
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. 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., ) of an 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. See also: Wikipedia:Citing sources § Variation in citation methods, and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Layout § Notes and references The elements are also used in a number of templates for example, it is becoming more common to use This extension adds the HTML-like elements. For advice on how to organize and format bibliographic citations, see the guideline on Citing sources and examples of Citation templates.įootnotes are created using the Cite software extension. 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. There is no requirement to provide a citation for every sentence, because multiple sentences may be supported by the same footnote. Only certain types of material on the English Wikipedia are required to have an inline citation.

source information for tables and other elements.įootnotes or shortened footnotes may be used at the editor's discretion in accordance with the guideline on Variation in citation methods.references (bibliographic citations) to reliable sources,.

This how-to does not cover the formatting of citations within the Footnotes section, which is reviewed in Citing sources.įootnotes are used most commonly to provide:

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 page explains how to create the Footnotes section for Wikipedia articles.
