Citation needed
Wikipedia tag added to unsourced statements
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The tag "[citation needed]" (stylized as "[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.[3] According to Wikipedia's policy, editors should add citations for content, to ensure accuracy and neutrality, and to avoid original research.[4] The citation needed tag is used to mark statements that lack such citations.[1] Wikipedia editors may use tools like Citation Hunt to address these uncited statements.[5] As of June 2025[update], there were more than 604,000 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.[6]
A parody of the tag, [cetacean needed], is used for missing images on Wikipedia's list of cetaceans page.[7]
Usage outside Wikipedia
![xkcd comic "Wikipedian Protestor": as a politician addresses a crowd, a protestor within the crowd holds up a sign reading "[CITATION NEEDED]".](#/media/File:Webcomic_xkcd_-_Wikipedian_protester.png)
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In 2008, Matt Mechtley created stickers with "[citation needed]", encouraging people to stick them on advertisements.[8]
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]".[9]
Randall Munroe has frequently used "[citation needed]" tags for humorous commentary in his writings, including in his 2014 book What If?.[10][11][12]
The podcast "Citations Needed" is a Webby-nominated[13] media criticism podcast, hosted by journalists Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson to explore the intersection of media, PR, and power.[14]
Wikipedian Molly White publishes a newsletter covering the cryptocurrency and technology industries called Citation Needed.[15][16]
