Template:Citation needed span/doc

"Template:cspan" redirects here. For creating a link to the C-SPAN website, see Template:C-SPAN.

The {{citation needed span}} template may be used when there is unsourced text that should be attributed to a reference citation. Unlike the template {{citation needed}}, this template attaches explicitly to a portion of text, for example one or more specific sentences, by surrounding the text with the template. This is especially useful for flagging a block of multiple facts or multiple sentences as needing citation, and for singling out a specific fact that is unsourced among many sourced ones.

Usage

Avoid use for multiple paragraphs or around a list; this causes linting errors and may disrupt the page display. Instead, consider tagging each paragraph or list item. If a whole section is affected, use {{unreferenced|section}} or {{more citations needed|section}}.

Once a citation is added, please remove this template from the surrounded text.

{{citation needed span|date=June 2026|Passage(s) to be sourced}}, or:

{{citation needed span|date=June 2026|text=Passage(s) to be sourced}}

The date is optional, so the minimal syntax is:

{{citation needed span|Passage(s) to be sourced}}

Example of usage:

Sourced material. {{citation needed span|date=June 2026|Passage to be sourced. Another passage to be sourced.}} More sourced material.

Sourced material. Passage to be sourced. Another passage to be sourced. More sourced material.

Compare usage of {{citation needed}}:

Sourced material. Passage to be sourced.{{Citation needed}} Another passage to be sourced.{{Citation needed}} More sourced material.

Sourced material. Passage to be sourced. Another passage to be sourced. More sourced material.

Parameters

There are three parameters to the template:

|text= (or no parameter)

The unreferenced content that needs a citation.

|date=

The date in the form June 2026. If omitted, AnomieBOT will add it if there are no new edits for a few minutes.

|reason=

The reason for the citation request. If omitted, "This claim needs references to reliable sources." will be used. This text is shown as a tooltip.

TemplateData

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:Citation needed span in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for Citation needed span

Marks a specific piece of text as needing a citation.

Template parameters

This template prefers inline formatting of parameters.

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Text	text 1	The text needing a citation Auto value	Content	required
Date	date	Month and year the tag was added Example June 2015 Auto value {{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}	Date	suggested
Reason?	reason	Reason the text needs a citation; shown in a tooltip Default This claim needs references to reliable sources	String	suggested

Categorization of articles

Adding this template to an article places the article into Category:All articles with unsourced statements, Category:Articles with unsourced statements, and/or dated subcategories thereof.

Redirects to this template

• {{cns}}
• {{cspan}}
• {{cnspan}}
• {{fact span}}
• {{citation span}}
• {{citations needed span}}
• {{Reference necessary}}

See also

• {{Citation needed}} – equivalent which does not precisely identify the problematic text
• {{Unreferenced section}} – for entire sections requiring verifiable references / citations