Template:Citation needed
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{{Citation needed}} is a template used to identify claims in articles, particularly if questionable, that need a citation to a reliable source. This template produces the superscripted message [citation needed] and is installed with no spaces directly after punctuation.
Examples
Example 1
This sentence shows the template used at the end.{{Citation needed|reason=Reliable source needed for the whole sentence|date=April 2026}}
This wikitext will be rendered as follows:
- This sentence shows the template used at the end.[citation needed]
Example 2
[[Humphrey Bogart]] was an avid snooker player.{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}}
The template indicates that it may be that Humphrey Bogart played snooker at some point and it may be that he was enthusiastic about the game but no reliable, published sources were given to verify it and the information is not considered common knowledge.
- Humphrey Bogart was an avid snooker player.[citation needed]
Example 3
If it is considered that he might have played snooker but was not an avid player, a reason for the need of a citation may be given, displayed as a tooltip when the mouse hovers on "citation needed":
[[Humphrey Bogart]] was an avid snooker player.{{Citation needed|date=April 2026|reason=Only aware he was photographed playing once. Not aware of any source that claims he played a lot.}}
- Humphrey Bogart was an avid snooker player.[citation needed]
In this example, it may be better to use the {{Citation needed span}}, which has slightly different syntax, template to highlight the word "avid".
More detail here: wikipedia:Template:Citation needed/doc
Template data
TemplateData for Citation needed
The template is used to identify claims in articles, particularly if questionable, that need a citation to a reliable source.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month and year | date | Provides the month and year of the citation request; e.g., 'January 2013', but not 'jan13'
| String | suggested |
| Reason for citation | reason | A reason as to why, or for what content, the citation is needed; use single quotes, if any | String | optional |