Wikipedia uses the citation format called "Citation Style 1" (CS1) for its articles.
Wikipedia uses the citation style called "parenthetical referencing" for its articles.
The easiest citation format to use for academic papers is usually the APA (American Psychological Association) style.
For an English paper, you would typically use MLA style citation format. Be sure to check with your instructor to confirm the citation style they prefer for the assignment.
Wikipedia editors are not required to use any particular citation format, as long as each article is consistent with itself. The most common format they use is partially based on APA, although it is a bit different. (They include the author's full first name, and the capitalization is different.)
When you insert a citation.
To create a parenthetical citation in MLA format for a website with no author, use the title of the webpage in quotation marks. For example, ("Title of Webpage").
You should use in-text citation in MLA format whenever you directly quote, paraphrase, or summarize information from a source in your writing to give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism.
To cite the same source multiple times in APA format, you can use a shortened citation after the first full citation. Include the author's last name and the publication year in the shortened citation.
To cite the same source multiple times in APA format, you can use a shortened citation after the first full citation. Include the author's last name and the publication year in the shortened citation.
When citing a website in APA format with no author in the in-text citation, use the title of the webpage in quotation marks. For example, ("Title of Webpage," Year).
To add a parenthetical citation in Word, you can use the "Insert Citation" feature in the References tab. Click on "Insert Citation" and choose the source you want to cite. Word will automatically format the citation in the correct style.
To format a block citation in APA 7 style, you should indent the entire quote on both sides, use double spacing, and not include quotation marks.