Wikipedia:References dos and don'ts

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Referencing is key to making Wikipedia reliable and trustworthy.

When working with references:
DO:
Green check.png Use inline citations (<ref></ref> tags or parenthetical referencing).
Green check.png Keep citations near the material they support.
Green check.png Say where in the source the information came from.
Green check.png Use a consistent reference style within each article.
Green check.png Consider using citation templates to create a consistent style.
Green check.png Tag insufficiently-sourced material with an appropriate inline tag.
Green check.png Tag insufficiently-sourced articles with an appropriate header.
DON'T:
Red x.svg Don't cite unreliable sources.
Red x.svg Don't cite a source you haven't seen for yourself.
Red x.svg Don't add material that's not supported by sources.
Red x.svg Don't embed external links in the body of articles.
Red x.svg Don't add references for obvious information.
Red x.svg Don't use all-numeric date formats other than YYYY-MM-DD.
Red x.svg Don't change an established reference style without consensus.

See also[edit]