the source does not support what is contained in the article, and
despite the source not supporting the article, the source still contains useful information on the topic.
For example, if the article says that 14% of statistics are made up, and the source says that statistics are made up without giving a percentage, then that information has failed verification. If you are unable to fix the error or want to gain consensus for the edit, then you should tag the information as not matching the named source. If the discrepancy between the source and the article isn't obvious, then please explain the situation in detail on the talk page.
If the source given is an unreachable website, keep the source and mark it with {{Dead link}} instead. See Wikipedia:Link rot and WP:DEADREF for more information.
If the source has absolutely no relevance to any part of the article, delete the reference and replace with {{Citation needed}}.
How to use
Placement
The template should be placed outside the reference (<ref> ... </ref>), within the article's text:
Preceding text {{failed verification span|text=text that failed verification should be placed here|date=පෙබරවාරි 2025}} following text. Next sentence.
Optional parameters
Link to the relevant section on the current page's talk page with:
|talk=Section title
or to a discussion elsewhere with:
|talkpage=Talk:Page name
or:
|talkpage=Talk:Page name#Section title
Add a brief note on the nature of the verification failure with:
|reason=A sentence here.
This is displayed as a mouse-over tooltip, and may be of use to later editors trying to resolve the verification issue. It must not contain any markup, like italics, links, etc., and any use of the double-quote character (") must be escaped, e.g. as " — otherwise the tooltip will break. This is a limitation of HTML, not of the template.
Template data
This is the TemplateData for this template used by TemplateWizard, VisualEditor and other tools. Click here to see a monthly parameter usage report for this template based on this TemplateData.
TemplateData for Failed verification span
The template will categorize articles into '[[Category:All articles with failed verification]]'.
Template parameters
This template prefers inline formatting of parameters.
Parameter
Description
Type
Status
Text
text1
The text failing verification
Content
required
Date
date
Month and year the tag was added
Example
June 2015
Auto value
{{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}
Date
suggested
Reason
reason
A brief note, displayed as a mouse-over tooltip. May be of use to later editors.
String
optional
Current page's relevant talk section
talk
Title of the appropriate section of the current page's talk page, for further discussion of the verification failure (e.g. 'Section title').
String
optional
Another page's relevant talk section
talkpagetalk page
Title of the appropriate section of another page's talk page, for further discussion of the verification failure (e.g. 'Talk:Page name#Section title').
{{Failed verification}}: Use when inline citations have been supplied, but they do not support the statement in question.
{{Text-source inline}}: Use when multiple inline citations to a source are given, but not all of them support the same information.
{{Weasel word some span}}: Use when a statement includes weasel words that cause the given inline citations to fail to support the statement as written.
{{Unreliable source?}}: Use when an inline citation to a source is given, but it is questionable whether the source used is reliable for supporting the statement.
{{Unreliable source?|certain=y}}: Use when an inline citation to a source is given, but it is an unreliable source.
{{Cite check}}: Use when the article or section may have inappropriate or misinterpreted citations (generates a hatnote).
