Last update
The Last update signal displays the timestamp of the most recent edit to the Wikimedia page being cited or reused (e.g., “Last update 22 September 2025”).
This attribute highlights recency and makes editorial activity transparent, reinforcing the perception of Wikimedia projects as living resources. Showing when a Wikimedia page was last updated gives readers a quick way to see that the information they are being provided is actively maintained, which can positively impact their trust in relevance and accuracy.
Data sources
This section identifies where and how the data behind this signal can be obtained. It points to the relevant Wikimedia APIs, datasets, or metadata fields that reusers can rely on to implement the signal accurately and consistently.
Wikimedia Attribution API Beta Recommended
The Wikimedia Attribution API returns the timestamp of a page’s latest update through a last_updated field. To receive this signal, include trust_and_relevance in the expand parameter. Reusers may transform timestamps into a more human-readable date or relative time format to make this information easier for end users to understand in context.
Reference documentation can be found in any wiki's REST API sandbox, such as the REST API sandbox on English Wikipedia →
Share feedback on this beta API →
Wikimedia Enterprise API Recommended
The date of the last revision of a Wikipedia article is stored in date_modified, a string with the timestamp of the last revision of the article in RFC3339 format.
Example: "2021-08-31T04:51:39Z"
See the Wikimedia Enterprise API documentation →
MediaWiki Action API
The query action in the Action API can be used to pull revision information, including the timestamp for the latest revision of a page.
See the MediaWiki Action API documentation →
MediaWiki REST API
The bare page endpoint is the most performant way to retrieve basic metadata about a page, including the ID and timestamp for its latest revision.
See the MediaWiki REST API documentation →
Implementation guidance
Minimum requirements
Surface the last edit timestamp of the specific version of the source page you reused. Display it either as a relative indicator (e.g., “Last updated 2 days ago”) or an absolute date in the user's locale. When using absolute dates, you may specify longer (e.g., “Last updated 22 September 2025”) or shorter formats (e.g., “Last update 09/2025”).
Make the attribute visible near the reused summary or title, or alongside other attribution elements.
Best practices
- Topic-conditional display: Recency isn’t always meaningful (e.g., Wikipedia articles about math topics are usually stable and may not be updated frequently). Consider conditional display for established subjects, and stronger prominence for time-sensitive topics (e.g., live events).
Reuse scenarios
The Last update signal makes Wikimedia’s constant editorial activity visible at a glance, and provides reusers with a simple, consistent way to convey recency. This signal is particularly valuable in the following scenarios:
Search
Recommended
Displaying last-edit dates reassures users that the responses offered are actively maintained and up to date.
AI assistants
Recommended
Including edit timestamps supports transparency and helps users judge the recency of the sources used to generate responses.