Wikipedia:References dos and don'ts

|+ When working with references:

! style="background:#efefef;" | DO:

| File:Green_check.png‎ Use inline citations (footnotes or shortened footnotes).

| File:Green_check.png‎ Keep citations near the material they support, e.g. after the sentence.

| File:Green_check.png‎ Say where in the source the information came from.

| File:Green_check.png‎ Use a consistent reference style within each article.

| File:Green_check.png‎ Consider using citation templates to create a consistent style.

| File:Green_check.png‎ Tag under-sourced material with an appropriate inline tag.

| File:Green_check.png‎ Tag under-sourced articles with an appropriate header.

| 30px Don't rely on unreliable sources.

| 30px Don't cite a source you haven't seen for yourself.

| 30px Don't add material that's not supported by sources.

| 30px Don't place external links in the body of articles.

| 30px Don't add references for obvious information.

| 30px Don't use all-numeric date formats other than YYYY-MM-DD.

| 30px Don't change an established reference style without consensus.