Template messages (maintenance tags, cleanup tags, cleanup messages) may be added to articles needing cleanup. Their purposes are to foster improvement of the encyclopedia by alerting editors to changes that need to be made. Cleanup tags are meant to be temporary notices that lead to an effort to fix the problem, not a permanent badge of shame to show that you disagree with an article, or a method of warning readers about an article.

Unless otherwise noted, cleanup messages should be placed at the top of the page, before other templates, images, or infoboxes, but after hatnotes (see Wikipedia:Hatnote § Placement). Cleanup messages should be placed directly on the article or file, not on its talk page. Certain tags can be placed at the beginning of an individual section, and others can be placed within the text itself (inline).

A date parameter is added by a bot, or you can add it yourself with |date=January 2026.

Before you tag an article, please remember the following:

Don't tag an article if you can easily and confidently fix the problem.

The goal is an improved article, not a tagged article.

Do some research to attempt to solve the problem before tagging.

Don't put the burden of doing so on another editor if you are capable of fixing the problem yourself with a simple search or consulting a reference work.

Don't perform "drive-by" tagging.

Tags must be accompanied by either a comment on the article's talk page explaining the problem and beginning a discussion on how to fix it or, for simpler and more obvious problems, a remark using the reason parameter (available in all templates, regardless of whether it appears in the documentation) as shown below. At the very least, tagging editors must be willing to follow through with substantive discussion.

Don't perform "drive-by" de-tagging.

Likewise, please provide a similar rationale for removing a template, unless your preceding edits have clearly fixed the announced problem. See also when not to remove a template.

Don't insert tags that are similar or redundant.

For example, most articles that read like essays have an inappropriate tone, and in fact they end up being automatically grouped in the same category, so it is unnecessary to tag with both {{tone}} and {{essay-like}}.

If an article has many problems, tag only the highest priority issues.

A lengthy list is often less helpful than a shorter one. (See also: Wikipedia:Tag bombing and Wikipedia:Tagging pages for problems § Over-tagging)

If multiple tags are necessary, consider using the {{multiple issues}} template.

This will help to avoid cluttering the article with tags and eclipsing the article's content.

Don't add tags for trivial or minor problems, especially if an article needs a lot of work.

For example, there is little point in noting grammatical problems for a section that needs to be completely re-written to comply with content policies. Focus on the biggest one, two, or three problems.

Before placing templates on a page it is worthwhile to cast a critical eye over the page to determine whether indeed it should be included in Wikipedia. Some articles can be tagged for speedy deletion or nominated for a deletion discussion at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion.

On pages that have received little attention from editors or readers, cleanup templates can be used as a way to call attention to problems that need to be addressed by editors. Editors who want to help address these problems should look through the various cleanup categories such as maintenance and articles with content issues and try to address the problems so that the templates can be removed. Editors who frequently tag articles should also address the backlogs.

On pages that are being edited by a number of users, cleanup templates are used to inform readers and editors of ongoing discussions and attempts to fix the problems on the page. Such templates can be used to attract uninvolved users to discussions and cleanup efforts, and they can also serve as a warning to casual readers that the article may have problems and be subject to noticeable changes. In general, an editor who places a template message to indicate a problem like this should explain their rationale fully on the talk page of the article. If the consensus of the other editors is that there is a problem or an editorial dispute that deserves such a clean-up template, then the editors should work to fix the problem as quickly and cleanly as possible so the template message can be removed. If the consensus is that there is no problem, then the message can be removed immediately. For heavily monitored articles, please do not add or remove template messages of this sort without using the talk page.

Many of these cleanup tags require you to place |article as the first parameter when you use the tag at the top of an article. When you want the template to refer to just one section, however, you replace |article with |section (where the | is a pipe key | found on most keyboards as a shift-backslash ⇧ Shift+\. See the specific template below to determine if such "section use" is supported and appropriate.

Templates in this section identify possible violations of Wikipedia's licensing requirements, as defined in the Wikimedia Terms of use.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{close paraphrasing}} category links talk
{{Copying within Wikipedia}} category links talk
{{copypaste}} category links talk
{{non-free}} category links talk
{{unattributed translation}} category links talk

Do not use this as the only message box on the article or section; it should be used with at least two other message boxes sandwiched inside it.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{multiple issues}} links talk
{{multiple issues| section=yes}} links talk

Use one of these general tags when none of the more specific tags fits.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup}} category links talk	This applies to general problems not addressed by other tags. Please consider using specific cleanup tags first, as specific tags help other editors to easily identify problems in an article. Use the reason parameter: cleanup|reason= to specify issues identified (it may be a link to comments on the talk page).
{{cleanup AfD}} category links talk	Use this tag where an AFD discussion closes with a consensus of "keep and cleanup."
{{cleanup MOS}} category links talk
{{cleanup rewrite}} category links talk	Use this tag where an article or section needs extensive revision.

{{cleanup merge}} links talk
{{cleanup split}} links talk

Some articles just need someone with a good grasp of editing technique to give them a once-over.

{{copy edit}} category links talk

{{copy edit inline}} category links talk	[needs copy edit] This template tags a statement for basic copyediting, and should be placed after the statement.
{{verify spelling}} category links talk	[spelling?]

These templates are all "general cleanup" templates, but tie into a specific subject matter or WikiProjects.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup biography}} category links talk
{{cleanup higher education}} category links talk
{{cleanup school}} category links talk
{{game guide}} category links talk
{{localist}} category links talk

{{CIA World Factbook only}} category links talk
{{cleanup Congress bio}} category links talk

{{Update-EB}} category links talk

{{all plot}} category links talk
{{long plot}} category links talk
{{more plot}} category links talk
{{no plot}} category links talk

{{fiction}} category links talk	This is not for factual or accuracy disputes.
{{fiction trivia}} category links talk	For use in fiction-specific articles that have way too many trivial examples. (Ex.: For an article specifically about famous fictional horses that mentions the fact that Sesame Street once told kids how to spell "horse", or that one of the animals you can kill in an online game is a horse.)
{{in-universe}} category links talk	See template documentation for list of topic-specific sub-templates.
{{in popular culture}} category links talk	For use when a nonfiction article has become overcrowded with too many references to fiction or other pop culture. (Ex.: Article on horses having a long section of TV shows, movies, video games, etc. that have "horse" in the name or feature horses in some way.)

{{cleanup taxon}} links talk
{{cleanup TLS}} links talk
{{further reading cleanup}} category links talk
{{kayfabe}} category links talk
{{USRD-wrongdir}} category links talk

{{needs IPA}} category links talk

[needs IPA]

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup press release}} category links talk
{{debate}} category links talk
{{dictionary definition}} category links talk
{{directory}} category links talk
{{essay-like}} category links talk
{{obituary}} category links talk
{{research paper}} category links talk
{{resume-like}} category links talk
{{review}} category links talk
{{science review}} category links talk
{{story}} category links talk
{{term paper}} category links talk
{{textbook}} category links talk
{{travel guide}} category links talk

{{abbreviations}} category links talk
{{academic booster}} category links talk
{{anachronism}} category links talk
{{buzzword}} category links talk
{{colloquial}} links talk
{{how-to}} category links talk
{{neologism}} category links talk
{{peacock}} category links talk
{{pro and con list}} category links talk
{{schedule}} links talk
{{self-reference cleanup}} links talk
{{weasel}} category links talk

{{cleanup tense}} category links talk
{{inappropriate person}} category links talk
{{you}} category links talk

{{fan POV}} category links talk
{{technical}} category links talk
{{tone}} category links talk

{{peacock inline}} category links talk	[peacock prose] See also: WP:PEACOCK
{{weasel inline}} category links talk	[weasel words]

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup reorganize}} category links talk
{{sections}} category links talk
{{too many sections}} category links talk
{{trivia}} category links talk

{{rename section}} category links talk
{{television incorrect naming style}} category links talk

{{lead extra info}} category links talk
{{lead missing}} category links talk
{{lead rewrite}} category links talk
{{lead too long}} category links talk
{{lead too short}} category links talk

{{summarize section}} category links talk
{{very long}} category links talk

{{duplication}} category links talk
{{overview section}} category links talk

{{bad summary}} category links talk
{{summarize}} category links talk
{{summary style}} category links talk

{{cleanup colors}} category links talk
{{dark mode problems}} category links talk
{{overcoloured}} category links talk

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{AI-generated}} category links talk
{{spam-request}} category links talk

{{spam link}} category links talk

[spam link?] Remove all and change

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{excessive citations}} category links talk
{{excessive examples}} category links talk
{{game trivia}} category links talk
{{overly detailed}} category links talk
{{over-quotation}} category links talk
{{too many charts}} category links talk
{{too many see alsos}} category links talk

{{almanac}} category links talk
{{generalize}} category links talk
{{human-centric}} category links talk
{{specific}} category links talk

{{cleanup book}} category links talk
{{context}} category links talk
{{cleanup film}} category links talk
{{time-context}} category links talk

Articles occasionally contain content which is otherwise valid, but appears unrelated to the nominal topic of the article.

{{off topic}} category links talk

Also takes "other article" parameter

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup ICHD}} category links talk	Articles lacking ICHD information
{{exit list}} category links talk
{{kmposts}} category links talk	Place above road junction lists that do not contain kilometreposts.
{{lacking ISBN}} category links talk	Place {{lacking ISBN|date=January 2026}} at the head of the relevant section(s). Remember that books published before 1974 may not have ISBNs (though more recent editions should).
{{lacking overview}} category links talk
{{metricate}} category links talk
{{mileposts}} category links talk	Place above road junction lists that do not contain mileposts.
{{missing information}} links talk	When calling this template, you must pass it a parameter. A template call like {{Missing information|why bananas are yellow}} generates "This article is missing information about why bananas are yellow."

{{AthAbbr needed}} category links talk
{{cleanup lang}} category links talk
{{expand language}} category links talk	Articles needing translation from foreign-language Wikipedias Typically used as one of 170 language-specific templates such as {{Expand Italian|date=January 2026}}
{{expand section}} category links talk	When calling this template, you may pass it a parameter. A template call like {{expand section|examples and additional citations}} generates: "This section requires expansion with: examples and additional citations."
{{formula missing descriptions}} category links talk
{{legend needed section}} category links talk
{{no alt text}} category links talk

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{expert needed}} category links talk	Before adding this template, start a section on the article discussion page describing what you wish the expert to address, and put the section name in the |talk= parameter. {{Expert needed talk}} may be used on the talk page for this purpose.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{time-context}} category links talk
{{update}} category links talk
{{update|inaccurate=y}} category

{{as of}} category links talk	As of {{{1}}} Used within prose to attribute a specific time to information that may quickly become dated, such as population statistics.
{{clarify timeframe}} category links talk	[timeframe?] For tagging WP:DATED problems
{{update after}} category links talk	[needs update] For facts that likely will need updating at a specific future date
{{update inline}} category links talk	[needs update] For facts that need updating now

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{in use}} category links talk
{{recently revised}} category links talk
{{under construction}} category links talk
{{recent death}} category links talk

Note: Templates relevant for when articles are confusing or hard to understand due specifically to translation issues can be found at Wikipedia:Template index/Translation.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{confusing}} category links talk	Use this tag in articles that need broad cleanup to eliminate confusion and discrepancies.
{{contradicts other}} category links talk
{{contradicts others}} category links talk	Use these tags in articles that appear to contradict themselves or each other.
{{misleading}} category links talk	Use this tag when the article is not factually wrong, but leads the reader to draw incorrect conclusions.
{{self-contradictory}} category links talk
{{unclear date}} category links talk
{{unfocused}} category links talk	Use this tag when the writing is clear, but the article as a whole doesn't concentrate on a single theme.

{{contradictory inline}} category links talk	[contradictory] Use this for specific sentences which contradict themselves or a nearby sentence.
{{expand acronym}} links talk	[expand acronym] Use this to mark acronyms and abbreviations that are not written in full at first occurrence.
{{inconsistent}} category links talk	[inconsistent] Use this to mark statements that are inconsistent with other parts of the article.
{{vague}} category links talk	[vague] Use this for specific sentences needing clarification.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{content}} category links talk
{{importance section}} links talk
{{notability}} category links talk	An optional parameter can be added to specify the applicable guideline; e.g.: {{notability|biographies}}, {{notability|fiction}}. See the template documentation for a list of supported values.

{{importance inline}} links talk

[importance?] Inline version of {{importance section}}

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{dispute about}} category links talk
{{disputed}} category links talk
{{disputed chem}} category links talk
{{disputed map}} category links talk
{{disputed section}} category links talk
{{hoax}} category links talk
{{speculation}} category links talk

{{coatrack}} category links talk
{{cleanup weighted}} category links talk
{{fringe theories}} category links talk
{{geographical imbalance}} category links talk
{{globalize}} category links talk
{{recentism}} category links talk
{{too few opinions}} category links talk
{{unbalanced}} category links talk
{{undue weight}} category links talk

{{autobiography}} category links talk
{{cherry-picked}} category links talk
{{COI}} category links talk
{{criticism section}} category links talk
{{political POV}} category links talk
{{POV}} category links talk
{{promotional}} category links talk
{{undisclosed paid}} category links talk

{{according to whom}} category links talk	For weasel words ("It was said..." It was thought...") [according to whom?]
{{clarify}} category links talk	Do not use without first taking some steps to research the apparent problem [clarification needed]
{{contentious label inline}} category links talk	[contentious label]
{{dubious}} category links talk	[dubious – discuss]
{{editorialising}} category links talk	[editorialising]
{{editorializing}} category links talk	[editorializing]
{{excessive citations inline}} category links talk	For abuse of citations, per Wikipedia:Citation overkill. [excessive citations]
{{original research inline}} category links talk	[original research?]
{{POV statement}} category links talk	[neutrality is disputed]
{{unbalanced opinion}} category links talk	[unbalanced opinion?]
{{undue weight inline}} category links talk	[undue weight? – discuss]
{{when}} category links talk	For ambiguous or vague time references of various kinds. [when?]
{{who}} category links talk	For weasel words ("Many say..." Some people think...") [who?]

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{BLP IMDb refimprove}} category links talk
{{BLP IMDb-only refimprove}} category links talk
{{BLP living dead}} category links talk
{{BLP more footnotes needed}} category links talk
{{BLP no footnotes}} category links talk
{{BLP one source}} category links talk
{{BLP primary sources}} category links talk
{{BLP self-published}} category links talk
{{BLP sources}} category links talk
{{BLP unreferenced}} category links talk

{{circular}} category links talk
{{cite check}} category links talk
{{more citations needed}} category links talk
{{no reliable sources}} category links talk
{{no significant coverage}} category links talk
{{old news}} category links talk
{{one source}} category links talk
{{only primary sources}} category links talk
{{original research}} category links talk
{{primary sources}} category links talk
{{religious text primary}} category links talk
{{self-published}} category links talk
{{self-sourcing examples}} category links talk
{{sources exist}} category links talk
{{spam references}} category links talk
{{synthesis}} category links talk
{{tertiary sources}} category links talk
{{third-party}} category links talk
{{unreferenced}} category links talk
{{unreliable sources}} category links talk
{{user-generated}} category links talk
{{verifiability}} category links talk
{{verify sources}} category links talk

{{media IMDb refimprove}} category links talk
{{more medical citations needed}} category links talk
{{more science citations needed}} category links talk
{{no significant coverage (sports)}} category links talk
{{NRIS only}} category links talk
{{unreferenced law}} category links talk
{{unreferenced medical section}} category links talk

{{AI citations}} category links talk
{{biblio}} category links talk
{{citation style}} category links talk
{{citations broken}} category links talk
{{cleanup bare URLs}} category links talk
{{duplicated citations}} category links talk
{{format footnotes}} category links talk
{{full citations needed}} category links talk
{{ibid}} category links talk
{{more footnotes needed}} category links talk
{{no footnotes}} category links talk
{{page numbers improve}} category links talk
{{page numbers needed}} category links talk
{{parenthetical referencing}} category links talk
{{shallow references}} category links talk
{{text-source}} category links talk

{{according to whom}} links talk	[according to whom?]
{{additional citation needed}} links talk	[additional citation(s) needed]
{{attribution needed}} links talk	[attribution needed]
{{better source needed}} links talk	[better source needed]
{{better source needed example}} links talk	[better source needed] Links to self-sourcing examples
{{by whom}} links talk	[by whom?]
{{chronology citation needed}} links talk	[chronology citation needed]
{{circular reference}} links talk	[circular reference] When the sources copy Wikipedia material directly
{{circular reporting}} links talk	[circular reporting?] For the subtler case when you suspect the sources are based on facts first published at Wikipedia, but they didn't copy it directly
{{citation needed}} links talk	[citation needed]
{{citation needed span}} links talk	The sun is hot.[citation needed]
{{clarify}} links talk	[clarification needed]
{{copyvio link}} links talk	[infringing link?]
{{dead link}} links talk	[dead link]
{{disambiguation needed}} links talk	[disambiguation needed]
{{disputed inline}} links talk	[disputed – discuss]
{{dubious}} links talk	[dubious – discuss]
{{episode needed}} links talk	[episode needed]
{{example needed}} links talk	[example needed]
{{example needed span}} links talk	This is a claim that needs one or more examples.[example needed]
{{excessive citations inline}} category links talk	[excessive citations] For abuse of citations, per Wikipedia:Citation overkill.
{{explain}} links talk	[further explanation needed]
{{failed verification}} links talk	[failed verification]
{{full citation needed}} links talk	[full citation needed]
{{how}} links talk	[how?]
{{medical citation needed}} links talk	[medical citation needed]
{{medical citation needed span}} links talk	This is an uncited biomedical claim.[medical citation needed]
{{nonspecific}} links talk	[not specific enough to verify]
{{not verified in body}} links talk	[not verified in body]
{{original research inline}} links talk	[original research?]
{{page needed}} links talk	[page needed]
{{primary source inline}} links talk	[non-primary source needed]
{{quantify}} links talk	[quantify]
{{quote without source}} links talk	[This quote needs a citation]
{{registration required}} category links talk	(registration required)
{{request quotation}} links talk	[need quotation to verify]
{{season needed}} links talk	[season and episode needed]
{{self-published inline}} category links talk	[self-published source?]
{{self-published source}} category links talk	[self-published source]
{{specify}} category links talk	[specify]
{{synthesis inline}} links talk	[improper synthesis?]
{{third-party inline}} links talk	[independent source needed]
{{unreliable medical source}} links talk	[unreliable medical source?]
{{unreliable source?}} links talk	[unreliable source?]
{{update after}} links talk	[needs update]
{{user-generated inline}} category links talk	[user-generated source?]
{{user-generated source}} category links talk	[user-generated source]
{{vague}} links talk	[vague]
{{verify quote}} links talk	[verify]
{{verify source}} links talk	[verification needed]
{{volume needed}} links talk	[volume & issue needed]
{{when}} links talk	[when?]
{{where}} links talk	[where?]
{{which}} links talk	[which?]
{{who}} links talk	[who?]
{{whose quote}} links talk	[who said this?]
{{why}} links talk	[why?]
{{year missing}} links talk	[year missing] Use when the year of publication of a source is needed
{{year needed}} links talk	[year needed] Use when the date of an event is needed

{{find sources}} links talk	Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL
{{search}} links talk	()

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{disputed category}} category links talk
{{improve categories}} category links talk
{{recategorize}} category links talk
{{uncategorized}} category links talk	Place this at the bottom of an uncategorised article/category if you are unsure of which categories apply.
{{unreferenced category}} category links talk

For tips on requesting images see: Wikipedia:Requested pictures.

• For template messages related to the clean up of images, see: Wikipedia:Template index/File namespace#Format and quality.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{improve images}} category links talk

{{cleanup image}} category links talk
{{cleanup image captions}} category links talk
{{cleanup images}} category links talk

{{cleanup gallery}} links talk
{{cleanup gallery anatomy}} category links talk
{{too many photos}} category links talk

{{image hoax}} category links talk

Wikipedia suspected hoax images

{{upscaled images}} category links talk

{{audio requested}} category links talk
{{diagram requested}} category links talk	Wikipedia requested diagram images Wikipedia requested diagram images
{{image requested}} category links talk	This template should be used on talk pages. Please add one or more subject categories into the template. Use of= to add detailed information on the request. Use in= to define locations.
{{map requested}} category links talk	Wikipedia requested maps

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{create list}} category links talk	Use this tag where an article needs to be changed into list format.

{{list years}} category links talk

{{cleanup list}} category links talk	For use in non-list articles or sections where potentially unwanted lists need to be salvaged before being deleted
{{convert to Episode list}} links talk
{{list scope}} category links talk	To identify a list on Wikipedia that has entries that may be out of scope.
{{unsorted list}} category links talk	Use this tag where a list of works is in reverse-chronological order or otherwise contravenes the Wikipedia:Manual of Style (lists of works).

{{famous}} category links talk	For use in articles with unclear criteria for a list of "famous" or "notable" persons.
{{list missing criteria}} category links talk

{{list to table}} category links talk	For use where lists could be better presented as tables.
{{prose}} category links talk	Use this tag where a list needs cleanup.
{{proseline section}} category links talk
{{too many list sections}} category links talk

{{disputed list}} category links talk	To identify a list on Wikipedia that has content whose truth, factual nature, and/or relevance to the topic is in dispute.
{{list dispute}} links talk

{{alumni}} category links talk

{{list entry too long}} category links talk

[List entry too long] For use when a list item is excessively large due to indiscriminate trivia or a need to merge or split

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{needs table}} links talk

{{convert to Episode table}} links talk
{{convert to Series overview}} links talk
{{rank order}} links talk
{{table accessibility cleanup}} links talk

Most of these issues are covered in the main Manual of Style.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup red links}} category links talk
{{dead end}} category links talk	Use this to mark articles or sections that completely lack internal links.
{{external links}} category links talk
{{overlinked}} category links talk
{{underlinked}} category links talk	Use this to mark articles or sections with too few internal links.

{{dablinks}} category links talk	Use this on a page that links to a large number of disambiguation pages. This template is sometimes placed automatically by DPL bot.
{{disambiguation cleanup}} category links talk	Use this for disambiguation pages not written according to the style in Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages). Replace {{disambiguation}} with this.
{{incoming links}} category links talk	Use this on a page with general links that should be more specific.

{{cleanup infobox}} category links talk
{{Infobox too large}} category links talk
{{infobox requested}} category links talk	This template should be used on talk pages. Also has functionality to indicate that only a section in a page needs one. See the template page for more info.
{{missing fields}} links talk
{{new infobox}} category links talk	Pages needing an infobox conversion This template should be used on talk pages.
{{single infobox request}} category links talk	This template should be used on talk pages.

{{missing taxobox}} links talk
{{mycomorphbox missing}} links talk

{{citations broken from PEIS limit}} category links talk
{{malformed template}} links talk

{{orphan}} category links talk	This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles. Use this for articles that aren't linked to from any other pages.
{{uncategorized}} category links talk	Place this at the bottom of an uncategorised article/category if you are unsure of which categories apply.

{{cleanup HTML}} category links talk

If the article needs HTML changed into wiki-markup Use this if the article has non-English text but lacks {{lang}}, {{transl}}, or other multilingual support templates.

There are also tags available for:

• merging articles;
• moving articles;
• splitting articles; and
• translation of articles.

• Wikipedia:Responsible tagging
• Wikipedia:Tagging pages for problems
• Wikipedia:Twinkle
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types

Template:Inline cleanup tags Template:Wikipedia template messages