Wikipedia:COinS
Wikipedia information page
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ContextObjects in Spans (COinS) is a method of embedding latent OpenURL ContextObjects in web pages. This allows client software to retrieve bibliographic metadata and to use an OpenURL resolver to find a mediated link. A principal advantage of using COinS, rather than giving a static OpenURL, is that the client can determine which resolver to use. This allows, for instance, searching for a copy of a book in one's own library.
 | This is an information page. It is not a Wikipedia policy or guideline; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms or practices. It may reflect varying levels of consensus. |
Use of COinS outside of Wikipedia is fairly rare. Since some time between 2017 and 2025, the specification website is no longer live, and needs to be accessed through the Wayback Machine.[1]
COinS have been added to various parts of Wikipedia. They are basically just a chunk of bibliographic information stored in a way that machines can read. This has two applications:
- The information can be converted into a full OpenURL and resolved by a local OpenURL resolver.
- The information can be stored by bibliographic tools like Zotero.[2] The tool can download the bibliographic information from an article into a personal library for future research and retrieval.
- Zotero also has Wikipedia export,[3] which allows references to be dragged into a Wikipedia edit box, where they will appear formatted as Wikipedia citation templates.
So far, COinS have been added to:
- Wikipedia:Book sources – just contains the ISBN
- Many citation templates and infoboxes – see: Category:Templates generating COinS
- MediaWiki:Citethispage-content – generated when you click Cite this article; contains information for citing Wikipedia itself in other documents
Template
Templates needing COinS
COinS could, and should, be added to these templates:
COinS in citation templates
The COinS keys used in most Citation Style 1 templates are listed at Module talk:Citation/CS1/COinS.
For example:
| Markup | Renders as |
|---|---|
{{cite book |last=Bloggs |first=Fred |editor-first=John |editor-last=Doe |title=Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors |publisher=Book Publishers |date=January 1, 2001 |pages=100–110 |chapter=Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family |isbn=978-1-234-56789-7}} |
Bloggs, Fred (January 1, 2001). "Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". In Doe, John (ed.). Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors. Book Publishers. pp. 100–110. ISBN 978-1-234-56789-7. |
Which renders the following HTML:
{{#parsoidfragment:13}}<cite id="CITEREFBloggs2001" class="citation book cs1">Bloggs, Fred (January 1, 2001). "Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". In Doe, John (ed.). ''Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors''. Book Publishers. pp. <span class="nowrap">100–</span>110. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/978-1-234-56789-7|<bdi>978-1-234-56789-7</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+2%3A+The+History+of+the+Bloggs+Family&rft.btitle=Big+Compilation+Book+with+Many+Chapters+and+Distinct+Chapter+Authors&rft.pages=100-110&rft.pub=Book+Publishers&rft.date=2001-01-01&rft.isbn=978-1-234-56789-7&rft.aulast=Bloggs&rft.aufirst=Fred&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWikipedia%3ACOinS" class="Z3988"></span>
Picking out the COinS keys:
| Key | Data |
|---|---|
| rfr_id | info:sid/en.wikipedia.org: |
| rft.atitle | Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family |
| rft.au | Bloggs, Fred |
| rft.aufirst | Fred |
| rft.aulast | Bloggs |
| rft.btitle | Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors |
| rft.date | 2001-01-01 |
| rft.genre | bookitem |
| rft.isbn | 978-1-234-56789-7 |
| rft.pages | 100-110 |
| rft.pub | Book Publishers |
| rft_val_fmt | info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book |
Pollution
Incorrect data in fields can pollute the metadata. For example, adding all of the authors into the deprecated |authors= parameter:
| Markup | Renders as |
|---|---|
{{cite book |authors=Smith, John; Johnson, Joe; Green, Ethan |title=Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors |publisher=Book Publishers |date=January 1, 2001 |pages=100–110 |chapter=Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family |isbn=978-1-234-56789-7}} |
"Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors. Book Publishers. January 1, 2001. pp. 100–110. ISBN 978-1-234-56789-7. |
{{#parsoidfragment:21}}<cite class="citation book cs1">"Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". ''Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors''. Book Publishers. January 1, 2001. pp. <span class="nowrap">100–</span>110. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/978-1-234-56789-7|<bdi>978-1-234-56789-7</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+2%3A+The+History+of+the+Bloggs+Family&rft.btitle=Big+Compilation+Book+with+Many+Chapters+and+Distinct+Chapter+Authors&rft.pages=100-110&rft.pub=Book+Publishers&rft.date=2001-01-01&rft.isbn=978-1-234-56789-7&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AWikipedia%3ACOinS" class="Z3988"></span> <span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{[[Template:cite book|cite book]]}}</code>: </span><span class="cs1-visible-error citation-comment">Unknown parameter <code class="cs1-code">|authors=</code> ignored ([[Help:CS1 errors#parameter_ignored|help]])</span>[[Category:CS1 errors: unsupported parameter|ω]]
This would pollute the metadata, therefore the citation template suppresses the generation of metadata for |authors=, thereby omitting vital citation data from being submitted.
| Key | Data |
|---|---|
| rft.au | Smith, John; Johnson, Joe; Green, Ethan |
| rft.aufirst | not used |
| rft.aulast | Smith, John; Johnson, Joe; Green, Ethan |
See also
- The planned citation microformat