Help:Referencing for beginners with citation templates
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Here is an easy way to cite newspaper sources. Simply copy and paste the following immediately after what you want to reference:
<ref>{{cite news
| author =
| title =
| quote =
| newspaper =
| date =
| pages =
| url =
| accessdate =
}}</ref>
Simply put as much information as you can to the right of the equal signs. Example:
Inflation seems unlikely in 2010.<ref>{{cite news
| author = Patricia Sabatini
| title = Inflation unlikely to be a threat as economy emerges from recession
| quote = ...the Federal Reserve would continue to leave interest rates at record lows.
| newspaper = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
| date = October 16, 2009
| pages =
| url = http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09289/1005873-28.stm
| accessdate = January 5, 2010
}}</ref>
Reporter Patricia Sabatini goes to the right of the "author =". Leave fields like "pages =" blank if it doesn't apply. The accessdate is when you fetched the reference; the date is when the article was published. The url is the line like ''http://www.etc''; copy and paste the url in if available.
When editing, you'll see your reference next to the text; but after saving, readers will only see a reference number there; your reference should appear below. Like this:
Inflation seems unlikely in 2010.[1]
[...]
- ↑ Patricia Sabatini (October 16, 2009). "Inflation unlikely to be a threat as economy emerges from recession". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 5, 2010. "...the Federal Reserve would continue to leave interest rates at record lows."
That's it! You're done. Good luck!
If you get a warning about a missing "References" section at the end of the page, just add it:
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
Quick note: while this reference method is popular, some editors prefer alternatives (see below). It varies by article. When possible, use the citation style already used by others in the same article. See Citing sources for further discussion.