Template:Cite check/doc

Place this template at the top of the article or section tagged.

The simplest way to add this template to an article is to copy and paste {{Cite check|date=December 2024}} at the top of the article.

This template will categorise tagged articles into Category:All articles lacking reliable references and either Category:Articles lacking reliable references or a monthly category like Category:Articles lacking reliable references from December 2024, if a date is supplied.

• This template is a self-reference.
• Please do not subst: this template.

Usage

This template alerts readers that citations in an article or section may be inappropriate or misinterpreted. Examples include quotations taken out of context and false assertions about a source's facts or conclusions.

When using this template the text should have:

• Citations in footnote, Harvard referencing, or some other standard format.
• Multiple citations (or one key citation) that an editor tried to verify and found that the article passage misstated or misconstrued the original source's content.

Please try to improve the article or make a good faith attempt to verify the citations in question before adding this template, and discuss the matter on the talk page. If only one citation is problematic, or there is a desire to tag particular citations, consider using {{Verify source}} or {{Failed verification}} instead.

Articles that merely lack references or have POV problems should be flagged with some other template.

Additional options

This template has three optional fields.

The first permits the user to specify what needs to be cited. For instance, if the entire article needs to be cited, a user would enter {{cite check|article}}; but should the user wish to be more specific on which section of the article needs to be cited, then the user could enter {{cite check|section called "Childhood"}}. Leaving the parameter undefined is acceptable, as it will print out the default text "article or section."

The second field is a date parameter, entered as "date=month year". Adding this sorts the article into subcategories of Category:Articles lacking sources, allowing the oldest problems to be identified and dealt with first. If the date parameter is omitted, a bot will add it later.

Note that order does not matter with respect to the above optional parameters. Both {{Cite check|section|date=December 2024}} and {{cite check|date=December 2024|section}} will produce the same result.

To specify a talk page section, use talk=talk page section, e.g. {{Cite check|article|talk=Some section on talk page}}.

Template data

Used for articles possibly containing inappropriate or misinterpreted citations that do not verify the text.

Template parameters

This template prefers inline formatting of parameters.

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Date	date	The month and year this banner was placed. Example February 2017	Date	suggested
Talk page section	talk	Used specify a talk page section where a discussion is taking place regarding possible inappropriate or misinterpreted citations.	String	optional

Redirects

1. {{Cite-check}}
2. {{Citecheck}}

See also

• {{Verify source}} in-line version
• Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles
• Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup