Wikimedia Attribution Framework
For sustainable reuse of Wikimedia content
Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects are free, collaborative repositories of knowledge created by global communities of volunteers. This human-made, verified, and high-quality content is available for reuse in search engines, apps, AI assistants, social media, media publications, and countless other contexts. The Wikimedia attribution framework provides reusers with recommendations for ensuring that Wikimedia content is fairly credited wherever it is surfaced.
Get started with scenarios for content reuse
Explore reuse scenarios where content from Wikimedia projects has the greatest reach. Nevertheless, regardless of scenario, the attribution framework is applicable to anyone reusing Wikimedia content.
Search
Search results displaying encyclopedic content, images, or structured data.
AI assistants
Integrating text, media, or data from Wikimedia projects into AI-driven responses.
Social media [Under review]
Sharing content from Wikimedia projects in online social contexts, such as online forums, chat and messaging services, and social networking platforms.
Games and Rich media [Under review]
Incorporating text, images, or data from Wikimedia platforms in educational and interactive environments.
Media and publications [Under review]
Using text, images, or data from Wikimedia projects in articles, journals, blogs, etc.
Audio [Under review]
Audio media or voice assistants using content where source citation must remain transparent.
Attribution signals
Attribution for each scenario uses a set of signals as building blocks. These signals are classified in categories as essential (e.g., source, title, link), trust and relevance (e.g., reference count, last update) and ecosystem growth (participation and donation call-to-actions).
Signals can be used to clearly identify Wikimedia projects as the source of knowledge in external contexts, but also to convey trust, transparency, and encourage participation.
Keep free knowledge alive
The Wikimedia attribution framework provides guidelines that data reusers can follow to ensure that sources remain clear, recognizable, and consistent in external contexts. Attribution is essential for fair acknowledgment and active awareness of Wikimedia’s community-driven content, and it’s also a key factor in the continued growth and sustainability of the free knowledge ecosystem. The framework exists to:
Simplify attribution practices by providing a flexible and dynamic set of specifications supporting the implementation of compliant and consistent attribution for all reuser types.
Showcase Wikimedia content as reliable, fresh, and human-made through the use of recommended trust and relevance signals (e.g., reference count, latest update).
Help reusers do their part in sustaining the Wikimedia ecosystem by driving engagement back to the source of free knowledge.
Reusers of Wikimedia content can provide relevant, up-to-date and carefully curated content for their audience, while also helping to keep the circle of free, human-produced knowledge alive by protecting trust, ensuring transparency, and fostering participation.
This is living and growing documentation. We welcome improvement suggestions and input for new scenarios on the attribution framework's project discussion page.
