Help:Cite errors

The messages will be formatted as an error.

These messages are dependent on the language setting in — this list applies only to "en — English".

Some problems may not show a cite error message, while others may not be obvious.

If <ref>...</ref> includes a URL with an =, and if the reference is inside a template, then the template will fail. Depending on the placement of the URL, the cite error message may not display, but the page will be included in the error category. Ensure that = are encoded as =

refTools should catch this problem.

For example, an incorrectly nested reference where {{}} is being used to make the reference smaller:

This may be caused by a template that is not properly closed with }}.

It can also be caused by multiple footnotes that are defined to use the same name. Links will be generated for both, but only the first will show in the references list: For example:

Only content1 will show. refTools will catch this problem.

If a footnote does not have a closing </ref>, it will "eat" the following text, causing it to not show. This normally shows a cite error, unless it is the last footnote on the page. Normally, this would then suppress the <references /> tag, generating an error, but the message for a missing <references /> tag is suppressed on non-article pages. refTools will catch this problem.

Some templates may include <ref>...</ref> tags; for example {{}}. If a template of this type in included without the <references /> tag, then an error is generated, but the problem is not obvious. refTools will not catch this problem.

Several methods are available for solving this problem. Below they are listed in order of preference. Note that only one of these is required, not all of them.

Method 1

If the template has a documentation page, add <references /> there.

Method 2

Add the following code to the end of the template:

Method 3

Add the following code to the end of the template:

Cons: Hides the references, not informing the user that it is there; editors won't be able to check the references formatting.

Method 4

Include the <references /> tag within the template itself using the group parameter. See for an example.

Cons: Creates a separate references section that may not be obvious; does not allow reuse of the references within the body of the article.

refTools can be enabled via  →  → Usability features. It includes an error checking tool for common problems.

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