Template:Citation/core/doc

About this template
Template:Citation/core can be thought of as an engine producing consistent output for Wikipedia's citations. Templates such as citation provide this core template with a list of parameters, which it uses to produce a formatted text (HTML) output, which contains embedded COinS metadata. This metadata allows many readers to find cited references more easily, or to extract their details to a reference manager.

The presence of a central template makes individual citation templates simpler to code and amend, and produces a consistent look throughout the encyclopaedia.