Template:One source
 | This article relies largely or entirely upon a single source. (January 2025) |
Purpose
This template alerts people to encyclopedic content which appears to rely on a single source. A single source is considered less than ideal because a single source may be inaccurate or biased. Without other sources for corroboration, accuracy or neutrality may be suspect. By finding multiple independent sources, the reliability of the encyclopedia is improved.
Parameters
Usage
{{One source|date=January 2025}}
{{One source|section|date=January 2025}}
{{One source|text=Alternate first sentence|date=January 2025}}
Subject
The first unnamed parameter replaces "This article relies" with "This PARAMETER relies".
For example, "{{One source|section}}" would display:
| This section relies largely or entirely upon a single source. (January 2025) |
First sentence
You can replace the entire first sentence by specifying the text= parameter. This can be used when the standard wording is not applicable, but the general intent of the template is.
Date
As with most cleanup templates, the date= parameter sorts the article into subcategories of Category:Articles lacking sources, allowing the oldest problems to be identified and dealt with first. You do not need to specify the date manually; a bot will add it later automatically.
Editorial usage
This template should only be used for encyclopedic content which has a verified, cited source, but only the one source.
A single source is not automatically a problem. Good judgment and common sense should be used.
Please consider improving the article or making a good faith attempt to find additional citations before adding this template.
It is considered good form to provide a rationale in your edit summary or on the talk page of the article. The more specifically you describe your concerns, the less likely other editors are to misunderstand.
If you believe problems exist beyond the sources themselves, address that issue with an appropriate template (see below), rather than simply questioning the sources.
Alternatives
- Sources and citations
- {{Unreferenced}} — No sources at all
- {{NRIS-only}} — If the only sourced used is {{NRISref}}
- {{Primary sources}} — Dependence on primary sources
- {{Unreliable sources}} — Dependence on unreliable sources
- {{Refimprove}} — Multiple cited sources but still need additional sources
- {{Failed verification}} — Citation does not support the article's claim(s)
- {{Partisan sources}} — Sources only or mainly represent one view.
- Article content
Administrivia
This template will categorise tagged articles into Category:Articles needing additional references. If a date is supplied, a monthly category like Category:Articles needing additional references from January 2025 will be used instead.
Do not subst: this template.