Example of "citation needed" in an English Wikipedia article
The citation needed template in a previous version of the English Wikipedia's article about the mushroom

The tag "[citation needed]" (stylized as "[citation needed]") is added by Wikipedia editors to unsourced statements in articles requesting citations to be added. The phrase is reflective of the policies of verifiability and original research on Wikipedia and has become a general Internet meme.

Usage on Wikipedia

The tag was first used on Wikipedia in 2006, and its template created by user Ta bu shi da yu. According to Wikipedia's policy, editors should add citations for content, to ensure accuracy and neutrality, and to avoid original research. The citation needed tag is used to mark statements that lack such citations. Wikipedia editors may use tools like Citation Hunt to address these uncited statements. 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. Users who click the tag will be directed to pages about Wikipedia's verifiability policy and its application using the tag.

A parody of the tag, [cetacean needed], is used for missing images on Wikipedia's list of cetaceans page.

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]".
A 2007 xkcd comic by Randall Munroe featuring a protester with a "[citation needed]" placard
Photograph of a protestor in a crowd holding up a poster reading "*CITATION NEEDED!"
Poster at the 2017 March for Science

In 2008, Matt Mechtley created stickers with "[citation needed]", encouraging people to stick them on advertisements.

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]".

Randall Munroe has frequently used "[citation needed]" tags for humorous commentary in his writings, including in his 2014 book What If?.

The podcast "Citations Needed" is a Webby-nominated media criticism podcast, hosted by journalists Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson to explore the intersection of media, PR, and power.

Wikipedian Molly White publishes a newsletter covering the cryptocurrency and technology industries called Citation Needed.

External links

  • The dictionary definition of citation needed at Wiktionary
  • entry at Know Your Meme
  • Citation Hunt
  • Ta bu shi da yu's Wikipedia user page
  • Wikipedia's list of cetaceans