User:ActivelyDisinterested/No target error causes

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Common causes

This is a mess I should tidy it up.

  1. Text was copied from another article including SFRs, but the cites were not. The source article is always obvious, as the copying is rarely attributed.
  2. The source exist in the article, but isn't in the form of a cite.
  3. SFRs won't link correctly using date ranges. If it's used in the cite the SFR won't link, if it's used in the SFR it is handled as an author name. This is wrong the link will work but only if the date range use a (–) en dash instead of a (-) hyphen.
  4. Typos. If you can track down the original edit in the history it can be easy to assitain what the original intent was.
  5. Editors update the cites in the bibliography/sources section, but don't update the SFRs.
  6. Translation errors are common in cites for translated articles. Also either the cite/SFR may be translated, but the linking SFR/cite is not. Another translation issue is that translating cites can be hard so they get left behind on other language wiki.
  7. Incorrectly listed authors. SFR details must match author listing. A common issue is editors converting |last= |first= to |author=. Also listing in SFRs is commonly written out rather than using the correct formatting with piping, or authors are listed out of order, or |first= is used instead of |last=.
  8. Use of the |ref= variable can be an issue. This is easily solved by using the CITEREF from the error message. This can be done, but using the {{harvid}} template is tidier.
  9. names aRe case sensitive.
  10. Missing p= or pp= from the SFR with page number. This causes the page number to be used as an authors name.
  11. New editors have a tendency to use SFRs as free text. Usually work and author will be included so a cite can be setup.
  12. SFRs set to use |orig-date= rather than |date= (or |year= which ever is in use).
  13. The cites existed, but where either removed or weren't setup during conversion (time to go diving into the article history). The cites may have been removed as unreliable, replace the ref with {{CN}}, or as a WP:SPS. It seem though that in the latter case the expertise of the author is rarely checked.
  14. If the ref is in relation to an image, checking the image usage may help.
  15. A short form ref has been used to try and link to a refname. Replaced with <ref name="refname"/>.
  16. If the article is about a language and the ref is for the writen alphabet, then the cite is probably on frwiki. No I don't know why this is so common.
  17. The use of templates or non-breaking spaces within the SFR or cite.
  18. Cites are in the article, but are using a nonstandard template, which creates a false positive. See False positive process below and either whitelist them or add {{sfn whitelist}} to suppress them.
    1. If the false positive is caused by the "Template:DBI" or "Template:Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani" use {{sfn whitelist}} as the author/year rarely if ever repeats.
    2. If the false positive is caused by the {{NDB}}, {{Australian Dictionary of Biography}} or {{AuDB}} convert to "cite xxx" version and add a dummy year.

n/. If the cite is just missing it may be possible to indentify the work using context clues, and use Google + Google books, or the myriad of pdfs people upload to confirm the details. (You're basically adding a new reference at this point). If there is a quote related to the SFR it makes this a lot easier.

False positive process

Is the template is DBI (Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani)? Use {{sfn whitelist}} (you always need to use sfn whitelist with this template).
Otherwise search usage of the CITEREF, for low usage embed {{sfn whitelist}} into the article using the CITEREF codes. If the instance is commonly used check if the CITEREF is already listed in Module:Footnotes/whitelist, setup new listing or concatenated into already established listing (or more likely ask for this to be done on Module talk:Footnotes).
Note CITEREFs do not need disambiguation when being whitelisted, disambiguate CITEREFs are treated as duplicates.

Properly formatting a request for whitelisting:
['CITEREFNameYear'] = {'Template name'},
For adding a template to an already whitelisted CITEREF:
['CITEREFNameYear'] = {'Template name1', 'Template name2', 'Template name3'},
Not the details must be exactly correct.

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