Template documentation[view] [edit] [history] [purge]{{Image reference needed}} is a template used to identify user-made images such as graphs, charts, drawings, and maps in articles, particularly if questionable, that need a citation to a reliable source, either after the image’s caption or on the image description page. This template produces the superscripted message [image reference needed] and is installed with no spaces directly after the image’s caption.
Use
Enter this tag in the thumbnail caption of an image as a request for other editors to find citations for that image.
Input:
{{Image reference needed|date=June 2026}}
Result:
Hovering over the link reveals the date that the tag was added.
This template is a self-reference and so is part of the Wikipedia project rather than the encyclopedic content.
This template automatically adds articles to Category:Articles with unsourced statements.
{{Image reference needed|date=Month and year}}
When not to use
The {{Image reference needed}} template is intended for use when there is a general question of the verifiability of an image, or when an editor believes that a reference verifying the image should be provided. Other templates are available for other or more specific issues:
- For concerns about copyright status: see Wikipedia:Guide to image deletion instead.
- To challenge the contents of the caption: use {{Citation needed}} for captions, or fix it yourself.
- For issues of image placement, formatting, or size: see Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Images instead.
- Do not use this template because you disagree with the viewpoint or facts represented on an image. For example, images that you think are incorrect should be tagged with {{Dubious}}, and those which represent a non-neutral view should be tagged with {{POV statement}}. Being specific about the nature of the problem will help other editors correct it.
An image representing data or information (e.g., a graph) is usually considered verifiable if:
- the image repeats information cited elsewhere in the article (e.g., the article says that 30% of cancer deaths could be prevented by banning all tobacco and alcoholic beverages, and the image shows a graph of 30%),
- the image is similar to one published by any reliable source,
- the file page contains references to the data represented in the image.
Parameters
{{{date}}}: The date the tag was added.
TemplateData
TemplateData for Image reference needed
Use this inline template in an image’s caption to identify the image as needing citations. Do not use it for disputing the image’s copyright status.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month and year | date | Month and year of tagging; e.g., ‘January 2013’, but not ‘jan13’
| String | suggested |
See also
- {{Citation needed}}, for facts in articles
- {{Clarify}}, requesting clarification of a hard-to-understand phrase.
- {{Cite quote}}, tagging a request for citation, used for quotations that needs citations to make it complete, but not for seemingly doubtful or false texts.
- {{Request quotation}}, tagging a request for quoting inaccessible source, used for requesting a direct quote from the cited source for verification.
- {{Verify source}}, tagging a request for source verification, used for information that is doubtful or appears false.
- {{Unreliable source?}}, tagging a request for source verification, used for information that is doubtful or appears false.
- {{Cite check}}, popping up a box saying an article or section may have inappropriate or misinterpreted citations.
- {{Unreferenced}} and {{Unreferenced section}}, popping up a box saying an article or section has no citation or reference for its information.
- {{Original research inline}}, to label a passage of text that may be based upon original research.
- {{POV statement}}, to label a passage of text whose neutrality is disputed.
- {{Page needed}}, to request a missing page number to an existing reference.
- {{Dubious}}
