Template:Primary source

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How to use

This template is used in articles to show where a sentence or short passage relies inappropriately on a primary source. Use this tag so that other editors can see whether this use is appropriate and/or replace it with a citation to a stronger source. Primary sources may be used on Wikipedia, but they need to be used with care.

It produces a small message like the following:

• Most people believe in ghosts.

You can also include an invisible |reason= note for future editors. For example, the following might be a good message to leave for the claim above:

• {{Primary source-inline|reason=citation is the Ghostbusters company website, there must be more objective sources for this}}

Adding this template to an article places the article into Category:Articles lacking reliable references.

When to use

"Primary source" does not mean that the author is too close to the subject. Generally, primary sources include all scientific journal articles about experiments, "eyewitness" newspaper stories, and historical documents. If you are looking for an independent, third-party source, use {{third-party-inline}} instead. If no citation is given, use the {{fact}} tag instead. If the source given is self-published, use {{self-published inline}}.

Unsourced or poorly sourced material about living people that might be doubtful or harmful should be quickly removed (do not tag it—remove it).

Many editors object to what they think is overuse of this tag, especially in what is called "drive-by" tagging, which is placing the tag without trying to fix the issue at all. Before adding this tag, think about whether this is the best option. If you have the time and ability to find an a better reference, please do so. Then correct the citation yourself, or correct the article text. The final goal is not to just show that there is a problem, but to fix it.

This template is intended for specific sentences which need better references. For articles or sections which have a lot of material lacking sources (rather than just specific short passages), there are other, more appropriate templates, such as {{primary sources}} to add to the top of the article instead.

Redirects

• {{Primary source-inline}}

Related pages

• {{fact}}, to highlight a sentence as needing citation
• {{better source}}, general tag to flag a sentence as needing a better reference
• {{unreliable source}}, flag a source as possibly being unreliable
• {{verify source}}, request that someone verify the cited source backs up the material in the passage
• {{failed verification}}, source was checked, and did not contain the cited material
• {{request quotation}}, request a direct quote from an inaccessible source, for verification purposes
• {{third-party-inline}}, to mark sentences needing an independent or third-party source
• {{dubious}} – flag something as suspected of being incorrect
• {{or}} – flag something as possibly containing original research
• {{POV-statement}} – dispute the neutrality of a passage
• {{weasel-inline}} – for marking weasel words
• {{who}} – for placement after descriptions of a group of persons
• {{whom}} – placement after mention of a vague third party claim that is not sourced.