Wikipedia:Tip of the day/February 18

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Using the Authority control template

Authority control systems assign a unique identifier to each topic, to allow precise identification of topics, and enable more accurate searches. The entries typically correspond to people, book titles, and similar well-defined entities.

The {{Authority control}} template links Wikipedia articles to the corresponding entries in library catalogs of national libraries and other authority files all over the world. This is why you may see several code numbers listed. As an example, the Wikipedia authority control information for the Alexander Graham Bell article looks like this:

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WP:Authority control (for editors)   
Help:Authority control (for readers)