Template:Cite web/Documentation

Used when making references, see Wikipedia:Template:Cite web

This template is used to cite sources in Wikipedia. It is specifically for web sites which are not news sources. It provides lower case parameters only.

A general discussion of the use of templates for adding citation of open-source web content to Wikipedia articles is available at citation templates.

Usage
 
 * Common form for cases where little is known about authorship of the page (with current date)

 
 * Using last, first (with current date)

 
 * Using author (with current date)

 
 * Using non-linked retrieved date, last, first

 
 * Using non-linked retrieved date, author

 
 * All parameters, horizontal format (delete the ones you don't need)


 * All parameters, vertical format

Required parameters
For producing a wikilinked date of retrieval:
 * url: URL of online item.
 * title: Title of online item.
 * accessdate: Full date when item was accessed, in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, for example "accessdate = 2024-August-". Must not be wikilinked

For producing a non-wikilinked date of retrieval:
 * accessmonthday and accessyear: Month and day when item was accessed, for example "accessmonthday = May 10", and year when item was accessed, for example "accessyear = 2005". Produces: Retrieved on May 10, 2006.
 * accessdaymonth and accessyear: Month and day when item was accessed, for example "accessmonthday = 10 May", and year when item was accessed, for example "accessyear = 2005". Produces: Retrieved on 10 May 2006.

Optional parameters

 * author: Author
 * last works with first to produce
 * authorlink works either with author or with last & first to link to the appropriate wikipedia article. Does not work with URLs.
 * coauthors: allows additional authors
 * date: Full date of publication, preferably in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, e.g. 2006-02-17. May be wikilinked.
 * OR: year: Year of publication, and month: Name of the month of publication. If you also have the day, use date instead. Must not be wikilinked.
 * format: Format, e.g. PDF. HTML implied if not specified.
 * work: If this item is part of a larger work, name of that work.
 * publisher: Publisher, if any.
 * pages: pp. 5–7: first page and optional last page. This is for listing the pages relevant to the citation, not the total number of pages in the book. This is especially useful for PDF format, where the page can be linked to with the   anchor tagged on the end of the URL:
 * language: language of publication (don't specify "English" as this is the default).
 * archiveurl: URL of the archive location of the item (requires archivedate)
 * archivedate: Date when the item was archived (requires archiveurl), in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, e.g. 2006-02-17. Must not be wikilinked; it will be linked automatically.
 * quote: Relevant quote from online item.
 * quote: Relevant quote from online item.

Examples

 * Some standard use cases












 * Non-linking date of retrieval (using accessmonthday and accessyear)


 * Using format


 * language


 * coauthors


 * No author


 * No author, no publisher






 * Using archiveurl and archivedate to refer to items that went away but are available from an archive site

→


 * Using quote


 * No parameters (error)