Template:Cite correspondence

Template documentation[view] [edit] [history] [purge]

This template is used to format citations for personal correspondence, such as letters, emails, or briefing documents received via personal communication. As these sources are generally not publicly accessible, it is highly recommended to use the `|quote=` parameter to include a relevant excerpt from the source. This helps satisfy Wikipedia's verifiability policy for offline or private sources.

Usage

You can copy a blank version to use. All parameters except `|title=` are optional, but providing as much detail as possible is encouraged.

Horizontal format

{{cite correspondence |last= |first= |author-link= |date= |title= |type= |quote= }}

Vertical format

{{cite correspondence
| last = 
| first = 
| author-link = 
| date = 
| title = 
| type = 
| quote = 
}}

Examples

Basic usage:

{{cite correspondence |last=Green |first=Chris |date=28 September 2025 |title=Thameslink Background & Responses}}

→ Green, Chris (28 September 2025). "Thameslink Background & Responses" (Correspondence).

With `type` (including recipient) and `quote` parameters:

{{cite correspondence |last=Green |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Green (railway manager) |date=28 September 2025 |title=Thameslink Background & Responses |type=Briefing document received via email to Liam Blank |quote=The final Thameslink vision was completed...}}

→ Green, Chris (28 September 2025). "Thameslink Background & Responses" (Briefing document received via email to Liam Blank). Quote: "The final Thameslink vision was completed...".

Parameters

• last: Last name of the author of the correspondence. Alias: `|author=`.
• first: First name of the author.
• author-link: The title of the Wikipedia article about the author. Do not use a full URL.
• date: The full date the correspondence was sent. Use the same format as other citations in the article.
• title: The title of the document or the subject line of the email. This is a required parameter.
• type: The medium of communication. For example: `Email`, `Letter`, `Memorandum`. If known, the recipient can be included here, such as `Briefing document received via email to Liam Blank`.
• quote: A direct quotation from the source. This is strongly encouraged to provide context and support verifiability, as the source is not publicly accessible.
• url: URL if the correspondence is archived or available online (e.g., in a public reading room or FOIA response portal).
• access-date: The full date when the URL was last accessed. Use the same format as other citations in the article.
• url-status: Set to `dead` if the URL is no longer active. Requires an `|archive-url=` and `|archive-date=`.

TemplateData

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

TemplateData for Cite correspondence

This template is used to format citations for personal correspondence, such as letters, emails, or briefing documents received via personal communication.

Template parameters[Edit template data]

This template prefers inline formatting of parameters.

Parameter		Description	Type	Status
Author's last name	last author	Last name of the author of the correspondence.	String	optional
Author's first name	first	First name of the author of the correspondence.	String	optional
Author article link	author-link	The title of the Wikipedia article about the author. Do not use a full URL.	Page name	optional
Date	date	The full date the correspondence was sent. Use the same format as other citations in the article.	String	optional
Title	title	The title of the document or the subject line of the email.	String	required
Type	type	The medium of communication. Example: Email, Letter. If known, the recipient can be included here, e.g., 'Briefing document received via email to John Smith'.	String	optional
Quote	quote	A direct quotation from the source. This is strongly encouraged to provide context and support verifiability, as the source is not publicly accessible.	String	suggested
URL	url	URL if the correspondence is archived or available online (e.g., in a public reading room or FOIA response portal).	URL	optional
Access date	access-date	The full date when the URL was last accessed. Use the same format as other citations in the article.	String	optional
URL status	url-status	Set to 'dead' if the URL is no longer active. Requires an archive-url.	String	optional

The above documentation is transcluded from Template:Cite correspondence/doc. (edit | history)
Editors can experiment in this template's sandbox (create | mirror) and testcases (create) pages.
Add categories to the /doc subpage. Subpages of this template.