{{{1}}}

Usage

This template is used to define a short description for the current page. The description is typically:

brief – usually fewer than 40 characters;
neutral and descriptive;
supplementary to the article title, not simply a repeat of it.

Short descriptions are mainly consumed by tools and skins (for example, mobile views and search interfaces) and are not always shown in the normal desktop view.

Basic usage

To add a short description to a page:

{{Short description|Encyclopedia of free educational textbooks}}

This stores the description Encyclopedia of free educational textbooks for the current page.

Preventing replacement

If a description is already supplied (for example, from a higher level template) and you want to make sure that a local call does not overwrite it, use the noreplace parameter:

{{Short description|Free-content textbook project|noreplace=yes}}

In this case, if a short description has already been set elsewhere on the page, this call will be ignored.

Specifying a page type

You may optionally supply a page type. This can be helpful for tools that group or filter pages:

{{Short description|Open-content textbook collection|pagetype=project}}

or

{{Short description|Polynomial invariant measuring multiple roots|pagetype=mathematics}}

Notes

The short description should normally be in sentence case, without a final period:

 
Correct: Online free-content textbook collection  
 Avoid: online FREE-CONTENT TEXTBOOK COLLECTION.

Avoid adding links, HTML tags or wikicode. The value is intended to be plain text.
Do not add maintenance notes, talk-page comments or other discussion content to the short description.

CS1 errors

This help page explains how to read and resolve error and warning messages emitted by CS1/CS2 citation templates (e.g., Empty citation (help), {{{title}}}. ., Empty citation (help)). It outlines typical causes, how to debug, and how to correct or silence issues appropriately.

What are CS1/CS2 templates?

CS1 and CS2 are families of citation templates used to format bibliographic references consistently.
CS1 forms include Empty citation (help), {{{title}}}. ., Empty citation (help), etc.
CS2 is Empty citation (help) with a flexible parameter set and style.
Both families validate key parameters and may emit errors (red) or warnings (brown/orange) with tracking categories.

Error vs warning

Error indicates a parameter value is missing, malformed, or contradictory; output is likely incorrect.
Warning indicates a potential issue (e.g., unknown parameter, missing access-date for a live URL); output may still render but needs review.
Messages usually appear at the end of the rendered citation, and the page is added to a tracking category.

Common messages and fixes

Below are frequent CS1/CS2 messages, causes, and steps to resolve them. Parameter names are shown in code style as used by citation templates.

Missing required fields

Missing title

Cause: |title= blank or omitted. Fix:

Supply the work's title in |title= (for articles use |title=, for chapters use |chapter= and put the container in |work= or |journal=).
For untitled web pages, use a descriptive title in brackets, e.g., [Untitled press release].

Missing author or editor when needed

Missing date

Cause: |date= omitted where context expects a publication date. Fix: Add a publication date in an unambiguous format (e.g., 2025-11-30 or 30 November 2025). Use |year= only for year; prefer |date= when month/day are known.

Malformed dates

Date format error

Cause: Mixed or ambiguous formats, e.g., 01/02/03. Fix:

Use an unambiguous style: 2025-11-30 (ISO-like) or 30 November 2025.
For access and archive dates use |access-date=, |archive-date= consistently.

Inconsistent date parts

Unknown or ignored parameters

Unknown parameter

Cause: Misspelled or non-existent parameter, e.g., |autor= instead of |author=. Fix:

Correct the spelling to a supported name.
For variants, use documented aliases (e.g., |authors= can list multiple names; check template docs).

Parameter ignored

Cause: Parameter not applicable to the specific citation type (e.g., |journal= in Empty citation (help)). Fix: Move content to an appropriate parameter (e.g., |publisher=, |work=) or switch to a better-suited cite template.

Identifier issues

Invalid ISBN

Cause: Checksum failure or punctuation issues. Fix:

Verify digits and hyphenation; for ISBN-13 use the alternating 1/3 weight check; for ISBN-10 allow X as the final digit.
If the printed source shows a known error, consider |isbn= with |id= or add an explanatory note as appropriate.

Invalid ISSN/DOI/other IDs

Cause: Typos or truncated identifiers. Fix: Confirm in authoritative registries (e.g., DOI resolver, ISSN portal) and correct.

URL and access issues

Missing access-date for web citations

Cause: |url= present without |access-date= when style calls for it. Fix: Add |access-date=YYYY-MM-DD for dynamic web sources.

Dead URL / archive mismatch

Cause: |archive-url= provided without |archive-date=, or |url= missing. Fix:

Provide both |archive-url= and |archive-date=.
If the original |url= is dead, add |url-status=dead. Keep |url= for reference unless policy says otherwise.

Bare URL

Cause: Citation with URL but missing bibliographic fields (title, publisher). Fix: Fill in |title=, |website= or |publisher=, and |date= if known.

Title and container relationships

Missing work/journal for articles

Cause: Article-level citation lacking container info. Fix: Use |work= or |journal= for the periodical or website name. Use |title= for the article title and |chapter= for book chapters.

Script/transliteration pairing

Cause: Native-script titles without transliteration when required by style. Fix: Provide |script-title= and |trans-title= as appropriate.

Name list issues

Et al. handling

Cause: Excess authors without |display-authors=. Fix: Add |display-authors=n (e.g., 3) to truncate after n names with et al.; ensure all authors are still present in metadata.

Mixed name fields

Debugging workflow

1. Expand the template in preview and read the exact message text appended to the citation. 2. Compare parameters against the template’s documentation to ensure correct names and usage. 3. Validate identifiers (ISBN/ISSN/DOI) with trusted external registries. 4. Normalize dates to a clear, unambiguous format. 5. For web citations, ensure |title=, |website=/|publisher=, |url=, and |access-date= are consistent. 6. Use archive fields consistently: |archive-url=, |archive-date=, |url-status=. 7. Preview to confirm that the error/warning disappears and that the citation renders as intended.

Examples: before and after

Missing title and access date (before)

{{cite web|url=https://example.org/page}}

Fixed (after)

{{cite web
 |title=Program overview
 |website=Example Organization
 |url=https://example.org/page
 |access-date=2025-11-30
}}

Malformed ISBN (before)

{{cite book|title=Data Structures|publisher=TechPress|year=2024|isbn=978-3-16-148410-9}}

Fixed (after)

{{cite book|title=Data Structures|publisher=TechPress|year=2024|isbn=978-3-16-148410-0}}

Archive mismatch (before)

{{cite news
 |title=Policy update
 |url=https://news.example.com/update
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/.../update
}}

Fixed (after)

{{cite news
 |title=Policy update
 |url=https://news.example.com/update
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/.../update
 |archive-date=2023-08-05
 |url-status=dead
}}

Tracking categories

Citation templates typically add pages to tracking categories when issues are detected, for example:

Pages with CS1 errors
Pages with CS1 warnings
Pages with deprecated parameters
Pages with bare URLs for citations

The exact category names may vary by site configuration. Use them to find and fix issues systematically.

Best practices

Prefer |date= over separate |year=/|month= when full date is known.
Use consistent capitalization for titles and website/publisher names per style guidance.
Avoid mixing styles (e.g., don’t switch between CS1 and CS2 parameters in one citation).
When in doubt, mirror the information exactly as printed in the source and add clarifying fields rather than guessing.

Help:CS1 errors