Template:Clarify
 | Avoid using wikilinks. These can (and, with |reason=, will) corrupt the template's output. |
Use this template in the body of an article as a request for other editors to clarify text that is difficult to understand. When the problem is not with the wording, but the sourcing, one may use {{specify}} instead. For dealing with dubious information, please use one of the following: {{citation needed}}, {{verify source}}, {{dubious}} or {{disputed inline}}. This template is a self-reference and so is part of the Wikipedia project rather than the encyclopedic content.
Usage
This is an inline template which should be placed immediately after the material in question, as with a footnote. For example:
This sentence needs clarification.{{clarify|date=January 2025}}→ This sentence needs clarification.[clarification needed]- The wikilink on "clarification needed" is set to Wikipedia:Please clarify.
Parameters
- Abbreviated parameter sets
- Full parameter set
{{clarify|date=January 2025 |reason= |text= |pre-text= |post-text= }}
- Parameter descriptions
|date=- This template allows an optional date parameter that records when the tag was added. If this template is added without the date parameter, the date parameter will be added soon after by a bot. Alternatively, you may add the date automatically (without requiring bot intervention) by substituting the template. That is:
{{subst:clarify}}is equivalent to{{clarify|date=January 2025}}. This technique also works if other parameters –|reason=|pre-text=|post-text=– are given.
|reason=- Because it may not be immediately apparent to other editors what about the tagged passage is in need of clarification, it is generally helpful to add a brief reason for the tag:
{{Clarify|reason=What the problem is}}(this is preferable to using an HTML<!-- comment -->after the tag, as it is tidier to keep all of the{{Clarify}}-related code inside the template). If the explanation would be lengthy, use the article's talk page. - As well as being visible in the source code for editors' benefit, the
reasonparameter is, if provided, displayed when the mouse is hovered over the "clarification needed" link in the article.
|text=- The particular text needing clarification may be highlighted by wrapping this template around it:
- As an example:
- Text preceding the template,
{{clarify|text=unclear text,|date=January 2025}}text following the template.
- Text preceding the template,
- produces:
- Text preceding the template, unclear text,[clarification needed] text following the template.
- As an example:
|pre-text=|post-text=- One can specify additional text to appear before and/or after the "clarify" tag using the two parameters listed above.
- Examples follow:
{{clarify|pre-text=remove or}}- will cause the text "remove or" to appear before "clarify" like this:[remove or clarification needed]
{{clarify|post-text=(complicated jargon)}}- will cause "(complicated jargon)" to appear after "clarify" like this:[clarification needed (complicated jargon)]
{{clarify|post-text=(see [[Talk:Example#Clarification needed|talk]])}}- can be used to link to a discussion on the article's talk page; this example produces:[clarification needed (see talk)]
TemplateData
TemplateData for Clarify
Use this inline template as a request for other editors to clarify text that is difficult to understand. Place immediately after the material in question.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reason | reason | A brief reason for the tag. Avoid using wikilinks; these will corrupt the template's output. | String | suggested |
| Text | text | Text fragment containing concerns the tag is supposed to address. | String | optional |
| Date | date | The date the tag was added (this will be added automatically soon by a bot if not added manually).
| String | suggested |
| Pre-text | pre-text | Any string to be added before the "Clarify" tag, such as "?"
| String | optional |
| Post-text | post-text | Any string to be added after the "Clarify" tag, such as "complicated jargon". | String | optional |
Categorization
Adding this template to an article will automatically place the article into Category:Wikipedia articles needing clarification, or a dated subcategory thereof.
Redirects
- {{Clarification needed}}
- {{Clarify me}}
- {{Confusing-inline}}
- {{Confusing-short}}
- {{Define?}}
- {{How?}}
- {{Huh}}
- {{What?}}
- {{What}}
See also
Related inline templates
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Message-box templates
|
| Related pages |
