Template:Primary source inline/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:Primary source inline. It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

This template is used in articles to identify sentences or short passages which have an inline citation but improperly reference a primary source.

Adding {{Primary source-inline|date=August 2025}} produces a superscripted notation like the following, usually placed immediately after the citation to the primary source:

Most people believe in ghosts.^{[1][non-primary source needed]}

You can also include a |reason= note, which displays as a tooltip upon mouse hover, to leave a better record for future editors. For example, the following usage might be appropriate in response to the arguable claim that "Most people believe in ghosts":

{{Primary source-inline|reason=citation is the Ghostbusters company website, there must be more objective sources for this|date=August 2025}}

Adding this template to an article places the article into one of a family of categories identifying "Articles with unsourced statements". To find all such articles, see Category:All articles with unsourced statements.

Use this template to "tag" information or analysis that you believe is improperly or unnecessarily supported by a primary source, so that other editors can see whether this use is appropriate and/or replace it with a citation to a stronger source. Primary sources may be used on Wikipedia, but they need to be handled with care.

"Primary source" does not mean that the author is too close to the subject. As a general rule, primary sources include all scientific journal articles about experiments, "eyewitness" newspaper stories, and historical documents. If you are looking for an independent, third-party source, use {{third-party-inline}} instead.

Unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material about living persons should be removed immediately. Do not tag it: remove it. For more information, see the Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons § Remove unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material policy.

Material which is doubtful and harmful may be removed immediately, rather than tagged. See Unsourced material.

If no citation is given, use the {{citation needed}} tag instead. If the source given is self-published, use {{self-published inline}}. If you think the author has a conflict of interest or is otherwise too close to the subject, use {{third-party-inline}}.

If you have the time and ability to find an a better reference, please do so. Then correct the citation yourself, or correct the article text. After all, the ultimate goal is not to merely identify problems, but to fix them.

Many editors object to what they perceive as overuse of this tag, particularly in what is known as "drive-by" tagging, which is applying the tag without attempting to address the issues at all. Consider whether adding this tag in an article is the best approach before using it, and use it judiciously.

This template is intended for specific passages which need citation. For articles or sections which have significant material lacking sources (rather than just specific short passages), there are other, more appropriate templates, such as {{unreferenced}}. If the article as a whole relies on primary sources (rather than the independent, secondary sources required by the content policies), consider adding the {{primary sources}} tag to the top of the article. It can also be used to flag a section of an article: {{primary sources|section}}.

• {{psc}}
• {{npsn}}

• {{Primarysources}} – the article- or section-level banner version of this template
• Wikipedia:No original research, especially the section Primary, secondary and tertiary sources
• Wikipedia:Secondary does not mean independent, on the difference between a primary source and a source affiliated with the subject
• Wikipedia:Citing sources, especially Unsourced material
• Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources
• Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup/Verifiability and sources
• Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles
• Wikipedia:Verifiability
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Fact and Reference Check

• {{Citation needed span}}, wrapper for a portion of a paragraph to highlight it as needing citation
• {{Cite quote}}, for "actual quotations" which need citations to make them proper
• {{Clarify}}, request clarification of wording or interpretation
• {{Failed verification}}, source was checked, and did not contain the cited material
• {{Page number}}, request a page number for an existing citation
• {{Request quotation}}, request a direct quote from an inaccessible source, for verification purposes
• {{Self-published inline}}, flag facts in the article as being reliant on self-published source[s] (use outside <ref>)
• {{Self-published source}} flag the citation itself as being to a self-published source (use inside <ref>)
• {{Tertiary}} – note a citation to a tertiary source that does not sufficiently or at all cite its own sources (use inside <ref>)
• {{Third party inline}}, to mark sentences needing an independent or third-party source
• {{Verify credibility}}, flag a source as possibly being unreliable and/or unverifiable
• {{Verify source}}, request that someone verify the cited source backs up the material in the passage
• {{User-generated inline}} – flag facts in the article as being reliant on a user-generated source or sources (use outside <ref>)
• {{User-generated source}} – flag the citation itself as being to a user-generated source (use outside <ref>)

• {{Dubious}} – when a fact is sourced, but verifiability remains dubious
• {{OR}} – flag something as possibly containing original research
• {{POV-statement}} – dispute the neutrality of a passage
• {{weasel-inline}} – Avoid weasel words.
• {{who}} – for placement after descriptions of a group of persons.
• {{whom}} – placement after mention of a vague third party claim that is not sourced.

• {{Cite check}}, article/section may have inappropriate or misinterpreted citations
• {{Refimprove}}, article/section has weak or incomplete sources/references/citations
• {{Third-party}}, whole article contains zero independent/third-party references
• {{Unreferenced}}, article/section has no sources/references/citations given at all