Vicipaedia:Fons/en

This is the English translation of the parent page (as per revision 720168^[diff]).

Sources are essential to creating a reliable encyclopedia.

Questions

Why should I cite sources?
How can I cite sources?
When should I cite sources?

Answers

Why?

You should cite sources in Vicipaedia

To improve the credibility of Wikipedia.
To avoid claims of plagiarism.
To show that your edit is not original research and to reduce editorial disputes.
To ensure that the content of articles can be checked by any reader or editor.
To help users find additional information on the topic.
If you don't cite, {{Fontes desiderati}} or {{Citatio desiderata}} may be put into use and the claim may after a while be justly removed.

How?

You are strongly advised to adhere to the rules below. Although many publications use bracketed e.g. (Smith, 2008) and listed (bibliographic) sources, it is most fitting for Vicipaedia to use inline sources so that individual facts and statements might not be disproved. Here is how to make an inline citation:

Type into the page

 <ref>[Type sources here]</ref>

If you wish to cite a source more than once on a particular page, for the first time you cite type the following

 <ref name="[reference name]">[Type sources here]</ref>

When you want to cite the same source again, just type

 <ref name="[reference name]"/>

You will the need to make a sources section at the bottom of the page which should be typed thus:

 ==Notae==
 <references/>

When?

You should cite sources whenever you make a disputable claim. This includes:

Anything that might be challenged
Factoids
All proper names
Dates
Whenever possible in biographies