This template is specifically intended to challenge a fact in the lead section of an already well-sourced article, where that lead is clearly intended to function as a summary of the content, but the fact tagged is never verified in the body.
Usage
Use this template to indicate a fact mentioned by the lead is not verified in the body of the article.
More specifically, many articles, including the bulk of featured articles, do not contain any citations in the lead, because the lead section in them is used to summarize the content in the body of the article, which already contains citations for the summarized content. This is up to community consensus, please see WP:LEADCITE. Thus, this template should only be used:
- In articles which already have substantial sourcing; and
- The lead is clearly written as a summary of the content;
- One of the facts in the lead is discussed in the article's body; but
- This fact is not verified in the article's body and you seek verification of that fact.
By the same token, this template should not be used in poorly sourced articles, or articles whose leads are not clearly written as attempts to summarize the content. In such articles, {{citation needed}} may be more appropriate, or more generally, depending on context, {{unreferenced}}, {{unreferenced section}} or {{refimprove}}. Note that any place you would want to use many instances of this tag (or of {{citation needed}}), that almost always means you should use one of the general tags above just once, rather than peppering the lead.
If the fact from the lead isn't discussed at all by the article's body (as opposed to merely not being verified there), {{Template:Lead extra info}} is more appropriate.
Arguably you could use this template to indicate the fact is verified, but only in the lead (and not in the body). However, in this case, it is better if you simply move the citation down into the main body of the article yourself. Again, per MOS:LEADCITE it is not against policy to place citations in the lead, so only do this for articles where community consensus agree to keep citations out of the lead section. ({{Template:Leadcite comment}} might be a useful tool in this regard.)
BLPs
The BLP policy for articles on living persons requires unsourced or poorly sourced contentious material about living persons to be removed immediately. (Do not tag it: immediately remove it.) See this section of the Biography of Living Persons policy.
Because of this, it might be a good idea to keep allowing citations in the lead sections of BLP articles. It helps prevent cases where well-meaning editors remove claims made in the lead section but where the the verifying reference is put only in the main body of the article. Facts that are verified each time they are made are less prone to such edits.
Parameters
You may append a date to the template in the following format:
{{Not verified in body|date=December 2024}}
- Do not substitute this template.
- While it will not break the template if omitted, it is a good idea to include the date parameter. In fact, a bot (as of 2024[update] AnomieBOT) will add the date for you a short while later if omitted.
- The date parameter consists of the name of the current month and the year only (no day). The names of the months are capitalised in English.
Any deviation from these two rules will result in an "invalid date parameter" error.
Adding this template to an article places the article into Category:Articles with unsourced statements or a dated subcategory thereof.
Please remove the template when a proper citation for the statement (whether in the lead or the body) has been added.
TemplateData
An inline message intended to challenge a fact in the lead section of an already well-sourced article, where that lead is clearly intended to function as a summary of the content, but the fact tagged does not appear in the body.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | date | Month and year when the template was added to the article
| String | required |
Redirects
- {{Citation needed lead}}
- {{Citation needed (lead)}}
- {{Cnl}}
- {{Fact lead}} (this redirect could easily have been pointed to {{Lead extra info}} as well, but it points here)
See also
- {{Lead extra info}}
- {{Not in body}}
- This template contains a self-reference (it refers to Wikipedia in its contents).
- This template should not be substituted. Bots rely on the transcluded form for dating and categorisation.
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