Template:Cite book

Template:Cite book

The Template:Cite book is a citation template used to format bibliographic references to books in a consistent and standardized manner. It is used within tags to create footnotes and is an essential tool for maintaining the verifiability and credibility of articles. This template is designed to handle a wide range of book-related information and is widely used across various MediaWiki wikis.

Purpose

This template is designed to provide a consistent and accurate way to cite books in articles, ensuring that all necessary bibliographic information is included. It helps maintain a professional and scholarly approach to referencing sources.

Usage

The basic syntax of the template is as follows:

{{cite book
|last=
|first=
|author=
|authorlink=
|coauthors=
|editor=
|editors=
|others=
|title=
|url=
|format=
|accessdate=
|edition=
|series=
|volume=
|date=
|year=
|publisher=
|location=
|isbn=
|oclc=
|doi=
|id=
|pages=
|at=
|language=
|quote=
|chapter=
|chapter-url=
}}

Each parameter is optional, but using as many relevant parameters as possible helps to create a complete and accurate citation. It is important to avoid using both "author" and "last/first" parameters in the same citation; choose one method and stick with it.

Required Parameters

While most parameters are optional, one is strongly recommended for a proper citation:

• title: The title of the book. This is the most important parameter and should always be included. Without a title, a citation is incomplete.

Common Parameters

These parameters are frequently used and help provide essential information:

• last: The last name of the author.
• first: The first name of the author.
• author: The full name of the author (can be used instead of last/first).
• authorlink: The name of an existing wiki page about the author, which will link the author's name to that page.
• coauthors: Additional authors of the book, separated by commas.
• editor: The name of the editor if the book is an edited work.
• editors: The name(s) of the editor(s) if the book is an edited work. Use this when there are multiple editors.
• date: The full date of publication (e.g., 2023-10-27).
• year: The year of publication (if the exact date is unknown).
• publisher: The name of the book's publisher.
• isbn: The International Standard Book Number.
• pages: The specific page or range of pages cited (e.g., 45, 45-50).
• at: A specific location in the book, such as a chapter or section (e.g., "Chapter 2", "Introduction").
• url: A URL to an online version of the book or a relevant page.
• accessdate: The date when the URL was accessed (e.g., 2023-10-27).

Less Common Parameters

These parameters are used less often, but can be useful in specific cases:

• others: Other contributors to the book, such as illustrators or translators.
• format: The format of the book (e.g., PDF, ebook, hardcover).
• edition: The edition number of the book (e.g., 2nd ed.).
• series: The name of the series if the book is part of a series (e.g., "The Science Series").
• volume: The volume number if the book is part of a multi-volume work (e.g., "Vol. 1").
• location: The location of the publisher (e.g., "New York").
• oclc: The OCLC number.
• doi: The Digital Object Identifier.
• id: Any other identifier number.
• language: The language the book is written in (e.g., "French").
• quote: A relevant quote from the book.
• chapter: The specific chapter being cited within the book.
• chapter-url: A URL to the specific chapter if available online.

Examples

Here are some examples of how to use the template:

Basic Example

<ref>{{cite book
|last=Smith
|first=John
|title=The History of Everything
|publisher=Example Press
|year=2023
}}</ref>

This will produce a citation like this:

Example with URL and Access Date

<ref>{{cite book
|last=Doe
|first=Jane
|title=The Art of Coding
|url=https://example.com/codingbook
|accessdate=2023-10-27
|publisher=Tech Publishing
|year=2022
}}</ref>

This will produce a citation like this:

Example with ISBN and Pages

<ref>{{cite book
|last=Brown
|first=Alice
|title=The Science of Nature
|publisher=Nature Books
|year=2021
|isbn=978-1234567890
|pages=45-50
}}</ref>

This will produce a citation like this:

Example with Multiple Editors

<ref>{{cite book
|title=Edited Collection
|editors=John Smith and Jane Doe
|publisher=Example Press
|year=2023
}}</ref>

This will produce a citation like this:

Example with Chapter and Chapter URL

<ref>{{cite book
|last=White
|first=Bob
|title=The Book of Chapters
|publisher=Chapter Press
|year=2024
|chapter=The First Chapter
|chapter-url=https://example.com/chapter1
}}</ref>

This will produce a citation like this:

Benefits

Using the Template:Cite book offers numerous benefits:

• Consistency: It ensures that citations are formatted consistently throughout the wiki, creating a uniform appearance.
• Accuracy: It provides a structured way to record all relevant bibliographic information, reducing errors and ambiguity.
• Verifiability: It makes it easier for readers to verify the sources cited in the wiki, enhancing the credibility of the content.
• Maintainability: It simplifies the process of updating and maintaining citations, making it easier to manage changes.
• Machine Readability: Structured citations are easier for bots and automated tools to process, enabling efficient data management.
• Accessibility: By providing URLs, readers can access the cited sources online, improving access to information.

Template Implementation

The template can be implemented using MediaWiki's template syntax. A simplified version of the template code might look like this:

<span class="citation book"> <span class="author">{{#if:|{{#if:||[[{{{editorlink}}}|{{{editor}}}]|{{{editors}}} }}}}</span>

{{#if:|}

{{#if:|}

{{#if:|<span class="url">[<a href="{{{url}}}">Online</a>]</span>}

</span>

This is a simplified version for illustrative purposes. A real implementation would be more complex to handle various edge cases and formatting requirements.

See also

• Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite journal
• Help:Referencing
• Help:Footnotes

References

Written by Gemini