Template:Why

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Usage

To tag a statement as being in need of clarification, add the following code:

{{Why|reason=Your explanation here|date=July 2026}}

This tag adds pages with tagged statements into Category:Wikipedia articles needing clarification, or a dated subcategory thereof.

To automatically add the current date, you can use substitution: {{subst:Why?}}.
The |date= parameter need not be added by the editor: if not entered, a bot will soon add it. The date parameter consists of the full English name of the current month with initial capital, a space, and the year, not full dates; e.g., "January 2013", but not "jan13". Any deviation from these two rules will result in an "invalid date parameter" error.
The |reason= parameter is optional but often helpful. It is displayed as a tooltip in some browsers (hover the mouse here ^[why?] to check behavior of your browser). For example, the following usage might be appropriate to the claim that "Humphrey Bogart has won several snooker world championships":
{{Why|reason=This claim isn't clear.|date=July 2026}}
- Use only plain text for the |reason= parameter. It does not support wiki markup like wikilinks, which can "mess up" the tooltip.
- Double quotation marks used within the |reason= parameter will likewise "mess up" the tooltip; use single quotes or the HTML code " instead.
This template should be installed directly after punctuation, such as a full stop (period) or a comma.
Remove the template when you add an explanation for a statement.

This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. See a monthly parameter usage report for Template:Why in articles based on its TemplateData.

TemplateData for Why

A cleanup tag to indicate that a statement is in need of causal clarification.

Template parameters[Edit template data]
This template prefers inline formatting of parameters.
Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Reason asked	`reason`	Explanation of why causal clarity is needed Example It's unclear how oil expropriation led to prosperity. Please explain.	String	optional
Month and year	`date`	Provides the month and year of the citation request; e.g., 'January 2013', but not 'jan13' Auto value `{{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}`	String	suggested

The above documentation is transcluded from Template:Why/doc.
Editors can experiment in this template's sandbox and testcases pages.
Add categories to the /doc subpage. Subpages of this template.