Help:Footnotes: Difference between revisions

From escforumwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Santos (talk | contribs)
m 1 revision imported
 
en>Alexiscoutinho
Line 1: Line 1:
<noinclude>{{pp-semi-indef}}</noinclude>{{short description|Wikipedia help article}}
{{For|the official guideline on citing sources|Wikipedia:Citing sources}}
{{For|the official guideline on citing sources|Wikipedia:Citing sources}}
{{For|help with citation templates|Help:Citation Style 1}}
{{For|help with citation templates|Help:Citation Style 1}}
{{Redirect|WP:FN|the fringe theories noticeboard|Wikipedia:Fringe theories/Noticeboard}}
{{Redirect|WP:FN|the fringe theories noticeboard|Wikipedia:Fringe theories/Noticeboard}}
{{Wikipedia how to|H:FOOT|WP:FOOTNOTES|WP:FN}}
{{Redirect|WP:NOTES|hatnotes|Wikipedia:Hatnote|article layout of footnotes|MOS:NOTES|musical notes|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Music#Images and notation}}
{{Wikipedia how to|H:FOOT|WP:FOOTNOTES|H:FN}}


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 [[Note (typography)|footnotes]]. This how-to does not cover the formatting of citations within the Footnotes section, which is reviewed in [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|Citing sources]].
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 [[Note (typography)|footnotes]]. This how-to does not cover the formatting of citations within the Footnotes section, which is reviewed in [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|Citing sources]].
Line 8: Line 10:
Footnotes are used most commonly to provide:
Footnotes are used most commonly to provide:
* [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|references (bibliographic citations) to reliable sources]],
* [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|references (bibliographic citations) to reliable sources]],
* explanatory information or
* [[Help:explanatory notes|explanatory information]], or
* source information for tables and other elements.
* source information for tables and other elements.


The use of Footnotes is only one of several options for providing source information in the article. Other systems of inline citation, including {{sfnote}} and {{paren}}, may be used at the editor's discretion in accordance with the guideline on [[WP:CITEVAR|Variation in citation methods]].
Footnotes or [[Help:Shortened footnotes|shortened footnotes]] may be used at the editor's discretion in accordance with the guideline on [[WP:CITEVAR|Variation in citation methods]].


Only certain types of material on the English Wikipedia are required to have an inline citation. There is [[Wikipedia:Inline citation#Citation density|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 [[WP:MINREF|When you must use inline citations]], the [[Wikipedia:Good article criteria|Good article criteria]] and [[Wikipedia:when to cite|When to cite]]. For advice on how to organize and format bibliographic citations, see the guideline on [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|Citing sources]] and examples of [[Wikipedia:Citation templates#Examples|Citation templates]].
Only certain types of material on the English Wikipedia are required to have an inline citation. There is [[Wikipedia:Inline citation#Citation density|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 [[WP:MINREF|When you must use inline citations]], the [[Wikipedia:Good article criteria|Good article criteria]] and [[Wikipedia:when to cite|When to cite]]. For advice on how to organize and format bibliographic citations, see the guideline on [[Wikipedia:Citing sources|Citing sources]] and examples of [[Wikipedia:Citation templates#Examples|Citation templates]].


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.
Line 20: Line 22:
{{VE documentation|style=width: 25%; font-size: 87%; float:right}}<!--This is because the visual editor is even more limited than the standard Wikitext editor-->
{{VE documentation|style=width: 25%; font-size: 87%; float:right}}<!--This is because the visual editor is even more limited than the standard Wikitext editor-->
The Footnotes system shows two elements on the page:
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: {{dummy ref}}{{dummy ref|a}}{{dummy ref|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 marker''' is displayed in the article's content as a bracketed, superscripted number, letter, or word. Examples shown respectively are: {{dummy ref}}{{dummy ref|a}}{{dummy ref|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. If you are using the desktop site and have Javascript enabled, then hovering your cursor over a footnote marker (or touching it on touch devices) will 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 {{tl|reflist}} is placed. Each entry begins with the footnote label in plain text. The entire reference list is formatted in a slightly smaller font.
* A '''Footnote''' displays the full citation for the source. Together the footnotes are displayed in an ordered list wherever the reference list markup {{tl|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 {{dummy ref}}, the second would be {{dummy ref|2}} and so on. Custom labels are also incremented: {{dummy ref|a}}{{dummy ref|b}}{{dummy ref|c}}, {{dummy ref|Note 1}} {{dummy ref|Note 2}} {{dummy ref|Note 3}}.
:Each successive footnote label is automatically incremented. Thus the first footnote marker would be {{dummy ref}}, the second would be {{dummy ref|2}} and so on. Custom labels are also incremented: {{dummy ref|a}}{{dummy ref|b}}{{dummy ref|c}}, {{dummy ref|Note 1}} {{dummy ref|Note 2}} {{dummy ref|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:
:For a single-use footnote, the label is followed by a caret (^) that is a backlink to the matching footnote marker. For example:
{{dummy footnote|margin=5em}}
{{dummy footnote|margin=5em}}
:If a named footnote is used in the text multiple times, then the footnote has multiple backlinks shown as letters:
:If a named footnote is used in the text multiple times, then the footnote has multiple backlinks shown as letters:
{{dummy footnote|2|a b c|margin=5em}}
{{dummy footnote|2|a b c|margin=5em}}
:Clicking on the backlink or pressing backspace {{keypress|←}} returns to the footnote marker.
:Clicking on the backlink or pressing {{keypress|Alt|←}} returns to the footnote marker.


===Footnotes in action===
===Footnotes in action===
This is a footnote marker.<ref>This is a footnote that contains a citation or note.</ref>
The superscript numeral "1" in square brackets at the end of this sentence is an example of a footnote marker.<ref>This is a footnote that contains a citation or note.</ref>


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
Line 37: Line 39:


==Footnotes: the basics==
==Footnotes: the basics==
{{See also|Help:Reftags}}
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:
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
{{markup
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref>LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
|This is page content.<ref>LibreOffice For Starters, First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
|This is page content.<ref>''LibreOffice For Starters'', First Edition, Flexible Minds, Manchester, 2002, p. 18</ref>
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
}}
}}


:The {{tl|reflist}} template will be explained in the next section.
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.  
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:
===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
{{markup
Line 67: Line 73:
}}
}}


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:
===Formatting ref tags===
The content of the ref tags can be formatted using most wiki markup 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
{{markup
Line 88: Line 95:


==Reference lists: the basics==
==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.
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 published  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
{{markup
Line 104: Line 111:
{{shortcut|HELP:MULTIREF}}
{{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.
* 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}}.
*When editing, {{tag|references|s}} may be seen instead of {{tl|reflist}}. This will automatically display the references in multiple columns, but {{tag|references|s}} does not offer the other 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}}
{{anchor|Naming a ref tag so it can be used more than once|Footnote markers: using a source more than once}}
Line 111: Line 118:
{{Shortcut|WP:REFNAME|WP:NAMEDREFS}}
{{Shortcut|WP:REFNAME|WP:NAMEDREFS}}
{{Anchor|Reference name (naming a ref tag so it can be used more than once)}}
{{Anchor|Reference name (naming a ref tag so it can be used more than once)}}
{{Anchor|WP:NAMEDREF}} <!-- from WP:NAMEDREFS redirect -->
{{See also|Wikipedia:Citing sources#Citing multiple pages of the same source}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Citing sources#Citing multiple pages of the same source}}
You can cite the same source more than once on a page by using named footnotes. The syntax to define a named footnote is:
You can cite the same source more than once on a page by using '''named references''', also called named footnotes. The syntax to define a named footnote is:
:{{tag|ref|params=name=<var>"name"</var>|content=<var>content</var>}}
:{{tag|ref|params=name="<var>name</var>"|content=<var>content</var>}}


To invoke the named footnote:
To invoke the named footnote:
:{{tag|ref|s|params=name=<var>"name"</var>}}
:{{tag|ref|s|params=name="<var>name</var>"}}


{{refname rules}}
{{refname rules}}
Note that the colon-followed-by-numeral names, like <code>":0"</code>, are currently [[Wikipedia:Village_pump_(technical)/Archive_173#VisualEditor_creating_bad_ref_names|generated by default]] in [[WP:VE|VisualEditor]].


{{markup
{{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 />
|<nowiki>This is page content.<ref name="manchester2002">{{cite book|title=LibreOffice for Starters|edition=First|publisher=Flexible Minds|location=Manchester|year=2002|p=18}}</ref> This is more content.<ref name="manchester2002" />
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
{{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 />
|This is page content.<ref name="manchester2002">{{cite book|title=LibreOffice for Starters|edition=First|publisher=Flexible Minds|location=Manchester|year=2002|p=18}}</ref> This is more content.<ref name="manchester2002" />
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
}}
}}
Line 131: Line 141:
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:
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
{{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 />
|<nowiki>This is starter content.<ref name="manchester2002">{{cite book|title=LibreOffice for Starters|edition=First|publisher=Flexible Minds|location=Manchester|year=2002|p=18}}</ref> This is expert content.<ref name="lexington2004">{{cite book|title=OpenOffice for Experts|publisher=Lexington|year=2004|p=18}}</ref> And more starter content.<ref name="manchester2002" /> And more expert content.<ref name="lexington2004" />
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
{{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 />
|This is starter content.<ref name="manchester2002">{{cite book|title=LibreOffice for Starters|edition=First|publisher=Flexible Minds|location=Manchester|year=2002|p=18}}</ref> This is expert content.<ref name="lexington2004">{{cite book|title=OpenOffice for Experts|publisher=Lexington|year=2004|p=18}}</ref> And more starter content.<ref name="manchester2002" /> And more expert content.<ref name="lexington2004" />
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
}}
}}


When using both names and [[#Footnotes:_groups|groups]], the syntax is:
When using both names and [[#Footnotes:_groups|groups]], the syntax is:
:{{tag|ref|params=name=<var>name</var> group=<var>groupname</var>|content=Content}}
:{{tag|ref|params=group="<var>groupname</var>" name="<var>name</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]]
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==
==Reference lists: columns==
{{shortcut|H:REFCOLS}}
{{shortcut|H:REFCOLS}}
{{hatnote|Columns are not supported by Internet Explorer 9 and below; see {{tl|reflist}} for technical details}}
{{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.
When using {{tag|references|s}} or {{tl|reflist}}, the list can be split into columns. The {{tag|references|s}} tag provides a default column width of 30 [[em (typography)|em]].  {{tl|Reflist}} can be used to set a different column width:
:{{tlx|reflist|<var>xx</var>em}} where <var>xx</var> is the column width in [[em (typography)|em]].
:{{tlx|reflist|<var>xx</var>em}}, where <var>xx</var> 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 number of columns will automatically be adjusted to the width of the display. It should be used only when necessary, as both the tag and the template have built-in auto-formatting capabilities providing a useful default display in most scenarios.


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 [[Template:Reflist#Columns|set columns feature]] is now [[deprecated]] in favor of the option 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:
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|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)}}.
* {{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)}}.
Line 174: Line 183:
{{shortcut|WP:LDR}}
{{shortcut|WP:LDR}}
{{main|Help:List-defined references}}
{{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:
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 for easier maintenance and avoids cluttering the text. 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">
<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
{{reflist|refs=
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=name1>Content</ref>
<ref name="name1">Content</ref>
<ref name=name2>Content</ref>
<ref name="name2">Content</ref>
<ref name=name...n>Content</ref>
<ref name="name...n">Content</ref>
}}
}}
</source>
</syntaxhighlight>


or, alternatively,
or, alternatively,


<source lang="xml">
<syntaxhighlight lang="xml">
<references>
<references>
<ref name=name1>Content</ref>
<ref name="name1">Content</ref>
<ref name=name2>Content</ref>
<ref name="name2">Content</ref>
<ref name=name...n>Content</ref>
<ref name="name...n">Content</ref>
</references>
</references>
</source>
</syntaxhighlight>


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


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


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|
{{reflist|refs=
refs=
<ref name="Jukeboxes">This is the jukeboxes reference.</ref>
<ref name=Jukeboxes>This is the jukeboxes reference.</ref>
<ref name="LazyDog">This is the lazy dog reference.</ref>
<ref name=LazyDog>This is the lazy dog reference.</ref>
<ref name="JumpingFrogs">This is the jumping frogs reference.</ref>
<ref name=JumpingFrogs>This is the jumping frogs reference.</ref>
}}</nowiki>
}}</nowiki>
|The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.<ref name=LazyDog/>
|The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.<ref name="LazyDog"/>
Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.<ref name=Jukeboxes/>
Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes.<ref name="Jukeboxes"/>
How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts.<ref name=JumpingFrogs/>
How razorback-jumping frogs can level six piqued gymnasts.<ref name="JumpingFrogs"/>


{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
{{reflist|
{{reflist|refs=
refs=
<ref name="LazyDog">This is the lazy dog reference.</ref>
<ref name=LazyDog>This is the lazy dog reference.</ref>
<ref name="Jukeboxes">This is the jukeboxes reference.</ref>
<ref name=Jukeboxes>This is the jukeboxes reference.</ref>
<ref name="JumpingFrogs">This is the jumping frogs 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.
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.
Note that when you use the visual editor, you will not be able to add, remove, or change list-defined references.
{{anchor|Embedding references within footnotes}}
{{anchor|Embedding references within footnotes}}


Line 228: Line 238:
{{See also|WP:Nesting footnotes}}
{{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.
[[Help:Explanatory notes|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:
The templates {{tl|r}} and {{tl|refn}} can 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.
:{{tlx|refn|2=group=''group''|3=name=''name''|4=''content''}} or
:{{tlx|r|2=group=''group''|3=name=''name''|4=refn=''content''}} or
:{{tlx|r|2=g=''group''|3=n=''name''|4=r=''content''}} (shorter)
''name'' and ''group'' being optional parameters. The ''content'' may include {{tag|ref|o}} tags or another {{tl|r}} template.


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.
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:
Examples:


===Using {{tl|refn}}===
{{markup
{{markup
|<nowiki>The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{refn|group=nb|A footnote.<ref>A reference for the footnote.</ref>}}
|<nowiki>The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{refn|group=nb|A footnote.<ref>A reference for the footnote.</ref>}}
Line 256: Line 270:
}}
}}


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.
===Using {{tl|r}}===
{{markup
|<nowiki>The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{r|g=nb|r=A footnote.{{r|r=A reference for the footnote.}}}}
 
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}


:<code>&#123;&#123;#tag:ref|<var>refcontent</var>|name=<var>name</var>|group=<var>groupname</var>}}</code>
==References==
{{reflist}}
</nowiki>
|The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{r|g=nb|r=A footnote.{{r|r=A reference for the footnote.}}}}
 
{{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|r}} as well as {{tl|refn}} and its variants use this markup internally.
 
:<code>&#123;&#123;#tag:ref|<var>refcontent</var>|group=<var>groupname</var>|name=<var>name</var>}}</code>
{{anchor|Grouping footnotes}}
{{anchor|Grouping footnotes}}


Line 285: Line 318:
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}</nowiki>
{{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>
|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}}
{{fake heading|sub=3|Notes}}
Line 296: Line 329:
Note that the footnote labels in the reference list show only the numbers and not the group name.
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:
When using both names and groups, the syntax is:


:{{tag|ref|params=name=<var>name</var> group=<var>groupname</var>|content=Content}}
:{{tag|ref|params=group="<var>groupname</var>" name="<var>name</var>"|content=Content}}


For the repeated note:
For the repeated note:


:{{tag|ref|s|params=name=<var>name</var> group=<var>groupname</var>}}
:{{tag|ref|s|params=group="<var>groupname</var>" name="<var>name</var>"}}


==Footnotes: predefined groups==
==Footnotes: predefined groups==
Line 309: Line 342:
{{for|Shortened footnotes with explanatory footnotes|Help:Shortened footnotes#Explanatory notes}}
{{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}}
{{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-->
<section begin=pregroup /><!--this section is used as the documentation for the efn/notelist templates-->{{anchor|footnotes_predefined_groups}}
There are several predefined groups that can have a reference list styled so that the label (a character within square brackets with all superscripted, e.g., {{dummy ref|1}}) of a note or citation (aka footnote, reference) matches and links to the note marker label located in the main text and the label in front of the note's text in the appropriate group's list. There can be more than one of these groups' lists in the Notes, References and other similarly purposed sections.  
There are several predefined groups that can have a reference list styled so that the label (a superscripted character within square brackets, e.g., {{dummy ref|1}}) of an [[Help:Explanatory notes|explanatory note]] or citation ({{aka}} footnote, reference) matches and links to the note marker label located in the main text and the label in front of the note's text in the appropriate group's list. There can be [[Wikipedia:Citing sources#Separating citations from explanatory footnotes|more than one of these groups' lists]] in the Notes, References and other similarly purposed sections.


These predefined note and citation groups have templates that make the [[wikitext]] markup simpler. These templates also allow a standard reference to be inserted, so that an explanatory note can have a reference, or citations can be nested.
These predefined note and citation groups have templates that make the [[wikitext]] markup simpler. These templates also allow a standard reference to be inserted, so that an explanatory note can have a reference, or citations can be nested.
Line 320: Line 353:
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
! Group type !! Footnote marker template<br/>or markup !! Reference list template !! Sample labels
! Group type !! Footnote marker template<br/>or markup !! Reference list<br/> template !! Sample labels
|-
|-
| ''none'' || {{tag|ref}} || {{tlx|reflist}} || 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
|rowspan=3|''none by default, but optionally any'' || {{tag|ref}}
|rowspan=3| {{tlx|reflist}}
|rowspan=3| 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
| {{tlx|r}} (for nested references)
|-
|-
| lower-alpha || {{tlx|efn}}  || {{tlx|notelist}} || a b c d e f g h i j
| {{tlx|refn}} (for nested references)
|-
| lower-alpha || {{tlx|efn}}<br />{{tlx|efn-la}}  || {{tlx|notelist}}<br />{{tlx|notelist-la}} || 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
| upper-alpha || {{tlx|efn-ua}} || {{tlx|notelist-ua}} || A B C D E F G H I J
Line 334: Line 371:
| upper-roman || {{tlx|efn-ur}} || {{tlx|notelist-ur}} || 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
| lower-greek || {{tlx|efn-lg}} || {{tlx|notelist-lg}} || α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ
|}
|-
{{notelist}}<section end=pregrouptable />
|note || {{tlx|NoteTag}} || {{tlx|NoteFoot}} || note 1 note 2 note 3
|}<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|efn}} supports {{para|name}} and {{para|group}}, which work the same as the parameters in {{tag|ref|o}} (see, for instance, the 3rd and 4th examples below). 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.
* {{tlx|notelist}} supports the {{para|colwidth}}, {{para|refs}}, and {{para|group}} parameters, 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:
In these examples, the footnote labels match between the footnote marker and the reference list:
Line 370: Line 408:
{{notelist}}
{{notelist}}
}}
}}
'''Note''': With named references you only need to add the details once. For each use after the first you just need to re-use the reference name. Doing this will not cause the inline superscript to display a custom name.


{{markup|title=Named references can also be defined in the notelist
{{markup|title=Named references can also be defined in the notelist
Line 385: Line 424:
}}
}}
}}
}}
'''Note''': Due to limitations in the MediaWiki software, do not use list defined footnotes that contain references.


===Issues===
===Issues===
* Multiple backlink labels (see [[WP:REFNAME]]) are always styled as lower-alpha. This can be confusing when {{tlx|efn}} is used. See the note in the introduction of [[#Footnotes: predefined groups|this section]], above.
* Multiple backlink labels (see [[WP:REFNAME]]) are always styled as lower-alpha. This can be confusing when {{tlx|efn}} is used. See the note in the introduction of [[#footnotes_predefined_groups|this section]], above.
* The entries in the reference list will show the default decimal styling if:
* 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}} does not exactly match one of the predefined values; use {{tlx|efn}} or variant as {{para|group}} will not be needed.
Line 394: Line 434:
** {{tag|references|s}} is used instead of {{tlx|reflist}}
** {{tag|references|s}} is used instead of {{tlx|reflist}}
* The entries in the reference list will have no styling if:
* 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>.
** 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>.<section end=pregroup />
*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 />
* If the note text contains an "=" sign, precede the note text with {{para|1}}, like this: <code><nowiki>{{efn|name=fn1|1=Very long footnote with an equation, 2+2=4}}</nowiki></code>


==Reference lists: automatically generated==
==Reference lists: automatically generated==
Line 402: Line 442:


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.
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;">
<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext" style="width: 10.6em;">
==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
</pre>
</syntaxhighlight>


On talk pages, the {{tl|reflist-talk}} template can be used to add a reference list to a specific discussion.
On talk pages, the {{tl|reflist-talk}} template can be used to add a reference list to a specific discussion.
Line 414: Line 454:
{{main|Help:References and 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.
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.  


For example:
One common approach is to use [[Help:Shortened footnotes|shortened citations]]. The long citation to support the shortened citations can either be placed as a bullet point in a separate ''References section'' after the ''Footnotes section''; or it can be placed in the first footnote to cite the source (with the initial relevant page number[s]). The remaining footnotes will use shortened citations (these usually contain the author's last name, the date of publication, and the relevant page number[s]).
 
A less common 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
{{markup
|<nowiki>Schudson said the Constitution shaped citizenship in fundamental ways.<ref name="Schudson">{{Cite book
|<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=https://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>
| last = Schudson
|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=https://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}}
| 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}}
{{fake heading|sub=3|References}}
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
}}
}}


When using [[#WP:LDR|list-defined references]], {{tlx|r}} can be used for the same style of in-text page references.
{{tlx|r}} compactly combines the functions of <code><nowiki><ref></nowiki></code> and {{t|rp}}: <code><nowiki>{{r|Schudson}}</nowiki></code> is equivalent to <code><nowiki><ref name="Schudson"/></nowiki></code>  and <code><nowiki>{{r|Schudson|p=241}}</nowiki></code> is equivalent to <code><nowiki><ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|241}}</nowiki></code>.


==Previewing edits==
==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.
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 whose definition is outside the section you are editing.


Tools that can be used are the [[user:js/ajaxPreview]] or [[User:Anomie/ajaxpreview.js]] scripts or the [[User:Cacycle/wikEd|wikEd]] gadget.
Tools that can be used are the [[user:js/ajaxPreview]] or [[User:Anomie/ajaxpreview.js]] scripts or the [[User:Cacycle/wikEd|wikEd]] gadget.
Line 460: Line 488:


== Flagging inadequate referencing ==
== Flagging inadequate referencing ==
{{See also | Template: Unreferenced/doc#Usage}}
{{See also | Template: Unreferenced/doc#Usage|Template:Citation style}}
* 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|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}} should be added to articles with '''no references at all'''. For biographies of living persons, use {{tlx|BLP unsourced}} instead.

Revision as of 21:09, 21 October 2023

Lua error in Module:Redirect_hatnote at line 104: attempt to call field 'formatPages' (a nil value). Lua error in Module:Redirect_hatnote at line 104: attempt to call field 'formatPages' (a nil value). 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:

Footnotes or shortened footnotes 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 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. If you are using the desktop site and have Javascript enabled, then hovering your cursor over a footnote marker (or touching it on touch devices) will 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:
1. ^ Citation
If a named footnote is used in the text multiple times, then the footnote has multiple backlinks shown as letters:
2. ^ a b c Citation
Clicking on the backlink or pressing Alt+ returns to the footnote marker.

Footnotes in action

The superscript numeral "1" in square brackets at the end of this sentence is an example of 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.

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 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

Formatting ref tags

The content of the ref tags can be formatted using most wiki markup 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 published 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

  • 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 will automatically display the references in multiple columns, but <references /> does not offer the other advanced features of {{reflist}}.

Footnotes: using a source more than once

You can cite the same source more than once on a page by using named references, also called 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.
  • Please consider keeping reference names simple and restricted to the standard English alphabet and numerals. Failing that, including if spaces are used, the following technical restrictions become relevant:
    • Quotation marks are optional if the only characters used are letters A–Z, a–z, digits 0–9, and the symbols !$%&()*,-.:;<@[]^_`{|}~. That is, all printable ASCII characters except #"'/=>?\.
    • Inclusion of any other characters, including spaces, requires that the reference name be enclosed in quotes; for example, 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.
  • You may optionally provide reference names even when the reference name is not required. This makes later re-use of the sourced reference easier.

Note that the colon-followed-by-numeral names, like ":0", are currently generated by default in VisualEditor.

Markup Renders as
This is page content.<ref name="manchester2002">{{cite book|title=LibreOffice for Starters|edition=First|publisher=Flexible Minds|location=Manchester|year=2002|p=18}}</ref> This is more content.<ref name="manchester2002" />
{{reflist}}

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

  1. ^ a b LibreOffice for Starters (First ed.). Manchester: Flexible Minds. 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">{{cite book|title=LibreOffice for Starters|edition=First|publisher=Flexible Minds|location=Manchester|year=2002|p=18}}</ref> This is expert content.<ref name="lexington2004">{{cite book|title=OpenOffice for Experts|publisher=Lexington|year=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. ^ a b LibreOffice for Starters (First ed.). Manchester: Flexible Minds. 2002. p. 18.
  2. ^ a b OpenOffice for Experts. Lexington. 2004. p. 18.

When using both names and groups, the syntax is:

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

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

Reference lists: columns

When using <references /> or {{reflist}}, the list can be split into columns. The <references /> tag provides a default column width of 30 em. {{Reflist}} can be used to set a different column width:

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

The number of columns will automatically be adjusted to the width of the display. It should be used only when necessary, as both the tag and the template have built-in auto-formatting capabilities providing a useful default display in most scenarios.

The set columns feature is now deprecated in favor of the option 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

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 for easier maintenance and avoids cluttering the text. This is purely a source code changeTemplate:Sndthe 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:

{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="name1">Content</ref>
<ref name="name2">Content</ref>
<ref name="name...n">Content</ref>
}}

or, alternatively,

<references>
<ref name="name1">Content</ref>
<ref name="name2">Content</ref>
<ref name="name...n">Content</ref>
</references>

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.

Note that when you use the visual editor, you will not be able to add, remove, or change list-defined references.

Footnotes: embedding references

Explanatory notes may need to be referenced. Because of limitations in the Cite 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 templates {{r}} and {{refn}} can be used to nest references. The markup is:

{{refn|group=group|name=name|content}} or
{{r|group=group|name=name|refn=content}} or
{{r|g=group|n=name|r=content}} (shorter)

name and group being optional parameters. The content may include <ref> tags or another {{r}} template.

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.

Examples:

Using {{refn}}

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.[nb 1]

Notes
  1. ^ A footnote.[1]
References
  1. ^ A reference for the footnote.

Using {{r}}

Markup Renders as
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.{{r|g=nb|r=A footnote.{{r|r=A reference for the footnote.}}}}

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.[nb 1]

Notes
  1. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named {{{1}}}
References

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

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

Footnotes: groups

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

For the repeated note:

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

Footnotes: predefined groups

There are several predefined groups that can have a reference list styled so that the label (a superscripted character within square brackets, e.g., [1]) of an explanatory note or citation (a.k.a. footnote, reference) matches and links to the note marker label located in the main text and the label in front of the note's text in the appropriate group's list. There can be more than one of these groups' lists in the Notes, References and other similarly purposed sections.

These predefined note and citation groups have templates that make the wikitext markup simpler. These templates also allow a standard reference to be inserted, so that an explanatory note can have a reference, or citations can be nested.

Note: If the note's text has a reference name that is used more than once, the labels will still match, but the clickable alpha characters that toggle the note's display will be next to the note's label, with links to the multiple locations of its marker in the main text. See WP:REFNAME and the first point below in § Issues.

Template use by reference group type

Group type Footnote marker template
or markup
Reference list
template
Sample labels
none by default, but optionally any <ref>...</ref> {{reflist}} 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
{{r}} (for nested references)
{{refn}} (for nested references)
lower-alpha {{efn}}
{{efn-la}}
{{notelist}}
{{notelist-la}}
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 {{efn-lg}} {{notelist-lg}} α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ
note {{NoteTag}} {{NoteFoot}} note 1 note 2 note 3
  • {{efn}} supports |name= and |group=, which work the same as the parameters in <ref> (see, for instance, the 3rd and 4th examples below). Do not enclose values in quotes.
  • {{notelist}} supports the |colwidth=, |refs=, and |group= parameters, 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.[a] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[b] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[c]

  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.[i] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[ii] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[iii]

  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.[a] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[b] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[a]

  1. ^ a b Footnote 1
  2. ^ Footnote 2

Note: With named references you only need to add the details once. For each use after the first you just need to re-use the reference name. Doing this will not cause the inline superscript to display a custom name.

Named references can also be 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.[a] Consectetur adipisicing elit.[b] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[a]

  1. ^ a b Very long footnote 1
  2. ^ Very long footnote 2

Note: Due to limitations in the MediaWiki software, do not use list defined footnotes that contain references.

Issues

  • Multiple backlink labels (see WP:REFNAME) are always styled as lower-alpha. This can be confusing when {{efn}} is used. See the note in the introduction of this section, above.
  • 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 : 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.
  • If the note text contains an "=" sign, precede the note text with |1=, like this: {{efn|name=fn1|1=Very long footnote with an equation, 2+2=4}}

Reference lists: automatically generated

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

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. The long citation to support the shortened citations can either be placed as a bullet point in a separate References section after the Footnotes section; or it can be placed in the first footnote to cite the source (with the initial relevant page number[s]). The remaining footnotes will use shortened citations (these usually contain the author's last name, the date of publication, and the relevant page number[s]).

A less common 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=https://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]Template:Rp But elections in early American politics did not generate much interest[1]Template:Rp while "open discussion of differences" was generally avoided.[1]Template:Rp Citizenship later shifted to a polity of essentially "self-absorbed citizens", according to his analysis.[1]Template:Rp

References
  1. ^ a b c d Schudson, Michael (1998). The Good Citizen: A Brief History of American Civic Life. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-82729-8.

{{r}} compactly combines the functions of <ref> and {{rp}}: {{r|Schudson}} is equivalent to <ref name="Schudson"/> and {{r|Schudson|p=241}} is equivalent to <ref name="Schudson"/>{{rp|241}}.

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 whose definition is outside the section you are editing.

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

RefToolbar

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

  • 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