The tag "[citation needed]" is added by Wikipedia editors to unsourced statements in articles requesting citations to be added.[1] The phrase is reflective of the policies of verifiability and no original research on Wikipedia and has become a general Internet meme.[2]
The tag was first used on Wikipedia in 2006,[2] and its template created by user Ta bu shi da yu. By Wikipedia policy, editors should add citations for content, to ensure accuracy and neutrality, and to avoid original research.[3] The citation needed tag is used to mark statements that lack such citations.[1] As of June 2023[update], there were more than 539,000 pages on Wikipedia (or roughly 1% of all pages) containing at least one instance of the tag.[1] Users who click the tag will be directed to pages about Wikipedia's verifiability policy and its application using the tag.[4]
In 2008, Matt Mechtley created stickers with "[citation needed]", encouraging people to stick them on advertisements.[5]
In 2010, American television hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert led the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear at the National MallinWashington, D.C., where some participants held placards with "[citation needed]".[6]
Randall Munroe has frequently used "[citation needed]" tags for humorous commentary in his writings, including in his 2014 book What If?[7][8][9]
It was also used as the name of a 2014–2018 YouTube series by the British comedy group The Technical Difficulties. In the show, Tom Scott gives the title of a random Wikipedia article to the other members, and they try to guess on what the rest of the article is about with a 'ding' and points for correct guesses.[10]
Many social media personalities also use "[citation needed]" when talking about an unsourced claim. Hbomberguy used it in his video about Bill Nye.[11]
The dictionary definition of citation needed at Wiktionary
