Help:References

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References, also sometimes referred to as "footnotes", are an important method of providing context and factuality to the content of articles. It's important to provide references to the books or other source material so that facts can be confirmed and proven trustworthy. This is particularly true when a strong statement is being made, or when a fact is not well known. This page will tell you everything you need to know about citing references and making notes.

If you are unable to provide references. See the Editorial Notations section below for other ways you can help.

Notes Section

References are housed in the Notes Section of an article. As discussed in the Guidelines this section is the last section of a page, before the various category tags. Underneath the notes heading, a reference tag must be added, which is written as follows: <references />. By adding this tag, the software will automatically list all references that are made in the body of the article.

Next we'll talk about how to create references in the body of the article.

Reference Templates

The standard method of creating references can get a bit complex—see MediaWiki's guidelines on Citations for a full in-depth guide—thus we have simplified this process by creating reference templates. (Keep in mind that a full knowledge of templates and their function is not necessary for understanding reference templates, however you can find more information regarding them in the Templates article.)

There are several reference templates from which to choose. The appropriate template is determined by the source of the information being referenced. Below are the most commonly used reference templates and the parameters they require. For a complete list of all reference templates see Reference Templates.

Basic Reference Template

A basic reference template, as the name suggests, is the most basic method of making a reference.

{{ref|text=This is a reference.}}. Notice that it's enclosed by double curly braces ({{ and }}). The template name comes first ("ref"), followed by parameters, all separated by vertical bars (|). Named parameters, like "text=" require the parameter name and equals sign along with your input, as shown above. Unnamed parameters (you'll see these below, in all caps) should be completely replaced by your input. When placed in the text of an article, it will be automatically rendered as a superscript, bracketed number: . It links to the bottom of the page, where you'll see that same number along with the text:

You Type	You Get
This is a sentence that needs a reference.{{ref|text=This is a reference}} == Notes == <references />	This is a sentence that needs more context. Notes

Book Reference Template

For most books, you can use the general book template (listed first). However, the Emma books use a more specific template because of the way they are structured. These templates will automatically generate links to that respective book's summary page.

General Book {{book ref}}

Looks like: {{book ref|BOOK|CHAPTER}}, where:

• BOOK is the full book name or abbreviation.
• CHAPTER is the chapter number, "prologue", or "epilogue".

Emma M. Lion Book {{emma ref}}

Looks like: {{emma ref|BOOK|DAY|MONTH|YEAR}}, where:

• BOOK is the full book name or abbreviation.
• DAY is the day number, without a leading zero.
• MONTH is the month name. (Note: Can be written with or without capitalization, e.g., "january" or "January" or "JANUARY".)
• YEAR is the Year number.

File Reference Template

You may wish to reference a file hosted by The Reed and Rite, such as artwork or a map. For general files use {{file ref}}.

General File {{file ref}}

Looks like: {{file ref|FILE|DESCRIPTION}}, where:

• FILE is the file name, including the extension
• DESCRIPTION is a brief description of what the file is

Footnotes

Sometimes you may wish to provide a textual footnote. It's not a reference to some source—just a small note of clarification that maybe doesn't belong in the body of the article. To make a footnote, use the basic reference template described earlier on this page.

Additional Parameters

Most reference templates can make use of additional parameters not mentioned above. Visit the template pages to learn about these other parameter options, if needed.

Named References

If you are using the same reference multiple times, it can be useful to create a named reference. This will allow you to "nickname" a reference, and then use that nickname instead of writing out the whole reference each time you write that reference. To do this you add an additional parameter |name= in the reference template. Whenever you want to reuse that reference, you use the basic {{ref}} template and omit all the other parameters besides |name=.

Example: Say you want to cite book X, chapter 4. For the first reference use {{book ref|X|4|name=X4}}, and then for every other instance just use {{ref|name=X4}}.

You Type	You Get
Queen Eleanor studies papers of state in the garden. {{book ref|qg|1|name=Queen 1}} She is approached by a stranger. {{ref|name=Queen 1}} == Notes == <references />	Queen Eleanor studies papers of state in the garden. She is approached by a stranger. Notes

Alternate Method

Alternatively, you can reserve the full length reference template for the Notes section and only use the named reference(s) in the article body. To do this, in the Notes Section, you will need to replace the <references /> tag with a </references>, and add a <references> tag above it. Then, put all of your long citations (with names added) between the two. See the example below for this alternative method in action.

You Type	You Get
Emma M. Lion arrived in London. {{ref|name=5 March}} She moved into Lapis Lazuli House. {{ref|name=5 March}} == Notes == <references> {{Emma ref|e1|5|march|1883|name=5 March}} </references>	Emma M. Lion arrived in London. She moved into Lapis Lazuli House. Notes

Reference Groups

Regular citations always belong in the Notes section, but there may be occasion to list certain references higher up in the article. Particularly in the case of footnotes. This is accomplished with reference groups.

Include the additional parameter |group= in the reference templates that you want placed in a special location. In the location you want these references listed, add the same parameter and input to the <references /> tag.

It looks like this:

The Coppermind wiki is awesome.{{ref|text=It really is.|group=note}} You should visit.{{ref|text=A normal reference.}} <references group=note /> == Notes == <references />

The Coppermind wiki is awesome. You should visit. Notes

Editorial Notations

Not sure about a particular reference? You can still help us out by identifying statements that may need some attention. Just insert the following templates, exactly as shown, after the statement.

Request Citation {{cite}}

{{cite}} acts as a placeholder for future citation. It let's others know that the preceding fact needs a reference.

Request Clarification {{clarify}}

{{clarify}} lets others know that the preceding statement is unclear and needs some work.

Disputed Warning {{disputed}}

{{disputed}} warns the reader that the preceding information may be incorrect or unverified. If you see something that doesn't sound correct (especially if it has no reference), use this.

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