Help:Citing sources

When editing articles on Nookipedia, some information may need a reference to verify its accuracy. A reference is an in-text citation that tells the reader where the information was found. This help page will show you when and how to use references on Nookipedia

When to use references
References should generally be used for any statement or information that does not come directly from a game or other piece of media. For example, a release date or information on the development of a game should have references. If the information can be found within a game itself (regardless of if it is accessible through normal gameplay), or if it is visible on the packaging, it does not need a reference.

All information regarding future releases requires references from credible sources such as trailers, official websites, developer interviews, and press releases, so as not to proliferate rumors or misinformation.

If you find something on the wiki that should have a reference, but does not, the Citation Needed template should be added in place of one.

How to use references
A reference can be made simply by placing any text within a reference tag. When a reference is placed on a page, a superscript number will appear where it is placed, like this. Hovering over it reveals what is inside the reference tag; the text also appears at the bottom of the page. References should be placed directly after the statement or information in question, with no extra space; if used in the body of an article, a reference should generally be placed at the end of a sentence. References should be placed after any punctuation.

Any page with a reference should have a "References" section at the bottom, after "See also" and "Notes" and before "External links". Within the section, place the Reflist template to display a list of all references used on the page. For pages with many references, the  parameter can be set to adjust the size of the text.

Please make sure the source provided is either official or from a credible site. Statements that are of questionable validity or require a citation should be marked with the Citation Needed template. For entire articles or large sections of text requiring citations, make a note on the article's talk page.

Formatting
Most references cite either a webpage or a piece of print media. For these, the Cite web and Cite print templates should be used, respectively. Guides on how to use these templates are available on their documentation pages.