Help:Referencing for beginners

Help:Referencing for beginners is a guide designed to assist new contributors in understanding and applying the principles of citing sources in Wikipedia. This guide is essential for maintaining the verifiability of information on Wikipedia.

Why Reference?

Referencing is crucial in Wikipedia to ensure that all information is verifiable and reliable. It allows readers to check the source of the information and ensures that the content is not original research. Referencing also gives credit to the authors of the works used in the article.

How to Reference

To add a reference in Wikipedia, you can use the </nowiki>

The source details can be a URL, a book citation, or any other form of citation. The reference will then appear in the "References" section of the article.

Types of References

There are several types of references that can be used in Wikipedia:

• Inline citations: These are used to reference specific statements or facts within the article. They are placed directly after the information they support.
• General references: These are used to reference sources that support the entire article. They are usually placed in a "References" or "Further reading" section at the end of the article.
• See also references: These are used to direct readers to related articles or external websites. They are usually placed in a "See also" section at the end of the article.

See Also

• Wikipedia:Citing sources
• Wikipedia:Verifiability
• Wikipedia:No original research
• Wikipedia:Reliable sources