Wikipedia talk:Citation needed

Discussion at User talk:Vami IV/Completionism § Completionist idea: eradicate all {{cn}}

 You are invited to join the discussion at User talk:Vami IV/Completionism § Completionist idea: eradicate all {{cn}}. CactiStaccingCrane (talk) 17:15, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

Citation needed tag left unresolved

Hey, I keep noticing that there are articles where the tag has remained unresolved for years. Sometimes they are left unresolved for decades.

Is there any kind of policy or essay regarding this kind of phenomenon?CycoMa1 (talk) 18:52, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

WP:PROVEIT is one starting point, but the short version is that if material has been tagged for a long time and you don't believe sources exist that can be used to verify the material that has been challenged, removing the material is an option. Depending on the length and nature of the material in question, you might consider leaving a note at the article's Talk page discussing the removal. DonIago (talk) 18:14, 28 May 2024 (UTC)

In a higher-traffic article, if a fact tag has been left lying around for many years, it's usually because nobody thinks it's important. Sometimes these get added for reasons unrelated to verifiability (e.g., by students who hope someone will add a source they can cite in their homework). WhatamIdoing (talk) 04:53, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

updating info re: adding a citation, adding a visual editor description for "citation needed" tag

Right now, the page says "You can add a citation by selecting from the drop-down cite menu at the top of the editing box," with "cite" illustrated by this image.

However, in the current visual editor, there is no drop-down cite menu; instead, citations are added by clicking on a button, where the image on the button is double quotation marks. Does anyone know where to find an image of the quotation marks button to replace the current "cite" drop-down menu image?

Also, there's currently no discussion of how to add a "citation needed" tag using the visual editor, only how to do it using wiki markup. I think it would be good to add something about how to do it using the visual editor. I'm new to adding "citation needed" tags, and the way that I figured out to do it is: click on the "+" drop-down menu, choose "Template," write "Citation needed" in the Find template box, and then click on the top response. Is that the most efficient way to do it using the visual editor, or is there a more efficient way? If my description is the way to do it, and people agree that it would be helpful to add this description, does anyone know where to find an image of the "+" drop-down to add, and perhaps also images of the template icon and a search box? FactOrOpinion (talk) 13:49, 10 August 2024 (UTC)

@FactOrOpinion, I don't know if you've discovered this yet, but from inside the visual editor:

1. Click the [citation needed] tag itself.
2. Click the white "Add a citation" button in the popup.
3. Paste in your URL or choose a manually formatted citation.

WhatamIdoing (talk) 04:50, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Oh, I have misread your comment. To add the tag, the fastest route is to just start typing the template. If you type a double {, it will pop up the Insert > Template search box. WhatamIdoing (talk) 04:51, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

@WhatamIdoing, thanks, I'd hadn't know that at the time of my 8/2024 comment, but have since learned it, though I tend not to use it for citations, as the citation button in the visual editor makes it easy to autopopulate the fields for some citations and to reuse other citations.

My reasons for posting my earlier comment:

• WP:NEEDCITE says "You can add a citation by selecting from the drop-down [cite] menu at the top of the editing box," where [cite] shows this image. That image is similar (though not identical) to the image that currently appears above the source editing box, but it's not similar to the image for the citation button in the visual editor toolbar. These directions address how to add a citation using the source editor but don't say how to add a citation using the visual editor (at least, I'm now interpreting "editing box" to refer to the box that appears for source editing, as visual editing doesn't result in an editing box, only a toolbar).
• When I wrote my August comment, I don't think I had experience with WM Commons and so didn't know where to look for an image of the citation button in the visual editor toolbar. I just looked and found it.
• The info page also says "In wiki markup, you can question an uncited claim by inserting a simple {{Citation needed}} tag, or a more comprehensive {{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=April 2025}}. Alternatively, {{fact}} and {{cn}} will produce the same result." Again, there are no directions for visual editing.

When I left my August comment above, I was hesitant to edit an info page. I'm still a bit hesitant, but I think it would be helpful to add a bit of text for people using the visual editor. FactOrOpinion (talk) 16:05, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Help:Introduction to referencing with VisualEditor/1 is probably the best place for basic information about adding refs. WhatamIdoing (talk) 18:47, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Then perhaps there should be a short sentence linking to that Help page right after the sentence "In markup, you can add a citation manually using ref tags." The third bullet, though, is about adding the "citation needed" tag. The first half of the instruction, "In wiki markup, you can question an uncited claim by inserting a simple {{Citation needed}} tag ..." also works in the visual editor if you paste that full text in one fell swoop (rather than typing it, which you can't do because as soon as you type {{ you're taken to the template search box), or you can just type the {{ and then type/select Citation needed. So that should be added.

As I look at this info page now, I also think it would be good to rearrange a bit:

To ensure that all Wikipedia content is verifiable, Wikipedia provides a means for anyone to question an uncited claim. In wiki markup, you can do this by inserting a simple ...

And only after that, something like:

If you see text that has been tagged with , try to provide a reliable source for the statement, and discuss if needed. You can add a citation by selecting from the drop-down ...

FactOrOpinion (talk) 19:24, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

I encourage you to Wikipedia:Be bold in improving this page. :-) WhatamIdoing (talk) 20:33, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 7 September 2024

Change "citation needed" in "Current space law retains ownership of all satellites with their original operators, even debris or spacecraft which are defunct or threaten active missions.[citation needed]" to "Oreshenkov A.M. 2024. Theoretical basis of international legal aspect of “space debris” removal. Moscow Journal of International Law. No. 2. P. 46-64. DOI: DOI: https://doi.org/10.24833/0869-0049-2024-2-46-64" 2000Anastasia (talk) 08:18, 7 September 2024 (UTC)

2000Anastasia This isn't the page to request edits, you need to do that on the talk page of the relevant article. 331dot (talk) 09:10, 7 September 2024 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 24 February 2025

• • Subject:** Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 24 February 2025

• • Request:**

Please change the sentence:

• "This template should be used sparingly and only when necessary."*

To:

• "This template should be used judiciously to maintain the accuracy and reliability of Wikipedia articles."*

• • Reason:** The revised wording better reflects the purpose of the citation needed template, emphasizing its role in maintaining Wikipedia’s reliability rather than just limiting its use. DGTG08 (talk) 10:27, 24 February 2025 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{Edit extended-protected}} template. DonIago (talk) 20:12, 26 February 2025 (UTC)