Template:Clarify

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Not to be confused with Template:Unclear.

Basic purpose

Use this template in the body of an article as a request for other editors to clarify text that is difficult to understand. When the problem is not with the wording, but the sourcing, one may use {{specify}} instead. For dealing with dubious information, please use one of the following: {{citation needed}}, {{verify source}}, {{dubious}} or {{disputed-inline}}. This template is a self-reference and so is part of the Wikipedia project rather than the encyclopedic content.

Usage

This is an inline template which should be placed immediately after the material in question, as with a footnote. For example:

This sentence needs clarification.{{clarify|date=June 2016}} → This sentence needs clarification.

The wikilink on "clarification needed" is set to Wikipedia:Please clarify.

Parameters

Abbreviated parameter sets

{{clarify |date=June 2016 |reason= }}

{{clarify |date=June 2016 |reason= |text= }}

Full parameter set

{{clarify |date=June 2016 |reason= |text= |pre-text= |post-text= }}

Parameter descriptions

|date= 

This template allows an optional date parameter that records when the tag was added. If this template is added without the date parameter, the date parameter will be added soon after by a bot. Alternatively, you may add the date automatically (without requiring bot intervention) by substituting the template. That is: {{subst:clarify}} is equivalent to {{clarify|date=June 2016}}. This technique also works if other parameters – |reason= |pre-text= |post-text= – are given.

|reason= 

Because it may not be immediately apparent to other editors what about the tagged passage is in need of clarification, it is generally helpful to add a brief reason for the tag: {{Clarify|reason=What the problem is}} (this is preferable to using a HTML <!-- comment --> after the tag, as it is tidier to keep all of the {{Clarify}}-related code inside the template). If the explanation would be lengthy, use the article's talk page.

As well as being visible in the source code for editors' benefit, the reason parameter is, if provided, displayed when the mouse is hovered over the "clarification needed" link in the article. For technical reasons, this mouse-over feature does not work if the reason text contains double quotes. Use single quotes instead, or use the code " if it is essential to include a double quote.

|text= 

The particular text needing clarification may be highlighted by wrapping this template around it:

As an example:

Text preceding the template, {{clarify|text=unclear text,|date=June 2016}}, text following the template.

produces:

Text preceding the template, unclear text,, text following the template.

|pre-text=

|post-text= 

One can specify additional text to appear before and/or after the "clarify" tag using the two parameters listed above.

Examples follow:

1. {{clarify|pre-text=remove or}}

   will cause the text "remove or" to appear before "clarify" like this:

2. {{clarify|post-text=(complicated jargon)}}

   will cause "(complicated jargon)" to appear after "clarify" like this:.

3. {{clarify|post-text=(see [[Talk:Example#Clarification needed|talk]])}}

   can be used to link to a discussion on the article's talk page; this example produces:

Template data

Template parameters

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
reason	reason	A brief reason for the tag; do not include any double quotes. Default empty Example empty Auto value empty	String	optional
text	text	Text fragment containing concerns the tag is supposed to address. Default empty Example empty Auto value empty	String	optional
date	date	The date the tag was added (this will be added automatically soon by a bot if not added manually). Default empty Example empty Auto value empty	String	optional
pre-text	pre-text	Any string to be added before the "Clarify" tag, such as "?" Default empty Example empty Auto value empty	String	optional
post-text	post-text	Any string to be added after the "Clarify" tag, such as "complicated jargon". Default empty Example empty Auto value empty	String	optional

Categorization

Adding this template to an article will automatically place the article into Category:Wikipedia articles needing clarification, or a dated subcategory thereof.

Redirects

• {{Clarification needed}}
• {{Clarify me}}
• {{Define?}}
• {{How?}}
• {{Huh}}
• {{What?}}
• {{What}}

See also

Related inline templates

• {{Clarify span}}
• {{Ambiguous}}
• {{Definition}}
• {{Elucidate}}
• {{Non sequitur}}
• {{Vague}}

Message-box templates

• {{Confusing}}
• {{Confusing section}}

Related pages

• Wikipedia:Citing sources
• Wikipedia:Explain jargon
• Wikipedia:Please clarify