Template:Reference column heading/sandbox

Ref(s).

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Produces an abbreviated title with a tooltip for table reference columns without taking up much space. Can be, but generally should not be, substituted.

Usage

{{Refh}} → Ref. {{Refh|multi=no}} → Ref.

In a table

{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | Text
! scope="col" | {{Refh}}
|-
| Content
| {{centered|<ref>...</ref>}}
|}

Text	Ref.
Content

Frequently asked questions

Q1: Why does the template use Ref. rather than Refs. or Ref(s). for the abbreviated text?

A1: It's best for the abbreviation to be as short as possible, to keep the column narrow and create more space elsewhere. Communicating to the reader that the column contains references is essential; letting them know whether to expect one or multiple references per line is not.

Q2: Why does the template use Reference(s) rather than Reference or References for the tooltip text?

A2: The typical grammatical convention is for column headers to use plurals only if there are multiple elements per line, not in total throughout the table. For instance, you'll generally find a column header with Name, not Names. Reference(s) indicates that some lines may have multiple references, whereas others only one. Even if a table currently has multiple references for every line, sticking with (s) is best because it doesn't mislead future editors about what is required or create the possibility they forget to change the plurality if adding a new line with only a single reference. Similarly, a table that currently has only one reference per line may still wish to retain the (s). However, if it is expected that all entries in a list will have only one reference (e.g. if each line is sourced to an entry in the same comprehensive database), then |plural=no may be used to produce the tooltip Reference.

TemplateData

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

TemplateData for Reference column heading

Creates a heading for table reference columns.

Template parameters

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
multi	multi plural	Specifies whether the column can contain multiple references per row and changes the texts to plural forms accordingly. Default yes	Boolean	suggested

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