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 | The templates documented on this page were replaced and deleted on March 18, 2010; see the discussion. |
Please note: The style of footnotes described on this page no longer functions, and the auto-numbering method described on Wikipedia:Footnote is now recommended, with the manual numbering of Wikipedia:Footnote3 still available for specific purposes only.
- Note: Discussion continued from Wikipedia:Footnotes
Footnotes, endnotes and bibliographies are an essential and largely missing aspect of Wikipedia. They provide authority, and enhance the project's philosophy of Wikipedia as a secondary and tertiary source{{fn|1}}. In addition, they imbue the encyclopedia with a sense of professionalism and repute. Sources within the encyclopedia firmly suggest that contributors cite their sources{{fn|2}}, however it has not been made a status quo, and large amounts of leniency on this policy are provided. In fact, many featured articles have absolutely no citations. With none of their points immediately and easily verifiable, it is difficult for end users to determine the veracity of the text they are reading{{fn|3}}-{{fn|4}}.
Our goal is to encourage Wikipedians to use footnotes/endnotes in the same way they are used in some books and research papers; to make it possible for the reader to validate what the writer is saying at every turn, and to allow the writer to expand upon important points without interrupting the flow of the work. We hope to create articles that are so well backed up by footnotes and sources that Wikipedia articles might be afforded the same degree of trust that readers now give to Journal articles and books.