lower-alpha 1] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[lower-alpha 2] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[lower-alpha 3]

  1. ↑ Footnote 1
  2. ↑ Footnote 2
  3. ↑ Footnote 3
With lower-roman labels
Markup Renders as 
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn-lr|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn-lr|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn-lr|Footnote 3}}

{{notelist-lr}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.[lower-roman 1] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[lower-roman 2] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[lower-roman 3]

  1. ↑ Footnote 1
  2. ↑ Footnote 2
  3. ↑ Footnote 3
With named references
Markup Renders as 
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|name=fn1|Footnote 1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|Footnote 2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|name=fn1}}

{{notelist}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.[lower-alpha 1] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[lower-alpha 2] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[lower-alpha 1]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Footnote 1
  2. ↑ Footnote 2
With named references, the references are defined in the notelist
Markup Renders as 
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.{{efn|name=fn1}} Consectetur adipisicing elit.{{efn|name=fn2}} Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.{{efn|name=fn1}}

{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=fn1|Very long footnote 1}}
{{efn|name=fn2|Very long footnote 2}}
}}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.[lower-alpha 1] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[lower-alpha 2] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[lower-alpha 1]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Very long footnote 1
  2. ↑ Very long footnote 2

Issues

  • Multiple backlink labels are always styled as lower-alpha. This can be confusing when {{efn}} is used.
  • The entries in the reference list will show the default decimal styling if:
    • The value for |group= in {{reflist}} or <references /> does not exactly match one of the predefined values; use {{efn}} or variant as |group= will not be needed.
    • The value for |group= in {{reflist}} or <references /> is enclosed by quotes; use {{efn}} or variant as |group= will not be needed.
    • {{reflist}} is indented with the <syntaxhighlight lang="text" class="" id="" style="" inline="1">:</syntaxhighlight> markup.
    • <references /> is used instead of {{reflist}}
  • The entries in the reference list will have no styling if:
    • A reference is included in {{navbox}} or one of the variants and the style is set to bodyclass=hlist; to resolve this, replace the style with listclass=hlist.
  • Including external link markup will result in an error. Use the {{URL}} template instead: {{URL|1=url name|2=optional display text}}.<section end=pregroup />

Reference lists: automatically generated

Main page: Help:Automatically generated reference list

A page with <ref> tags but no reference list markup used to display an error, except on talk and user pages. In recent versions of Wikipedia, the error no longer appears; instead an automatically generated reference list (AGRL) is displayed at the bottom of the page.

Compared to the reference lists on properly formatted pages, an AGRL can be confusing to both readers and editors. But it is easily corrected by adding reference list markup such as the following. Add it at the position where the reference list would normally appear. 

==References==
{{reflist}}

On talk pages, the {{reflist-talk}} template can be used to add a reference list to a specific discussion.

Footnotes: page numbers

Main page: Help:References and page numbers

Suppose you would like to cite one book, but different facts appear on different pages. You would like to cite the book again and again, but point each fact to the proper page. Suppose one fact is on page 8, a different fact on page 12, a third fact on page 18, a fourth fact on page 241. You could put a line in the "pages" parameter saying "see pages 8, 12, 18, 241" but a fact-checker might have to check all of them before figuring out the right one. Or, you could duplicate the entire citation for the book in each instance, but that would be redundant. One common approach is to use shortened citations, which requires the use of a References section following the footnotes section. Another approach is to attach a {{rp|8}} right after the footnote marker and replace the "8" with the appropriate page number.

For example:

Markup Renders as 
Schudson said the Constitution shaped citizenship in fundamental ways.<ref name="Schudson">{{Cite book
 | last = Schudson
 | first = Michael
 | title = The Good Citizen: A Brief History of American Civic Life
 | publisher = Simon & Schuster
 | date = 1998
 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=aawMAQAAMAAJ
 | isbn =0-684-82729-8 }}</ref>{{rp|8}} But elections in early American politics did not generate much interest<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|12}} while "open discussion of differences" was generally avoided.<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|18}} Citizenship later shifted to a polity of essentially "self-absorbed citizens", according to his analysis.<ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|241}}

Schudson said the Constitution shaped citizenship in fundamental ways.[1]:8 But elections in early American politics did not generate much interest[1]:12 while "open discussion of differences" was generally avoided.[1]:18 Citizenship later shifted to a polity of essentially "self-absorbed citizens", according to his analysis.[1]:241

References
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Schudson, Michael (1998). The Good Citizen: A Brief History of American Civic Life. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-82729-8. 

When using list-defined references, {{r}} can be used for the same style of in-text page references.

Previewing edits

When you edit a single section of a page, the footnotes list will be visible when you preview your edits under the heading "Preview of references", although you will still not be able to see named references which were defined in other sections.

Tools that can be used are the user:js/ajaxPreview or User:Anomie/ajaxpreview.js scripts or the wikEd gadget.

RefToolbar

Main article: Wikipedia:RefToolbar/2.0
Using the citation toolbar to name the first reference.
Using the citation toolbar to insert additional references to the first source.

You can use the citation toolbar to name references. When you first create a reference, you can enter a value in the "Ref name" box. When you want to reuse this reference, click the "Named references" button on the citation toolbar and choose which reference you would like to insert.

Issues and limitations


Flagging inadequate referencing

See also: Template: Unreferenced/doc § Usage
  • The template {{Refimprove}} should be added to articles where there are some, but insufficient, inline citations to support the material currently in the article. For biographies of living persons, use {{BLP sources}} instead.
  • The template {{Unreferenced}} should be added to articles with no references at all. For biographies of living persons, use {{BLP unsourced}} instead.
  • The template {{Unreferenced section}} is for individual sections that have no citations in articles that have at least one citation somewhere else. For biographies of living persons, use {{BLP unsourced section}} instead.
  • The template {{Medref}} is specifically for articles needing additional medical references.

See also

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