View source for Template:Unreferenced/doc

{{Redirect|Template:Unverified|the inline template "not in citation given"|Template:Failed verification}}
{{Redirect|Template:References|the template encapsulating &lt;references /&gt;|Template:Reflist}}
{{Template shortcut|Unr}}
{{Documentation subpage}}
{{High-risk|210,000+}}
{{Twinkle standard installation}}
{{Ombox
|type = notice
|text = 
<div>
<big>'''This template should only be used on articles that have no citations or references at all.'''</big> Don't add this template to articles that contain even one [[Wikipedia:General references|general reference]], [[Wikipedia:Parenthetical referencing|parenthetical reference]], or citation-containing [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Footnotes|footnote]].  A citation is ''any'' description of a [[WP:RS|reliable source]] that supports any of the article content, even a [[Wikipedia:Link rot|bare URL]].  The format of the citation and the name of the section heading are ''not'' what determines whether a link or citation is a source.</div>
}}

== Usage ==
=== When to use ===
You should only add this template to articles that contain no citations or references of any kind.

'''Do not add this template:'''
* In articles that have some citations, but not enough, the '''{{Tl|More citations needed}}''' template should be used instead as a general template, or the '''{{Tl|Unreferenced section}}''' template for individual sections that have no citations.
* In articles containing a list of sources at the end, but no [[WP:Inline citations|inline citations]], including parenthetical references or [[WP:INTEXT|in-text attributions]], consider {{tl|no footnotes}} when the article would be significantly improved by detailed attribution of sources to specific claims.  
* Watch out for lists of [[WP:General references|general references]] that someone has incorrectly listed under ==External links==.  If the link leads to a reliable source that supports some article content, then that website is a reference, not an [[WP:EL|external link]].
* Other templates, listed [[#See also|below]], should be used when the citations are inadequate for other reasons.

'''Alternatives:'''
*'''[[Wikipedia:Be bold|Be bold!]]''' Consider searching for [[Wikipedia:Verifiability|sources]] and citing them in the article, instead of adding this template.
* In articles about people and businesses, consider using the more specific {{tlx|Third-party sources}} template, to encourage citation of [[WP:Independent sources]] rather than the subject's own website.
* See [[Wikipedia:Biographies of living people]] for guidance on dealing with unreferenced biographies of living people. <!-- note that this is phrased so that it is accurate no matter what WP:BLP happens to say at any given moment. -->
* Consider not adding this template to very brief stubs, since anyone visiting the page can see, in a single glance, that it contains no citations.

=== How to use ===

{{tlc|Unreferenced|date{{=}}{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}}}

or

{{tlc|subst:Unreferenced}}

[[Help:Substitution|Substitution]] of this template will automatically fill the date parameter.

To flag an individual section as being unreferenced, use the {{tlx|Unreferenced section}} template, which categorizes more narrowly:

{{tlc|Unreferenced section|date{{=}}{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}}}

;Date parameter: The date parameter is (generally<ref name="date">Because of the nature of the workflow using the current date makes sense, it is simpler to add, especially for the [[WP:bot]]s it means that older dated categories do not have to be constantly created and deleted, and it enables some measure of progress. Moreover it is "good enough" to get the articles into the workflow and the intention is to ensure they are cleaned up eventually.  Occasionally however it may be useful to bulk add items, to older categories, for example when the system was initially set up, when merging two schemes or when adding to the current month would swamp it disproportionately.</ref>) used to indicate when the template was added to a page. An example of its usage is {{tlc|Unreferenced|date{{=}}{{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}}}. Adding this parameter sorts the article into monthly subcategories of [[:Category:Articles lacking sources]], rather than adding it to [[:Category:Articles lacking sources]] itself, allowing the oldest problems to be identified and dealt with first. If the date parameter is omitted, a [[Wikipedia:Bot policy|bot]] will add it later.

=== General information===
This template can either be placed at the top of an article, at the bottom of the article page (in an empty "References" or "Notes" section—usually just before a {{Tl|Reflist}} template), or on the article's talk page.

=== Categorization ===
This template adds the article to [[:Category:Articles lacking sources]] and a monthly subcategory such as [[:Category:Articles lacking sources from {{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}}]] (as described [[#How to use|above]]), which are [[:Category:Hidden categories|hidden categories]].

=== Differences from related templates ===
The similar template {{Tl|More citations needed}} adds an article to [[:Category:Articles needing additional references]].
{{Tl|Medref}} adds the article to [[:Category:Articles needing additional medical references]] as well as [[:Category:Articles needing additional references]].

===Short-cut===
*{{Tl|Unref}}
*{{Tl|NR}}
*{{Tl|No ref}}
*{{Tl|No sources}}
*{{Tl|Citesources}}

==TemplateData==
{{TemplateData header}}
<templatedata>
{
	"description": "This template generates a tag to indicate that an article has no citations.",
	"format": "inline",
	"params": {
		"1": {
			"label": "Type (e.g., section)",
			"description": "Text to replace the word \"article\", usually \"section\". This is a legacy feature, and this usage has been replaced with the separate '{{Unreferenced section}}' template.",
			"type": "string",
			"required": false,
			"deprecated": true,
			"autovalue": "section",
			"example": "section"
		},
		"date": {
			"label": "Month and year",
			"description": "Provides the month and year of the citation request; e.g., 'January 2013', but not 'jan13'",
			"type": "string",
			"required": false,
			"autovalue": "{{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}",
			"example": "January 2013",
			"suggested": true
		}
	},
	"paramOrder": [
		"1",
		"date"
	]
}
</templatedata>

== Tracking categories ==
* {{Category link with count|All articles lacking sources}}
* {{Category link with count|All articles needing additional references}}

== See also ==

*[[Wikipedia:Citation needed]] and {{Tl|Citation needed}} – For marking a particular claim as needing a citation
* {{tl|find sources notice}}
* {{tl|find sources 3}}
* {{tl|find sources 4}}
* [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles]]
* [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

{{Citation and verifiability article maintenance templates}}

<includeonly>{{sandbox other||
<!-- Categories below this line, please; interwikis at Wikidata -->
[[Category:Citation and verifiability maintenance templates]]
[[Category:Exclude in print]]
}}</includeonly>