Template:Refbegin/doc
 | This is a documentation subpage for Template:Refbegin. It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page. |
 | If hanging indentations (|indent=) is used, you may see malformed lists where list items are preceded by an asterisk (*). To fix this, replace all instances of the asterisk in your reference list with the indent (:) character. |
{{refbegin}} and its complementary closing template {{refend}} are used to apply any of several optional styles or presentational choices for bibliographies or reference lists—that is, lists of fully-specified references / sources / works cited, alpha-sorted by author/contributor) that appear in wikipedia articles.
These bibliographies or reference lists frequently appear in dedicated sections within an article, variously titled == References ==, == Works cited ==, == Bibliography ==, == Further reading ==, == Published works ==, and so on.
Wikipedia referencing or citation systems that use bibliography-style reference lists include: 'shortened' footnotes, parenthetical referencing, and 'general' referencing. The 'full' footnote and embedded citations referencing systems do not use those lists, although articles using these latter two systems may also contain "Further reading" or other sections containing bibliography-style listings, that {{refbegin}} formatting could be applied to.
The formatting options provided by this template are:
| Option | How to get it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| font size reduction | {{refbegin}} | no parameters needed, default will reduce to 90% of standard browser text size |
| display list in multiple columns | {{refbegin|n}} | where n determines the number of columns, or width of columns based on the browser's screen width |
| apply hanging indent | {{refbegin|indent=yes}} | will apply hanging indent if an individual reference wraps over more than one line in the browser's display window |
Each use of {{refbegin}} whether with or without parameters, needs an accompanying {{refend}} closing template to 'turn off' the formatting; refend does not need any parameters.
Font size reduction is always applied. Either one, the other, or both of multi-columns and hanging indent may be applied as well (though see specifics and caveats on browser differences in relevant sections, below).
Usage
With all (optional) parameters shown:
==References==
{{ refbegin |n |indent= |indentsize= }}
* list of bibliography/references entries..
...
{{refend}}
Placement
The {{refbegin}} is placed immediately below the header of the bibliography/references section its formatting will be applied to. The closing {{refend}} template is placed within the same section, at the end of the bibliography/references list content.
When used, each occurrence of {{refbegin}} should always be paired with a corresponding closing {{refend}} template:
==References==
{{refbegin}}
*1st entry in the bibliography/references list..
*2nd entry in the bibliography/references list..
...
*last entry in the bibliography/references list..
{{refend}}
The formatting provided by {{refbegin}} is "turned on" at the location where the template is placed, and is applied to all text after and below it, until it is "turned off" by a closing {{refend}} template (or </div> tag). Failing to provide a closing {{refend}} may produce unwanted effects in other sections that may appear below the 'References', 'Bibliography' etc section, such as 'External links' sections that are usually placed at or near the article's end.
Option 1: Text size (default behaviour)
The default usage (without parameters) applies a style that reduces the text size of the bibliographies/reference list entries. This can be useful to make a long bibliography/list of references display more compactly, and it also mimics the formatting style applied to footnotes by the {{reflist}} template.
The {{reflist}} formats footnotes—any text in the article body that is placed between <ref>...</ref> tags—that are auto-generated by the cite.php extension, called by {{reflist}}. In the case of articles using the 'shortened' footnotes referencing system, these footnotes will typically contain an abbreviated citation such as <ref>Smith 2002, p.123</ref> that corresponds with an entry in the bibliography/references list section (other text such as discursive notes may appear as well).
The font size should reduce to 90% for most browsers, but may appear to show at 100% for Internet Explorer and possibly other browsers. Reflist and Refbegin use each one CSS entry in MediaWiki:Common.css to set the font size:
div.reflist,
div.refbegin {
font-size: 90%;
}
Editors may over-ride this setting by placing entries in their personal CSS.
If the 'full' footnotes referencing system is used (ie there is no separate bibliography/references list, all cites/references are defined in <ref>...</ref> tags), then use {{reflist}} alone:
== References ==
{{reflist}}
If there is a bibliography/references list but no footnoted citations (eg in general references or parenthetical referencing systems) then use {{refbegin}} and {{refend}} like so:
== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* general reference 1
* general reference 2
{{refend}}
If there are footnoted citations and a separate bibliography/references list (ie, the WP:CITESHORT system), then place {{reflist}} to generate the footnotes in one section (immediately above the bibliography/references list), and use {{refbegin}} in the latter section:
== Notes ==
{{reflist}} <!--this will auto-generate the numbered list of footnotes/cites -->
== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* bibliography entry / reference 1
* bibliography entry / reference 2
* etc
{{refend}}
Option 2: Multiple columns
If an integer n is supplied as the first parameter, the template will display the bibliography/references list in n columns. This may be useful for compact display for a lengthy list, and matches also the optional capability of {{reflist}} to display output in multiple columns. Thus, {{refbegin|2}} will display the list in two columns. If no integer parameter is specified, the default is a single column. Note, it will rarely be useful or practical to display bibliography/references list entries in more than two columns.
If a value with a unit is supplied as the first parameter, ie. 30em, the template will display the bibliography/references list in columns with a minimum width of that value, allowing the browser to determin the optimal number of columns. Using {{refbegin|20em}} for instance is usefull for short citations.
== References ==
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{cite journal |author=Southworth, Jane |coauthors=and Catherine Tucker |year=2001 |month=August |title=The Influence of Accessibility, Local Institutions, and Socioeconomic Factors on Forest Cover Change in the Mountains of Western Honduras |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1659/0276-4741(2001)021%5B0276:TIOALI%5D2.0.CO%3B2 |format=PDF reproduction, BioOne online |journal=Mountain Research and Development |location=Boulder, CO |publisher=International Mountain Society and United Nations University |volume=21 |issue=3 |ppages=276–283 |doi=10.1659/0276-4741(2001)021[0276:TIOALI]2.0.CO;2
|issn=0276-4741 |oclc=107067006}}
* {{cite journal |author=Tucker, Catherine M. |coauthors=Darla K. Munroe, Harini Nagendra, and Jane Southworth |year=2005 |month=June|title=Comparative Spatial Analyses of Forest Conservation and Change in Honduras and Guatemala |url=http://www.clas.ufl.edu/lueci/southworth/pubs-as-pdf/cs-3-1_10_jtuckeretal.pdf |format=PDF online open access article distributed under Creative Commons |journal=Conservation and Society |location=New Delhi and London |publisher=SAGE Publications |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=174–200 |issn=0972-4923|oclc=210806013}}
{{refend}}
- References
- Southworth, Jane (2001). "The Influence of Accessibility, Local Institutions, and Socioeconomic Factors on Forest Cover Change in the Mountains of Western Honduras" (PDF reproduction, BioOne online). Mountain Research and Development. Boulder, CO: International Mountain Society and United Nations University. 21 (3): 276–283. doi:10.1659/0276-4741(2001)021[0276:TIOALI]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0276-4741. OCLC 107067006.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Tucker, Catherine M. (2005). "Comparative Spatial Analyses of Forest Conservation and Change in Honduras and Guatemala" (PDF online open access article distributed under Creative Commons). Conservation and Society. New Delhi and London: SAGE Publications. 3 (1): 174–200. ISSN 0972-4923. OCLC 210806013.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)
References
* {{cite journal |author=Southworth, Jane |coauthors=and Catherine Tucker |year=2001 |month=August |title=The Influence of Accessibility, Local Institutions, and Socioeconomic Factors on Forest Cover Change in the Mountains of Western Honduras |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1659/0
