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Now you know how to add sources to an article, but which sources should you use? The word "source" in Wikipedia has three meanings: the work itself (for example, a document, article, paper, or book), the creator of the work (for example, the writer), and the publisher of the work (for example, Cambridge University Press).
When editing, you'll see your reference next to the text; but after saving, readers will only see a reference number there; your reference should appear below. Good luck! If you get a warning about a missing "References" section at the end of the page, just add it:
This is usually displayed as a superscript footnote number: [1] The second necessary part of the citation or reference is the list of full references, which provides complete, formatted detail about the source, so that anyone reading the article can find it and verify it. This page explains how to place and format both parts of the citation.
Footnotes with list-defined references Shortened footnotes Citations can also be placed as external links , but these are not preferred because they are prone to link rot and usually lack the full information necessary to find the original source in cases of link rot.
This example is the most basic and includes unique references for each citation, showing the page numbers in the reference list. This repeats the citation, changing the page number. A disadvantage is that this can create a lot of redundant text in the reference list when a source is cited many times. So consider using one of the alternatives ...
This is the text that you are going to verify with a reference from a book. [1] This is the text that you are going to verify with a reference from a journal. [2] This is the text that you are going to verify with a reference from a website. [3] References 1. ^ Alt, Peter-André (2005). Franz Kafka: Der ewige Sohn. Eine Biographie (in German).
Your citation should normally list both the article title and Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, much as you would for an article in a paper publication. Every article should be a separate citation. Most citation styles will likely require the full article URL.
Sometimes, short articles (including many stubs) provide a list of references without any inline citations. This can satisfy the sourcing policies when the entire contents of the article can be verified from the sources listed. An example of a very short article covered by general references is provided by the linked revision of "low basis ...