A citation reference must be a URL

Rule blockquote-cite-valid · Document, language & navigation · impact minor · Static + live

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Why it matters#

The cite attribute on a quotation carries a machine-readable link to the source. Filling it with a book title or an author name puts the information where nothing can use it, and leaves the actual source unavailable to the assistive technology and tooling that would surface it.

How to fix#

Put a URL in cite, and give human readers a visible source link or a <cite> element alongside the quotation.

Example#

<blockquote cite="Moby Dick, chapter 1">Call me Ishmael.</blockquote>

<blockquote cite="https://example.com/moby-dick">Call me Ishmael.</blockquote>

WCAG success criteria#

1.3.1 Info and Relationships — Level A#

Structure and relationships conveyed visually (headings, lists, tables, labels, groups) must also be available programmatically.

Understanding 1.3.1

Standards#

This rule contributes to the following standards:

WCAG A EN 301 549

References#

• HTML — blockquote