Template:Better source/doc
![]() | This is a documentation subpage for Template:Better source. It contains usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page. |
How to use
This template is used in articles to identify sentences or short passages which have an inline citation but reference insufficient sources. It produces a superscripted notation like the following:
- Most people believe in ghosts.[1][better source needed]
- References
- 1. Random tabloid
You can also include a |reason=
note, which displays as a tooltip upon mouse hover, to leave a better record for future editors. For example, the following usage might be appropriate to the arguable claim that "Most people believe in ghosts...":
{{Better source|reason=citation is the Ghostbusters company website, there must be more objective sources for this|date=August 2024}}
General template for copy-pasting:
{{Better source|reason=|date=August 2024}}
Adding this template to an article places the article into one of a family of categories identifying articles with sourcing issues. To find all such articles, see Category:Wikipedia articles with sourcing issues.
When to use
Use this template to "tag" information or analysis that you believe is insufficiently supported by sources that are lacking in quality, so that other editors can see whether this use is appropriate and/or replace it with references to proper, reliable sources.
When not to use this template
Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced should be removed immediately. Do not tag it: remove it. For more information, see the section on contentious material in the Biography of Living Persons policy.
Material which is doubtful and harmful may be removed immediately, rather than tagged. See Unsourced material.
If no citation is given, use the {{Citation needed}}
tag instead. If the source given is self-published, use {{Self-published inline}}
. If you think the author has a conflict of interest or is otherwise too close to the subject, use {{Third-party-inline}}
.
If you have the time and ability to find a better reference, please do so. Then correct the citation yourself, or correct the article text. After all, the ultimate goal is not to merely identify problems, but to fix them.
See also
- {{Cite check}}, article/section may have inappropriate or misinterpreted citations
- {{Refimprove}}, article/section has weak or incomplete sources/references/citations
- {{Unreferenced}}, article/section has no sources/references/citations given at all
- Wikipedia:Citing sources, especially Unsourced material
- Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources
- Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup#Verifiability and sources
- Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles
- Wikipedia:Verifiability
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Fact and Reference Check