User:Blutkatze/sandbox

References and Citation link certain information to a source, backing up the claims written in the segment, sentence or even word. They are also used to underline facts, or to link to prolonged explanations that would not fit within the article itself.

The notes to the reference or citation usually appear at the end of a page, unless triggered otherwise.

About

The source of a reference or a citation can be either within the Wiki - like within a Quest or an Item Description - or from outside the Wiki in Books, official news and statements on the Lodestone or the patch notes.

For proper references and citation these should always trace back to official ressources:

1 Encyclopædia Eorzea, The Lodestone, in-game text
0 Fan Theories from Social Media, reddit threads, AI generated text

A statement is only as strong as the foundation and source it is built upon. To create a solid wiki, the statements, claims and texts need to trace back to solid, official and proven sources.

Basic References

The basic reference format on this wiki is:

This is a statement<ref>reference details</ref>

Which will be shown on the page like this:

This is a statement.

With the usual template of this Wiki, any references will appear at the end of the page. It is possible though to show references in any part of the page up to the point of inserting with the following format:

<references />

This will generate:

The reference details will always show with the corresponding reference at the end of the page and won't appear in the text.

Multiple References

Each reference must be fully enclosed in tags to be displayed correctly. After every </ref>, a new reference can be put down. Each reference will automatically numbered in the order they are set and appear in the text.

This is useful if within a text multiple statements and claims are made from different ressources. For example:

This is a text with a statement, and here comes another statement from a different source. And this statement even has two ressources.

If needed, several reference lists can be created within one page by adding

<references />

where it's needed.

For example:

This is a text with a statement<ref>reference 1</ref>, and here comes another statement from a different source<ref>reference 2</ref>. 

<references />

And this statement even has two ressources.<ref>reference 3</ref><ref>reference 4</ref><br>

<references />

turns into

This is a text with a statement, and here comes another statement from a different source. And this statement even has two ressources.

This use case is highly specific though and should not be commonly used. It is best practice to show all references at the end of a page.

Formatting

References support any text formatting as any other page, as long as it happens within the tags. Here it is possible to link to wiki pages, external pages or use bold or italic text formatting.

Text formatting

Description	Text	Display
Bold and Italic	statement<ref>'''bold''' and ''italic''</ref>	statement
Internal Wiki link	statement<ref>[[It's Probably Pirates]]</ref>	statement
External link	statement<ref>https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/</ref>	statement
External link with anchor text	statement<ref>[https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/ The Lodestone]</ref>	statement

Repeating a Reference

In case a reference is used multiple times in an article and should only appear once in a reference list, a reference must be named. A single use does not require a name.

statement<ref name=reference name>reference details</ref>

The "reference name" won't appear in the reference list, so it can be something highly specific like "LodestoneNewsJanuary22nd2026".

If using reference names, the reference details will be used for the same reference and does not need to be repeated.

statement<ref name=reference name></ref>

It will be displayed like this:

This is a text with a statement, and here comes another statement from the same source. And here is a statement again from a different source.

Examples

To maintain a unified structure and give a good overview, here are examples on how to reference on this wiki. It is advised to use this structure of referencing and editors are encouraged to edit references that not match up with this structure.

Referencing an internal Wiki Link

For internal Wiki links it is best practice to give context on what part of the page the information is stored.

For referencing dialogue in quests:
1: It's Probably Pirates, when talking with V'mellpa at the Ferry Decks
1:It's Probably Pirates V'mellpa: "Once you arrive in western La Noscea, though, you'd best pay a visit to the Hall of the Novice before you blunder into Sastasha."
1:It's Probably Pirates V'mellpa suggests to pay a visit to the Hall of the Novice before you go into Sastasha
0: It's Probably Pirates
0: It's Probably Pirates
0: Level 16 MSQ

Extra: Indicating it's a Main scenario quest or not.

Referencing an external Link

External links can change, so it is recommended to add the date when the information was looked up. Furthermore, the link should go directly to the page where the source is, and not to an overall heading.

1: | The Lodestone, "Ceremony of Eternal Bonding Reservation Restrictions", 23.02.2026
0: | The Lodestone

Referencing a Book

This wiki has a template to make book references easier.

{{Cite book|title=|volume=|page=|passage-text=|name=}}

• title will link to the book. A list of referable books can be found below. If left empty, it will automatically link to Encyclopædia Eorzea.
• volume only needs the addition of I, II or III.
• page will be displayed as entered, e.g. 017 or 17.
• passage-text is the text the reference is referring to. It will put the text in quotation marks ("...") automatically.
• name will work like "ref name=" and can be used if multiple statements refer to the same passage in a book

An example for a passage that only refers to Encyclopædia Eorzea:

This is a text with a statement from Encyclopædia Eorzea Volume I{{Cite book|volume=I|page=17|passage-text=Text that is in the book}}. This is a text with a statement from Encyclopædia Eorzea Volume II{{Cite book|volume=II|page=38|passage-text=Text that is in the book}}. This is a text with a statement from Encyclopædia Eorzea Volume III{{Cite book|volume=III|page=106|passage-text=Text that is in the book}}.

This will render as:

This is a text with a statement from Encyclopædia Eorzea Volume I. This is a text with a statement from Encyclopædia Eorzea Volume II. This is a text with a statement from Encyclopædia Eorzea Volume III.

For other books:

This is a text with a statement from a book{{Cite book|title=Chronicles of Light|page=005|passage-text=Text that is in the book|name=Test}}. This is a statement that refers to the same passage in the same book{{Cite book|title=Chronicles of Light|page=005|passage-text=Text that is in the book|name=Test}}.

This is a passage that refers to the same book, but a different passage{{Cite book|title=Chronicles of Light|page=189|passage-text=Text that is in the book|name=}}. 
This is a statement that is from a different book{{Cite book|title=The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook|volume=II|page=45|passage-text=Text that is in the book|name=}}.

This will render as:

This is a text with a statement from a book. This is a statement that refers to the same passage in the same book. This is a passage that refers to the same book, but a different passage. This is a statement that is from a different book.

List of books

This list will be enhanced in case more books with further information will be published. Current list is:

• Chronicles of Light - for those, there is no distinction between Volume I or Volume II. Both are within this page. To reference, please only use Chronicles of Light or use <ref>.
• Side Stories - not directly a book, but more accessible, since they are published on the lodestone.
• The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Cookbook
• Final Fantasy XIV Artbook