Template:Cite web/doc

This template is used to cite sources in Wikipedia. It is specifically for web sites which are not news sources. This template replaces deprecated template:web reference. It provides lower case parameters only.

A general discussion of the use of templates for adding citation of open-source web content to Wikipedia articles is available at citation templates.

This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wookieepedia

Usage

Common form for cases where little is known about authorship of the page (with current date)

{{Cite web |url= |title= |access-date=2025-08-21 |format= |work= }}

Using last, first (with current date)

{{Cite web |url= |title= |access-date=2025-08-21 |last= |first= |author-link= |co-authors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote= }}

Using author (with current date)

{{Cite web |url= |title= |access-date=2025-08-21 |author= |author-link= |co-authors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote= }}

Using non-linked retrieved date, last, first

{{Cite web |url= |title= |access-monthday= |access-year= |last= |first= |author-link= |co-authors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote= }}

Using non-linked retrieved date, author

{{Cite web |url= |title= |access-monthday= |access-year= |author= |author-link= |co-authors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote= }}

All parameters, horizontal format (delete the ones you don't need)

{{Cite web |url= |title= |access-date= |access-monthday= |access-daymonth = |access-year= |author= |last= |first= |author-link= |co-authors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |archive-url= |archive-date= |quote= }}

All parameters, vertical format

{{Cite web
| url = 
| title = 
| access-date = 
| access-daymonth = 
| access-monthday = 
| access-year = 
| author = 
| last = 
| first = 
| author-link = 
| co-authors = 
| date = 
| year = 
| month = 
| format = 
| work = 
| publisher = 
| pages = 
| language = 
| archive-url = 
| archive-date = 
| quote = 
}}

Required parameters

• url: URL of online item.
• title: Title of online item.

For producing a wikilinked date of retrieval:

• access-date: Full date when item was accessed, in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, for example "access-date = 2025-08-21". Must not be wikilinked

For producing a non-wikilinked date of retrieval:

• access-monthday and access-year: Month and day when item was accessed, for example "access-monthday = May 10", and year when item was accessed, for example "access-year = 2005". Produces: Retrieved on May 10, 2006.
• access-daymonth and access-year: Month and day when item was accessed, for example "access-monthday = 10 May", and year when item was accessed, for example "access-year = 2005". Produces: Retrieved on 10 May 2006.

Optional parameters

• author: Author
  • last works with first to produce last, first
  • author-link works either with author or with last & first to link to the appropriate wikipedia article. Does not work with URLs.
  • co-authors: allows additional authors
• date: Full date of publication, preferably in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, e.g. 2006-02-17. May be wikilinked.
  • OR: year: Year of publication, and month: Name of the month of publication. If you also have the day, use date instead. Must not be wikilinked.
• format: Format, e.g. PDF. HTML implied if not specified.
• work: If this item is part of a larger work, name of that work.
• publisher: Publisher, if any.
• pages: pp. 5–7: first page and optional last page. This is for listing the pages relevant to the citation, not the total number of pages in the book. This is especially useful for PDF format, where the page can be linked to with the #page=number anchor tagged on the end of the URL:

  pages = [http://www.example.org/file.pdf#page=123 p. 123]

• language: language of publication (don't specify "English" as this is the default).
• archive-url: URL of the archive location of the item (requires archive-date)
• archive-date: Date when the item was archived (requires archive-url), in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, e.g. 2006-02-17. Must not be wikilinked; it will be linked automatically.
• quote: Relevant quote from online item.

Examples

Some standard use cases

• {{Cite web | author = Doe, John | title = My Favorite Things Part II | publisher = Open Publishing | date = 2005-04-30 | work = Encyclopedia of Things | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → Doe, John (2005-04-30). My Favorite Things Part II. Encyclopedia of Things. Open Publishing. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | author = Doe, John | title = My Favorite Things Part II | date = 2005-04-30 | work = Encyclopedia of Things | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → Doe, John (2005-04-30). My Favorite Things Part II. Encyclopedia of Things. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | author = Doe, John | title = My Favorite Things Part II | date = 2005-04-30 | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → Doe, John (2005-04-30). My Favorite Things Part II. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | author = Doe, John | title = My Favorite Things Part II | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → Doe, John. My Favorite Things Part II. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | title = My Favorite Things Part II | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → My Favorite Things Part II. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | url = http://www.nfl.com/fans/ | title = Digest of Rules | publisher = National Football League | accessdate = 2005-07-06 }}
  → Digest of Rules. National Football League. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

Non-linking date of retrieval (using access-monthday and access-year)

• {{Cite web | title = My Favorite Things Part II | work = Encyclopedia of Things | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-monthday = July 6 | access-year = 2005 }}
  → My Favorite Things Part II. Encyclopedia of Things. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

Using format

• {{Cite web | title = List of psychotropic substances under international control | publisher = International Narcotics Control Board | url = http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/green.pdf | format = PDF | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → List of psychotropic substances under international control (PDF). International Narcotics Control Board. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

language

• {{Cite web | author = Joliet, François | title = Honnit soit qui mal y pense | date = 2005-04-30 | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 | language = French }}
  → Joliet, François (2005-04-30). Honnit soit qui mal y pense (French). Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

co-authors

• {{Cite web | first = John | last = Doe | co-authors = Peter Smith, Jim Smythe | title = My Favorite Things Part II | publisher = Open Publishing | date = 2005-04-30 | work = Encyclopedia of Things | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2006-05-16 }}
  → Doe, John (2005-04-30). My Favorite Things Part II. Encyclopedia of Things. Open Publishing. Retrieved on May 16, 2006.

No author

• {{Cite web | title = My Favorite Things Part II | publisher = Open Publishing | date = 2005-04-30 | work = Encyclopedia of Things | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2006-05-16 }}
  → My Favorite Things Part II. Encyclopedia of Things. Open Publishing (2005-04-30). Retrieved on May 16, 2006.

No author, no publisher

• {{Cite web | title = My Favorite Things Part II | date = 2005-04-30 | work = Encyclopedia of Things | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → My Favorite Things Part II. Encyclopedia of Things (2005-04-30). Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | title = My Favorite Things Part II | date = 2005-04-30 | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 }}
  → My Favorite Things Part II (2005-04-30). Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | title = List of psychotropic substances under international control | date = 2005-04-30 | url = http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/green.pdf | format = PDF | access-date = 2005-07-06 | language = Greek }}
  → List of psychotropic substances under international control (Greek) (PDF) (2005-04-30). Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

Using archive-url and archive-date to refer to items that went away but are available from an archive site

• {{Cite web | title = List of psychotropic substances under international control | date = 2005-04-30 | url = http://www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/green.pdf | format = PDF | access-date = 2005-07-06 | archive-url = http://www.archive.org/2005-09-11/www.incb.org/pdf/e/list/green.pdf | archive-date = 2005-09-11 }}
  → List of psychotropic substances under international control (PDF) (2005-04-30). Archived from the original on September 11, 2005. Retrieved on July 6, 2005.

• {{Cite web | url = http://joanjettbadrep.com/cgi-bin/fullStory.cgi?archive=currnews&story=20060405-01shore.htm | title = Interview with Maggie Downs | date = 2006-03-31 | publisher = The Desert Sun | archive-url = http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:JAxf4v-pQmgJ:joanjettbadrep.com/cgi-bin/fullStory.cgi%3Farchive%3Dcurrnews%26story%3D20060405-01shore.htm | archive-date = 2006-04-26 }}
  → Interview with Maggie Downs. The Desert Sun (2006-03-31). Archived from the original on April 26, 2006.

Using quote

• {{Cite web | title = My Favorite Things Part II | work = Encyclopedia of Things | url = http://www.example.org/ | access-date = 2005-07-06 | quote = Lorem ipsum dolor. }}
  → My Favorite Things Part II. Encyclopedia of Things. Retrieved on July 6, 2005. “Lorem ipsum dolor.”

No parameters (error)

• {{Cite web}}
  → Error on call to Template:Cite web: Parameters url and title must be specified.