The tag "[citation needed]" is added by Wikipedia editors to unsourced statements in articles requesting citations to be added.[1] The phrase is reflective of the policies of verifiability and original research on Wikipedia and has become a general Internet meme.[2]
Usage on Wikipedia
The tag was first used on Wikipedia in 2006,[2] and its template created by user Ta bu shi da yu.[citation needed] According to Wikipedia's policy, editors should add citations for content, to ensure accuracy and neutrality, and to avoid original research.[3] The citation needed tag is used to mark statements that lack such citations.[1] As of June 2023[update], there were more than 539,000 pages on Wikipedia (or roughly 1% of all pages) containing at least one instance of the tag.[1] Users who click the tag will be directed to pages about Wikipedia's verifiability policy and its application using the tag.[4]
Usage outside Wikipedia
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In 2008, Matt Mechtley created stickers with "[citation needed]", encouraging people to stick them on advertisements.[5]
In 2010, American television hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert led the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where some participants held placards with "[citation needed]".[6]
Randall Munroe has frequently used "[citation needed]" tags for humorous commentary in his writings, including in his 2014 book What If?.[7][8][9]
The podcast "Citations Needed" is a Webby nominated[10] media criticism podcast, hosted by journalists Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson to explore the intersection of media, PR, and power.[11]
Youtuber Tom Scott and The Technical Difficulties used "[citation needed]" as the title for a Wikipedia-based gameshow that ran from 2014 to 2018.[12]
References
External links
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