Dune Wiki:Referencing

Policy Pages

This page explains how to create references to source content on an article page.

References and sources are important for wikis to ensure high quality. They allow fellow editors and readers to quickly verify the content on the page, and to find more context if they desire.

As of 2025, Dune Wiki requires all new content to be sourced. This is especially important in longer articles that pulls information from multiple sources, such as multiple books or multiple episodes.

How to insert a reference

In source editor

In the source editor (code view), references need to be inserted using the Wikitext <ref>(source)</ref>.

Example syntax	Output	Notes
This is a claim.<ref>This is a source in a reference.</ref>	This is a claim.
This is another claim.<ref name="multi">This reference is named "multi". It can be reused.</ref>	This is another claim.	Reference names are case sensitive and may not be just a number. Names should be kept simple and only use the standard English alphabet and numerals.
This is a claim that reuses a reference.<ref name="multi" />	This is a claim that reuses a reference.
{{Reflist}}		Reference will appear where {{Reflist}} is placed on the page. If {{Reflist}} isn't on the page, then the reference list will default to appearing at the very bottom.

In visual editor

1. Select "Cite" from the edit menu at the top of the editor.
2. Select to either create a new reference, or to reuse an existing reference.
3. If creating a new reference, enter your reference information into the text area. When done, select "Insert" in the stop right.
4. If reusing an existing reference, select the existing reference from the options.

How to insert a footnote

In source editor

In the source editor (code view), references need to be inserted using {{Efn|Explanatory footnote}}.

Example syntax	Output	Notes
This is a claim.{{Efn|Explanatory footnote}}	This is a claim.
{{Reflist}}		Note will appear where {{Notelist}} is placed on the page. If {{Notelist}} isn't on the page, then the reference list will default to appearing at the very bottom.

In visual editor

1. Select "Insert" from the edit menu at the top of the editor.
2. Select "Template"
3. Type "Efn" and select it
4. Select "Text" from the sidebar menu
5. Enter your text
6. Click "Insert"

How to add reference and note list

In source editor

1. Scroll to the bottom of the page and begin typing above the categories, language interlinking and and navigation templates (if present)
2. For a page with only references, type

   ==References==
   {{Reflist}}

3. For a page with Explanatory footnotes, type the following below your Reflist

   ==Notes==
   {{Notelist}}

In visual editor

1. Scroll to the bottom of the page and begin typing above the navigation templates (if present)
2. Switch from "Normal text" to "Heading" and type "References", then Click return
3. Select "Insert", "Template" and "Reflist", then select "Insert".
4. For a Notelist, navigate below your Reflist, change your text from "Heading" to "Sub-heading 1" and type "Notes", then click return
5. Select "Insert", "Template" and "Notelist", then select "Insert".

Other things to know

Citation styles

Dune Wiki does not require any particular citation style of a source. APA, Chicago, MLA, and other styles are all just fine.

The purpose of a source is to offer enough information so that other readers can find the source themselves. As long as the source provides that information, then the citation style doesn't matter.

Feel free to get detailed! Include a quote, or a description, or a timestamp -- whatever will help someone quickly verify the source.

Formatting inside a reference

References can be formatted the same way as the rest of the page. For instance, links and italics will work the same way.

Errors

Sometimes reference errors will appear as large red text. They can usually be traced to a mistyped tag.

Handling unsourced content

If something doesn't have a source and you know where it's from, please add the source with a reference.

If you don't know where it's from, you can add the template {{Citation Needed}} for individual outsourced claims or the notice {{Source unknown}} for a page which is full of them to encourage other editors to add a source. You can also check the page history and see who added the content, and reach out to them to ask if they remember a source.

If you're pretty sure the content is wrong, and no one has provided a source, you can replace it with a correction or remove the content entirely. Please give fellow editors the opportunity to source their content before removal.