Template:Cite news/doc

This template is used to cite sources in Wikipedia. It is specifically for news sources.

Usage

All fields must be lowercase.

Copy a blank version to use. Remember to use the "|" (pipe) character between each field. Please delete any unused fields to avoid clutter in the edit window.

Full version (copy and paste text below and delete parameters you don't need)
{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title= |url= |format= |work= |publisher= |id= |pages= |page= |date= |accessdate=2026-01-15 |language= |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= }}
Most commonly used fields (or you can use this and not have to delete as much) (This assumes English, HTML format, with today as access date)
{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= |url= |work= |publisher= |date= |accessdate=2026-01-15 }}

All parameters, vertical format

{{cite news 
 | first = 
 | last = 
 | authorlink = 
 | author = 
 | coauthors = 
 | title = 
 | url = 
 | format = 
 | work = 
 | publisher = 
 | id = 
 | pages = 
 | page = 
 | date = 
 | accessdate = 
 | language = 
 | quote = 
 | archiveurl = 
 | archivedate = 
 }}

• title is required, rest is optional. Note that title must be on one line in order for the hyperlink to display properly.
• author: Author.
  • last works with first to produce last, first
  • 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.
• url: Link to the news item if available online.
  • format: Format, i.e. PDF. Don't specify for HTML (implied as default).

    Specify as 'fee required' if free access is no longer available.

    Specify as 'Reprint' if you use a full original version but not hosted by the original publisher.

• work: Such as a column, sub part of issue, multi-part work.
• publisher: Usually the news source.
• id: Identifier such as {{ISSN|0028-0836}} — remember, if you use this parameter, you must specify the kind of identifier, not just give a number.
• date: Date of publication. ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format recommended. If the whole date is known it should be wikilinked to enable date user preferences.
• page or pages: The page(s) on which the article is found. page inserts the abbreviation "p." before the number; pages inserts "pp." Use only one of these parameters. If numbers are entered for both, pages overrides page.
• accessdate: Date when item was accessed. Use ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format. Do not wikilink the date.
• language: The language in which the source is written.
• quote: Relevant quote.
• 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.

Examples

Using first and last to identify the author, and id to supply the ISSN

• {{cite news | first=John | last=Doe | title=News | url=http://www.url.com/ | work=Encyclopedia of Things | publisher=News co. | pages= 37–39 | date=[[2005-11-21]] | id={{ISSN|0028-0836}} | accessdate=2005-12-11 }}
  
  →

Using author instead of first and last

• {{cite news | author=Staff writer | title=News | url=http://www.url.com/News.pdf | format=PDF | publisher=News co. | pages= 37–39 | date=[[2005-11-21]] | accessdate=2005-12-11 }}
  
  →

Using authorlink to link to the author's article

• {{cite news | first=John | last=Doe | authorlink=John Doe | title=News | url=http://www.url.com/background | format=Reprint | publisher=News co. | date=[[2005-11-21]] | accessdate=2005-12-11 }}
  
  →

Using format

• {{cite news | title=News | url=http://www.url.com/Archive/News | format=Fee required | publisher=News co. | date=[[2005-11-21]] | accessdate=2005-12-11 }}
  
  →

Using page to identify the reference by page

• {{cite news | first=John | last=Doe | title=FooBar | page=1 }}
  
  →

A very simple citation

• {{cite news | title=FooBar | page=1 }}
  
  →

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

• {{cite news | author=Staff writer | title=News | url=http://www.url.com/News.pdf | format=PDF | publisher=News co. | pages= 37–39 | date=[[2005-11-21]] | accessdate=2005-12-11 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070628082911/http://www.url.com/News.pdf | archivedate=2007-06-28 }}
  
  →

COinS

This template produces COinS metadata; see COinS in Wikipedia for background information.

See also

• Wikipedia:Cite sources: Style guide
• Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles/Generic citations: Related templates
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Wikicite
• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite book

Template:Esoteric