{"id":51185,"date":"2022-03-28T12:05:13","date_gmt":"2022-03-28T10:05:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.nl\/?p=51185"},"modified":"2022-06-07T13:31:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T11:31:30","slug":"what-are-footnotes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/citing-sources\/what-are-footnotes\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Footnotes? | Guide with Word Instructions"},"content":{"rendered":"
Footnotes are notes placed at the bottom of the page in a piece of academic writing and indicated in the text with superscript numbers (or sometimes letters or other symbols). You can insert footnotes automatically in Word or Google Docs<\/a>. They\u2019re used to provide:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re writing in Microsoft Word or in Google Docs, it\u2019s easy to insert footnotes automatically using the built-in functionality of the software.<\/p>\n Most style guidelines are flexible enough that these automatically inserted footnotes meet their requirements, so that you don\u2019t have to worry about the specifics of formatting.<\/p>\n It\u2019s straightforward to insert footnotes in Word. Just follow these steps:<\/p>\n You can also easily add footnotes in Google Docs. Follow the steps below:<\/p>\n Footnotes should be numbered consecutively in the order they appear throughout your paper. Each note should have a unique number; don\u2019t use the same number again even if you cite the same source repeatedly.<\/p>\n Footnote numbers are usually placed at the end of the relevant clause or sentence. The number appears after any punctuation, except when the clause ends with an em dash<\/a>, in which case the number appears before it. Don\u2019t add a space before the number.<\/p>\n Chicago style<\/a> uses footnotes for citations (unless you\u2019re following Chicago author-date<\/a>). Footnotes can also be used to add extra information such as commentary on the source cited, or elaborations on a point you touched on in the main text.<\/p>\n In Chicago footnotes<\/a>, you place a footnote at the end of the clause or sentence that needs a citation. The footnote contains full information about each source the first time you cite it, and shortened information for subsequent citations of the same source.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01. Tegan George and Jack Caulfield, \u201cAcademic Integrity vs. Academic Dishonesty,\u201d March 10, 2022, https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/plagiarism\/academic-dishonesty\/.<\/p>\n \u00a02. George and Caulfield, \u201cAcademic Integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Full information about all your sources is usually included in a bibliography<\/a> at the end, except in very short papers, where footnote citations may be used alone if your institution allows it.<\/p>\n Chicago recommends using your word processor\u2019s built-in footnote function to add footnotes, but a couple of formatting details may need to be changed manually:<\/p>\n APA footnotes<\/a> are used only for providing extra information, since APA in-text citations<\/a> appear in parentheses instead.<\/p>\n You can use them to provide supplemental information such as additional examples or clarifications; do this sparingly, as APA warns against including nonessential information. Footnotes are also used to provide copyright attribution<\/a> when it\u2019s needed.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01<\/sup> From What Parents Can Expect in Behavior Therapy<\/em>, by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017 (https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncbddd\/adhd\/infographics\/what-parents-expect.html). In the public domain.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2<\/sup> A second round of testing was initially planned, but this idea was abandoned due to \u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n APA recommends using your word processing software to automatically insert footnotes, but add an indent at the start of each footnote if this isn\u2019t done automatically. The footnote begins with the superscript footnote number followed by a space.<\/p>\n MLA footnotes<\/a> are used to provide supplemental information such as extra examples, clarifications of citation practice, or elaborations on ideas.<\/p>\n MLA in-text citations<\/a> appear in parentheses, not in notes, but where a lot of citations are needed at once, they can be placed in a footnote to avoid cluttering the text.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a01<\/sup> Citations of marginalia refer to George\u2019s edition and include page numbers. Citations of the poem refer to Davis\u2019s edition and include line numbers.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 2<\/sup> This remains a controversial point. Researchers in the field have debated this issue since \u2026<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 3<\/sup> See Crittenden 5\u201311; Kent 17\u201334; Smith 44\u201350; and Jones 36.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n MLA recommends using your word processor to automatically insert footnotes, styling the number at the start of the citation in superscript, followed by a space. An indent should also be added at the start of the footnote (before the number).<\/p>\n Footnotes<\/a> appear at the bottom of the page they refer to. This is convenient for the reader but may cause your text to look cluttered if there are a lot of footnotes.<\/p>\n Endnotes<\/a> appear all together at the end of the whole text. This may be less convenient for the reader but reduces clutter.<\/p>\n Both footnotes and endnotes are used in the same way: to cite sources<\/a> or add extra information. You should usually choose one or the other to use in your text, not both.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/dd>\n <\/div>\n Footnotes<\/a> are notes indicated in your text with numbers and placed at the bottom of the page. They\u2019re used to provide:<\/p>\n Be sparing in your use of footnotes (other than citation footnotes), and consider whether the information you\u2019re adding is relevant for the reader.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/dd>\n <\/div>\n To insert a footnote<\/a> automatically in a Word document:<\/p>\n If you need to change the type of notes used in a Word document from footnotes<\/a> to endnotes<\/a>, or the other way around, follow these steps:<\/p>\n Footnotes are notes placed at the bottom of the page in a piece of academic writing and indicated in the text with superscript numbers (or sometimes letters or other symbols). You can insert footnotes automatically in Word or Google Docs. They\u2019re used to provide: Citations in certain styles Additional information that would disrupt the flow […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/p>\n
How to insert footnotes in Word and Google Docs<\/h2>\n
Inserting footnotes in Word<\/h3>\n
\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Inserting footnotes in Google Docs<\/h3>\n
\n
<\/a><\/p>\n
Numbering and placement of footnotes<\/h2>\n
Footnotes in Chicago style<\/h2>\n
\n
Footnotes in APA Style<\/h2>\n
Footnotes in MLA style<\/h2>\n
Frequently asked questions about footnotes and endnotes<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n