Source-Editing for Newbies

Find where you want to add or update information into an existing Wikipedia article. 

​Type your sentence, followed immediately by your source code:

Source-Editing Rules

  • ​Placement: Place reference tags immediately after punctuation (like periods or commas) without leaving a space before the opening <ref>.
  • ​Close Your Tags: Always include the trailing slash in </ref>

It is important to know that there are two ways to edit content to Wikipedia articles.  I use source code. Which is a very modified version of HTML which I learned many years ago. I thought it was obsolete till I started doing Wikipedia articles. I don't use the visual editor.
.
Editing the Source Code (Wikitext vs. VisualEditor)

​To use <ref> tags, you must edit in Edit source mode (wikitext code), not the VisualEditor interface.

​VisualEditor: The default point-and-click editor that works like a standard word processor (Word or Google Docs). In VisualEditor, you add citations using a visual toolbar menu rather than writing code tags.

​Edit Source (Wikitext): The raw code editor where you manually type Wikipedia’s markup language directly into the text box.

A collection of 15 online articles, primary archive sources, and official reporting detailing the history, culture, and redevelopment of Russell City, California:

​1. Journalism & News Features
​KQED News: [Remembering Russell City: A Thriving East Bay Town Razed by Racist Government]

(https://www.kqed.org/news/11922175/remembering-russell-city-a-thriving-east-bay-town-razed-by-racist-government)  

​2. The Guardian: ['Our dreams were shattered': the Black Californians forced from the land they built](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/28/russell-city-california-black-residents-oakland)  

​3. KQED Topic Hub: Russell City Archives & News Tag
​City & Local Government History Repositories

4. City of Hayward Official Site: [The History and Heritage of Russell City](http://www.hayward-ca.gov/content/history-and-heritage-russell-city)

5. Hayward Area Historical Society: [Russell City Historical Overview]
(https://www.haywardhistory.com/russell-city/)

6. Wikipedia: Russell City, California Reference Entry  
​Historical Newspaper Archives (Digi-Primary Documents)

7. Oakland Tribune (1961): [County to Seek Federal Aid for Renewal of Russell City](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/county-seek-federal-aid-renewal-russell-city-oakland-tribune-mar-15-1961)

8. Oakland Tribune (1961): [Few Tears Shed in Doomed Russell City](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/few-tears-shed-doomed-russell-city-oakland-tribune-oct-08-1961)

9. Oakland Tribune (1963): [Hearing on Russell City Set](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/hearing-russell-city-set-oakland-tribune-feb-26-1963)

10. Oakland Tribune (1963): [Could Russell City Have Been Saved?](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/could-russell-city-have-been-saved-oakland-tribune-may-24-1963)
+1 The May 24, 1963, Oakland Tribune article details the systemic neglect and destruction of the multi-racial Russell City community through industrial redevelopment, discriminatory blight designations, and eminent domain. This process led to the community's total razing by 1968, sparking recent calls for reparative justice and official apologies. Read the original article at hayward-ca.gov.

11. Oakland Tribune (1963): [Adieu, Russell City (Letter to the Editor)](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/adieu-russell-city-oakland-tribune-jun-20-1963)

12. Oakland Tribune (1964): [Arsonists in Russell City Hit Twice](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/arsonists-russell-city-hit-twice-oakland-tribune-sept-21-1964)

13. The Daily Review (1965): [Russell City Fire Razes 17 Buildings](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/russell-city-fire-razes-17-buildings-daily-review-sept-02-1965)

14. Oakland Tribune (1967): [Last Family Sees Home Burn Down](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/last-family-sees-home-burn-down-oakland-tribune-jan-17-1967)

15. The Daily Review (1950): [Editorial: Bartell's Answer](https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/editorial-bartells-answer-daily-review-sept-01-1950)  

Ten additional online articles, archival reporting links, and broadcast pieces covering the history, music legacy, and reparative justice initiatives for Russell City, California:

​News & Broadcast Features
​CBS Bay Area: [Alameda County Supervisors Apologize Over Destruction of Russell City](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/russell-city-alameda-county-supervisors-apologize-over-community-destruction-hayward/)  

​KTVU FOX 2 News: [West Coast Blues Flourished in Long-Gone Russell City](https://www.ktvu.com/news/alameda-county-apologizes-for-role-in-destruction-of-russell-city)  

​SFGATE: [Joint Agreement Reached for $1.3 Million Russell City Redress Fund Management](https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/thursday-afternoon-news-roundup-22397383.php)  

​Government Document Repository Links
4. City of Hayward Archive (1950): Inspect Russell City Sanitation (The Daily Review)

5. City of Hayward Archive (1952): Substandard Russell City Area To Get Final Urban Renewal Push

6. City of Hayward Archive (1956): Alameda County Board of Supervisors Refuses Water Service to Unincorporated Russell City

7. City of Hayward Archive (1964): Demolition Order Executed for Remaining Multi-Family Structures
​Local History & Historical Journalism

8. Hayward Area Historical Society Collection: The Blues Tradition of the Hayward Shoreline Enclave

9. East Bay Times Archives: Hayward Council Approves Historical Markers and Reparation Framework for Displaced Families

10. San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper: The Unspoken Dislocation of Black Landowners in the Bay Area

Task:
​Generative AI tools (Large Language Models, or LLMs) are increasingly used by researchers to draft quick summaries of historical events. However, LLMs have a known vulnerability: they can generate plausible-sounding "hallucinations"—references, URL structures, or citations that look completely real but do not exist in the real world.

​As a beginner Wikipedia editor, your most vital responsibility under WP:VERIFY (Wikipedia’s Verifiability Policy) is to ensure that every reference added to an article points to a real, reliable source.


TESTED WEBSITE REFERENCE LINKS:
1. Yes
 https://www.kqed.org/news/11922175/remembering-russell-city-a-thriving-east-bay-town-razed-by-racist-government

2. Yes 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/28/russell-city-california-black-residents-oakland

3. Yes
https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/russell-city

4. Yes
https://www.hayward-ca.gov/content/history-and-heritage-russell-city

5.Yes
https://www.haywardhistory.com/russell-city/

6. Is from Wikipedia article 

7. Yes
https://www.hayward-ca.gov/discover/hayward-history/russell-city/documents/county-seek-federal-aid-renewal-russell-city-oakland-tribune-mar-15-1961

8. Yes
https://www.haywardhistory.com/russell-city/

9. No
Link doesn't exist probably moved.

10. No 
Article moved or taken down. 

The May 24, 1963, Oakland Tribune article details the systemic neglect and destruction of the multi-racial Russell City community through industrial redevelopment, discriminatory blight designations, and eminent domain.


11. Not got a 404.



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