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href="#When_a_source_or_citation_may_not_be_needed"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>When a source or citation may not be needed</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-When_a_source_or_citation_may_not_be_needed-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Citations_in_leads" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Citations_in_leads"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Citations in leads</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Citations_in_leads-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Text–source_relationship" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Text–source_relationship"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Text–source relationship</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Text–source_relationship-sublist" 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Difference between revisions</h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 10 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-10" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">10 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A7:%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%89_%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%AF_%D8%A8%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1" title="ويكيبيديا:متى يستشهد بمصادر – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="ويكيبيديا:متى يستشهد بمصادر" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-gl mw-list-item"><a href="https://gl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Cando_citar" title="Wikipedia:Cando citar – Galician" lang="gl" hreflang="gl" data-title="Wikipedia:Cando citar" data-language-autonym="Galego" data-language-local-name="Galician" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Galego</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Kapan_harus_mengutip" title="Wikipedia:Kapan harus mengutip – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Wikipedia:Kapan harus mengutip" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Mikor_van_sz%C3%BCks%C3%A9g_a_forr%C3%A1sok_felt%C3%BCntet%C3%A9s%C3%A9re%3F" title="Wikipédia:Mikor van szükség a források feltüntetésére? – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Wikipédia:Mikor van szükség a források feltüntetésére?" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-si mw-list-item"><a href="https://si.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%9A%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%B4%E0%B7%93%E0%B6%A9%E0%B7%92%E0%B6%BA%E0%B7%8F:When_to_cite" title="විකිපීඩියා:When to cite – Sinhala" lang="si" hreflang="si" data-title="විකිපීඩියා:When to cite" data-language-autonym="සිංහල" data-language-local-name="Sinhala" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>සිංහල</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WTC" title="Wikipedia:WTC – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Wikipedia:WTC" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sd mw-list-item"><a href="https://sd.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%DA%AA%D9%8A%D9%BE%D9%8A%DA%8A%D9%8A%D8%A7:%DA%AA%DA%8F%D9%87%D9%86_%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7_%DA%8F%D8%AC%D9%86" title="وڪيپيڊيا:ڪڏهن حوالا ڏجن – Sindhi" lang="sd" hreflang="sd" data-title="وڪيپيڊيا:ڪڏهن حوالا ڏجن" data-language-autonym="سنڌي" data-language-local-name="Sindhi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>سنڌي</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0:%D0%9A%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B0_%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8_%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5" title="Википедија:Када наводити изворе – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Википедија:Када наводити изворе" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" 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data-ooui='{"_":"OO.ui.ToggleSwitchWidget","href":"\/w\/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&diff=prev&oldid=1053872610&diff-type=inline","value":false,"title":"Switches between inline format and two-column format"}'><span class='oo-ui-toggleSwitchWidget-glow'></span><a href='/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&diff=prev&oldid=1053872610&diff-type=inline'><span class='oo-ui-toggleSwitchWidget-grip'></span></a></div></div></div></div></div></div><table class="diff diff-type-table diff-contentalign-left diff-editfont-monospace" data-mw="interface"> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <col class="diff-marker" /> <col class="diff-content" /> <tr class="diff-title" lang="en"> <td colspan="2" class="diff-otitle diff-side-deleted"><div id="mw-diff-otitle1"><strong><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&oldid=1053872467" title="Wikipedia:When to cite">Revision as of 16:01, 6 November 2021</a> <span class="mw-diff-edit"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&action=edit&oldid=1053872467" title="Wikipedia:When to cite">edit</a></span><span class="mw-diff-timestamp" data-timestamp="2021-11-06T16:01:27Z"></span></strong></div><div id="mw-diff-otitle2"><a href="/wiki/Special:Contributions/2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422" class="mw-userlink mw-anonuserlink" title="Special:Contributions/2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422" data-mw-revid="1053872467"><bdi>2806:105e:15:2b73:9c59:135f:931c:e422</bdi></a> <span class="mw-usertoollinks">(<a href="/w/index.php?title=User_talk:2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new mw-usertoollinks-talk" title="User talk:2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422 (page does not exist)">talk</a>)</span><div class="mw-diff-usermetadata"></div></div><div id="mw-diff-otitle3"><span class="comment mw-comment-none">No edit summary</span></div><div id="mw-diff-otitle5"><span class="mw-tag-markers"><a href="/wiki/Special:Tags" title="Special:Tags">Tags</a>: <span class="mw-tag-marker mw-tag-marker-mw-reverted">Reverted</span> <span class="mw-tag-marker mw-tag-marker-mobile_edit">Mobile edit</span> <span class="mw-tag-marker mw-tag-marker-mobile_web_edit">Mobile web edit</span></span></div><div id="mw-diff-otitle4"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&diff=prev&oldid=1053872467" title="Wikipedia:When to cite" id="differences-prevlink">← Previous edit</a></div></td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-ntitle diff-side-added"><div id="mw-diff-ntitle1"><strong><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&oldid=1053872610" title="Wikipedia:When to cite">Revision as of 16:02, 6 November 2021</a> <span class="mw-diff-edit"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&action=edit&oldid=1053872610" title="Wikipedia:When to cite">edit</a></span><span class="mw-diff-timestamp" data-timestamp="2021-11-06T16:02:04Z"></span> <span class="mw-diff-undo"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&action=edit&undoafter=1053872467&undo=1053872610" title=""Undo" reverts this edit and opens the edit form in preview mode. It allows adding a reason in the summary.">undo</a></span></strong></div><div id="mw-diff-ntitle2"><a href="/wiki/User:Dark_Green_Storm" class="mw-userlink" title="User:Dark Green Storm" data-mw-revid="1053872610"><bdi>Dark Green Storm</bdi></a> <span class="mw-usertoollinks">(<a href="/wiki/User_talk:Dark_Green_Storm" class="mw-usertoollinks-talk" title="User talk:Dark Green Storm">talk</a> | <a href="/wiki/Special:Contributions/Dark_Green_Storm" class="mw-usertoollinks-contribs" title="Special:Contributions/Dark Green Storm">contribs</a>)</span><div class="mw-diff-usermetadata"><div class="mw-diff-userroles"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Extended_confirmed_editors" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Extended confirmed editors">Extended confirmed users</a></div><div class="mw-diff-usereditcount"><span>520</span> edits</div></div></div><div id="mw-diff-ntitle3"> <span class="comment comment--without-parentheses">Undid revision 1053872467 by <a href="/wiki/Special:Contributions/2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422" title="Special:Contributions/2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422">2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422</a> (<a href="/w/index.php?title=User_talk:2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="User talk:2806:105E:15:2B73:9C59:135F:931C:E422 (page does not exist)">talk</a>)</span></div><div id="mw-diff-ntitle5"><span class="mw-tag-markers"><a href="/wiki/Special:Tags" title="Special:Tags">Tags</a>: <span class="mw-tag-marker mw-tag-marker-mw-undo"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Undo" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Undo">Undo</a></span> <span class="mw-tag-marker mw-tag-marker-mobile_edit">Mobile edit</span> <span class="mw-tag-marker mw-tag-marker-mobile_web_edit">Mobile web edit</span> <span class="mw-tag-marker mw-tag-marker-advanced_mobile_edit">Advanced mobile edit</span></span></div><div id="mw-diff-ntitle4"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&diff=next&oldid=1053872610" title="Wikipedia:When to cite" id="differences-nextlink">Next edit →</a></div></td> </tr><tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 1:</td> <td colspan="2" class="diff-lineno">Line 1:</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="−"></td> <td class="diff-deletedline diff-side-deleted"><div>{{redirect|WP:WHEN|the manual of style on chronological</div></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><div>{{redirect|WP:WHEN|the manual of style on chronological<ins class="diffchange diffchange-inline"> items|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Chronological items}}</ins></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><div>{{supplement|pages=[[Wikipedia:Verifiability]] page|WP:WTC}}</div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><div>The [[Wikipedia:Featured article criteria|list of featured-article criteria]] calls for [[WP:INCITE|inline citations]] where appropriate. The English Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|Verifiability policy]] requires inline citations for quotations, whether using [[Direct speech|direct]] or [[indirect speech]], and for material that is challenged or [[WP:LIKELY|likely to be challenged]]. Editors are also advised to add [[WP:INTEXT|in-text attribution]] whenever a source's words are copied or [[Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing|closely paraphrased]]. You can make clear which sources support your article using:</div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><div>:*'''[[WP:INCITE|INCITE]]''': Cite your sources in the form of an inline citation after the phrase, sentence, or paragraph in question.</div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><div>:*'''[[WP:INTEXT|INTEXT]]''': Add in-text attribution whenever you copy or closely paraphrase a source's words.</div></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" class="diff-empty diff-side-deleted"></td> <td class="diff-marker" data-marker="+"></td> <td class="diff-addedline diff-side-added"><div>:*'''[[WP:INTEGRITY|INTEGRITY]]''': Maintain text–source integrity by placing inline citations in a way that makes clear which source supports which part of the text.</div></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="diff-marker"></td> <td class="diff-context diff-side-deleted"><br /></td> <td class="diff-marker"></td> <td class="diff-context diff-side-added"><br /></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="diff-marker"></td> <td class="diff-context diff-side-deleted"><div>==When a source is needed==</div></td> <td class="diff-marker"></td> <td class="diff-context diff-side-added"><div>==When a source is needed==</div></td> </tr> </table><hr class='diff-hr' id='mw-oldid' /> <h2 class='diff-currentversion-title'>Revision as of 16:02, 6 November 2021</h2> <div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"WP:WHEN" redirects here. For the manual of style on chronological items, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers">Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers § Chronological items</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238436933">.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 0;border-collapse:collapse;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);box-sizing:border-box;color:var(--color-base,#202122)}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{border:2px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ombox-delete{border:2px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ombox-content{border:1px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ombox-style{border:1px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ombox-move{border:1px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ombox-protection{border:2px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.9em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-invalid-type{text-align:center}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 10%}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{clear:right;float:right;margin:4px 0 4px 1em;width:238px}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output table.ombox img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}</style><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/40px-Information_icon4.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/60px-Information_icon4.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/80px-Information_icon4.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="620" data-file-height="620"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div style="padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><b>This is an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Project_namespace#How-to_and_information_pages" title="Wikipedia:Project namespace">explanatory essay</a> about the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">Wikipedia:Verifiability</a> page</b>. <br/><div style="font-size:90%;"> This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines" title="Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines">Wikipedia's policies or guidelines</a> as it has not been <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus#Levels_of_consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">thoroughly vetted by the community</a>.</div></div></td><td class="mbox-imageright"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1252059228">.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain{float:right;margin:0 0 0 1em;border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);background-color:var(--background-color-base,#fff);padding:0.3em 0.6em 0.2em 0.6em;text-align:center;font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxleft{float:left;margin:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutlist{display:inline-block;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);margin-bottom:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain ul{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutanchordiv{position:relative;top:-3em}.mw-parser-output li .module-shortcutanchordiv{float:right}.mw-parser-output .mbox-imageright .module-shortcutboxplain{padding:0.4em 1em 0.4em 1em;line-height:1.3;margin:0}</style><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:WTC"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcut</a></div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:WTC&redirect=no">WP:WTC</a></span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Explanatory essay about the Wikipedia:Verifiability page</div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_article_criteria" title="Wikipedia:Featured article criteria">list of featured-article criteria</a> calls for <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INCITE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INCITE">inline citations</a> where appropriate. The English Wikipedia's <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">Verifiability policy</a> requires inline citations for quotations, whether using <a href="/wiki/Direct_speech" class="mw-redirect" title="Direct speech">direct</a> or <a href="/wiki/Indirect_speech" title="Indirect speech">indirect speech</a>, and for material that is challenged or <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:LIKELY" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:LIKELY">likely to be challenged</a>. Editors are also advised to add <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INTEXT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INTEXT">in-text attribution</a> whenever a source's words are copied or <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Close_paraphrasing" title="Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing">closely paraphrased</a>. You can make clear which sources support your article using: </p> <dl><dd><ul><li><b><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INCITE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INCITE">INCITE</a></b>: Cite your sources in the form of an inline citation after the phrase, sentence, or paragraph in question.</li> <li><b><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INTEXT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INTEXT">INTEXT</a></b>: Add in-text attribution whenever you copy or closely paraphrase a source's words.</li> <li><b><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INTEGRITY" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INTEGRITY">INTEGRITY</a></b>: Maintain text–source integrity by placing inline citations in a way that makes clear which source supports which part of the text.</li></ul></dd></dl> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc"/> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="When_a_source_is_needed" data-mw-thread-id="h-When_a_source_is_needed"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-When_a_source_is_needed"></span>When a source is needed<span data-mw-comment-end="h-When_a_source_is_needed"></span></h2></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:You_do_need_to_cite_that_the_sky_is_blue" title="Wikipedia:You do need to cite that the sky is blue">Wikipedia:You do need to cite that the sky is blue</a></div> <p>Material that is actually challenged by another editor requires a source or it may be removed; and anything likely to incur a reasonable challenge should be sourced to avoid disputes and to aid readers (see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:BURDEN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:BURDEN">WP:BURDEN</a>). In practice, this means most such statements are backed by an inline citation. In case of multiple possible references for a statement, the best reliable sources should be used. </p> <ul><li><b>Quotations</b>: Add an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INCITE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INCITE">inline citation</a> when quoting published material, whether within quotation marks or not, whether using direct or indirect speech. When using footnotes, the citation should be placed in the first footnote after the quotation. <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INTEXT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INTEXT">In-text attribution</a> is often appropriate.</li> <li><b>Close paraphrasing</b>: Add an inline citation when <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:PARAPHRASE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:PARAPHRASE">closely paraphrasing</a> a source's words. <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INTEXT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INTEXT">In-text attribution</a> is often appropriate, especially for statements describing a person's published opinions or words. In-text attribution is not appropriate for other forms of close paraphrasing, such as if you paraphrase "The sky is usually blue" as "The sky is often the color blue".</li> <li><b>Contentious statements about living people</b>: Editors must take particular care adding <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:BLP" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:BLP">biographical material about a living person</a> to <i>any</i> Wikipedia page. Such material requires a high degree of sensitivity; do not leave unsourced information that may damage the reputation of living persons or organizations in articles.</li> <li><b>Exceptional claims</b>: Exceptional claims in Wikipedia require high-quality reliable sources (see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:REDFLAG" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:REDFLAG">WP:REDFLAG</a>):</li></ul> <dl><dd><ul><li>Surprising or apparently important claims not covered by mainstream sources;</li> <li>Reports of a statement by someone that seems out of character, embarrassing, controversial, or against an interest they had previously defended;</li> <li>Claims that are contradicted by the prevailing view within the relevant community, or which would significantly alter mainstream assumptions, especially in science, medicine, history, politics, and biographies of living persons, and especially when proponents consider that there is a <a href="/wiki/Conspiracy_theory" title="Conspiracy theory">conspiracy</a> to silence them.</li></ul></dd></dl> <ul><li><b>Other</b>: Opinions, data and statistics, and statements based on someone's scientific work should be cited and attributed to their authors in the text.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="When_a_source_or_citation_may_not_be_needed" data-mw-thread-id="h-When_a_source_or_citation_may_not_be_needed"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-When_a_source_or_citation_may_not_be_needed"></span><span class="anchor" id="When_a_source_may_not_be_needed"></span>When a source or citation may not be needed<span data-mw-comment-end="h-When_a_source_or_citation_may_not_be_needed"></span></h2></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:You_don%27t_need_to_cite_that_the_sky_is_blue" title="Wikipedia:You don't need to cite that the sky is blue">Wikipedia:You don't need to cite that the sky is blue</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Likely_to_be_challenged" title="Wikipedia:Likely to be challenged">Wikipedia:Likely to be challenged</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:The_Pope_is_Catholic" title="Wikipedia:The Pope is Catholic">Wikipedia:The Pope is Catholic</a></div> <ul><li><b>General common knowledge</b>: Statements that the average adult recognizes as true. Examples: "Paris is the capital of France" or "Humans normally have two arms and two legs."</li> <li><b>Subject-specific common knowledge</b>: Material that someone familiar with a topic, including laypersons, recognizes as true. Example (from <a href="/wiki/Central_processing_unit" title="Central processing unit">Processor</a>): "In a computer, the processor is the component that executes instructions."</li> <li><b>Plot of the subject of the article</b>: If the subject of the article is a book or film or other artistic work, it is unnecessary to cite a source in describing events or other details. It should be obvious to potential readers that the subject of the article is the source of the information. If the subject of the article is a work that has been published or broadcast in a serial manner, then citing the episode, issue or book can aid comprehension for readers not familiar with the whole of the serial work. It also aids verification if editors are concerned about inappropriate use of the artistic work (<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:PSTS" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:PSTS">a primary source</a>) for interpretation.</li> <li><b>Cited elsewhere in the article</b>: If the article mentions the fact repeatedly, it suffices to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:REPCITE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:REPCITE">cite it once</a>. Uncontroversial content in the lead is <a href="/wiki/MOS:CITELEAD" class="mw-redirect" title="MOS:CITELEAD">often not cited</a>, as it is a generalization of the cited body text. Subleads (generalized opening statements summarizing specific sections, paragraphs, etc.) may also be verified by the citations of the following text. It is permissible to cite such content (including with <code><ref>Sublead generalization supported by all the citations in this section</ref></code>), but not mandatory.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Citations_in_leads" data-mw-thread-id="h-Citations_in_leads"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Citations_in_leads"></span>Citations in leads<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Citations_in_leads"></span></h2></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main page: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Lead_section" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section">Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section</a></div> <p>Because the lead will usually repeat information also in the body, editors should balance the desire to avoid redundant citations in the lead with the desire to aid readers in locating sources. Leads are usually written at a greater level of generality than the body, and information in the lead section of non-controversial subjects is less likely to be challenged and less likely to require a source. There is not, however, an exception to citation requirements specific to leads. Complex, current, or controversial subjects may require many citations; others, few or none. Contentious material about living persons must be cited every time, regardless of the level of generality. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Text–source_relationship" data-mw-thread-id="h-Text–source_relationship"><span id="Text.E2.80.93source_relationship"></span><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Text–source_relationship"></span>Text–source relationship<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Text–source_relationship"></span></h2></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main page: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources#Text–source_integrity" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">Wikipedia:Citing sources § Text–source integrity</a></div> <p>The distance between material and its source is a matter of editorial judgment. The source of the material should always be clear, and editors should exercise caution when rearranging cited material to ensure that the text–source relationship isn't broken. </p><p>If you write a multi-sentence paragraph that draws on material from one source, the source need not be cited after every single sentence unless the material is particularly contentious. When multiple sources are used within a paragraph, these can be <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:CITEBUNDLE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:CITEBUNDLE">bundled into a single footnote</a> if desired, so long as the footnote makes clear which source supports which points in the text. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Challenging_another_user's_edits" data-mw-thread-id="h-Challenging_another_user's_edits"><span id="Challenging_another_user.27s_edits"></span><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Challenging_another_user's_edits"></span>Challenging another user's edits<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Challenging_another_user's_edits"></span></h2></div> <ul><li><b>The right to challenge</b>: Any editor has the right to challenge unsourced material by opening a discussion on the talk page or by tagging it. Material that should be removed without discussion includes unsourced contentious material about a living person, clear examples of original research, and anything that is ludicrous or damaging to the project.</li> <li><b>Challenges should not be frivolous</b>: Challenges should not be made frivolously or casually, and should never be made to be disruptive or <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:POINT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:POINT">to make a point</a>. Editors making a challenge should have reason to believe the material is contentious, false, or otherwise inappropriate.</li> <li><b>Responses must be forthcoming</b>: Editors who wish to respond to the challenge should do so in a timely manner. If no response is forthcoming, the challenger may tag or remove the statement in question. Unless the material falls into the class that should be removed without discussion, the challenger should await a timely response prior to removing.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="See_also" data-mw-thread-id="h-See_also"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-See_also"></span>See also<span data-mw-comment-end="h-See_also"></span></h2></div> <dl><dt>Policies</dt></dl> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons" title="Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons">Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view" title="Wikipedia:Neutral point of view">Wikipedia:Neutral point of view</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research" title="Wikipedia:No original research">Wikipedia:No original research</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">Wikipedia:Verifiability</a></li></ul> <dl><dt>Guidelines</dt></dl> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">Wikipedia:Citing sources</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Lead_section" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Lead section">Wikipedia:Lead section</a></li></ul> <dl><dt>Essays</dt></dl> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/User:Piotrus/Wikipedia:Why_most_sentences_should_be_cited" class="mw-redirect" title="User:Piotrus/Wikipedia:Why most sentences should be cited">User:Piotrus/Wikipedia:Why most sentences should be cited</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:You_don%27t_need_to_cite_that_the_sky_is_blue" title="Wikipedia:You don't need to cite that the sky is blue">Wikipedia:You don't need to cite that the sky is blue</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Must_I_add_a_citation%3F" title="Wikipedia:Must I add a citation?">Wikipedia:Must I add a citation?</a></li></ul></div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&oldid=1053872610">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:When_to_cite&oldid=1053872610</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Category</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_supplemental_pages" title="Category:Wikipedia supplemental pages">Wikipedia supplemental pages</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 6 November 2021, at 16:02<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright"><span class="nowraplinks">This version of the page has been <a href="/wiki/Help:Page_history" title="Help:Page history">revised</a>. 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