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The tag " itation 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 Wikipedia is a free content, free Online content, online encyclopedia that is written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and La ...
and has become a general
Internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...
.


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
citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose o ...
s for content, to ensure accuracy and neutrality, and to avoid
original research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
. The on needed tag is used to mark statements that lack such citations. , there were more than 539,000 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.


Usage outside Wikipedia

In 2008, Matt Mechtley created stickers with " n needed, encouraging people to stick them on
advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
s. In 2010, American television hosts Jon Stewart and
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
led the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear at the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, where some participants held placards with " n needed.
Randall Munroe Randall Patrick Munroe (born October 17, 1984) is an American cartoonist, author, and engineer best known as the creator of the webcomic ''xkcd''. Munroe has worked full-time on the comic since late 2006. In addition to publishing a book of the ...
has frequently used " n 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.
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
Tom Scott and The Technical Difficulties used " itation needed as the title for a Wikipedia-based gameshow that ran from 2014 to 2018. Wikipedian Molly White publishes a newsletter covering the cryptocurrency and technology industries called ''Citation Needed''.


References


External links

* * {{Wikipedia, state=collapsed 2005 introductions Internet memes introduced in 2006 Wikipedia