Wikipedia:References dos and don'ts

This is an information page.

It is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, but rather intends to describe some aspect(s) of Wikipedia:Citing sources. It may reflect varying levels of consensus and vetting.

Referencing is key to making Wikipedia reliable and trustworthy.

When working with references:

DO:
inline citations (either footnotes or shortened footnotes ).
near the material they support, e.g. after the sentence.
Say where in the source the information came from.
consistent reference style within each article.
Consider using citation templates to create a consistent style.
an appropriate inline tag .
an appropriate header .

DON'T:
unreliable sources .
haven't seen for yourself .
not supported by sources.
Don't place external links in the body of articles.
obvious information .
all-numeric date formats other than YYYY-MM-DD.
established reference style without consensus.

See also