When Should Footnotes Be Used?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Like MLA, APA discourages the use of footnotes unless absolutely necessary. Even then, the guide recommends that footnotes only be used

to provide content notes

(such as providing brief, supplemental information about the text or directing readers to additional information) and to denote copyright permissions.

What is a footnote used for?

Footnotes are notes placed at the bottom of a page. They

cite references or comment on a designated part of the text above it

. For example, say you want to add an interesting comment to a sentence you have written, but the comment is not directly related to the argument of your paragraph.

When should I use footnotes or endnotes?

Footnotes are

used as a citation vehicle for a short citation

, while endnotes can contain more text without compromising the format of the paper.

Should I use footnotes or in-text citations?

Using footnotes for citations

Citation styles such as Chicago A, OSCOLA, Turabian and ACS

require the use of footnote citations instead of author-date in-text citations

. This means that if you want to cite a source, you add a superscript number at the end of the sentence that includes the information from this source.

When should footnotes be used Chicago?

Footnotes should be used

whenever a source is quoted or paraphrased in the text

. They appear at the bottom of the relevant page, corresponding to reference numbers in the text. You can easily insert footnotes in Microsoft Word.

How do you use footnotes correctly?

  1. When a footnote must be placed at the end of a clause,

    1

    add the number after the comma.
  2. When a footnote must be placed at the end of a sentence, add the number after the period. …
  3. Numbers denoting footnotes should always appear after punctuation, with the exception of one piece of punctuation

    3

    —the dash.

How do you do footnotes correctly?

  1. Include the pages on which the cited information is found so that readers easily find the source.
  2. Match with a superscript number (example:

    1

    ) at the end of the sentence referencing the source.
  3. Begin with 1 and continue numerically throughout the paper. Do not start the order over on each page.

Can I use both footnotes and endnotes?


You do not have to use both

. That said, if your teacher says to use both, then you do. 1 Footnotes are the small notations at the bottom of the page giving the citations or extra information for only that page. Endnotes, on the other hand, have all the citations and notes together at the end.

What are the two types of footnotes?

There are two types of footnotes used in APA format:

content footnotes and copyright footnotes

.

How many footnotes should be on a page?

A lot of people do add 7–8 footnotes, which might be good if they are extremely relevant. However, even so,

2–3 footnotes

, which is the average, are more than enough per page.

Where do you put footnotes in text?

Footnote or endnote numbers in the text should follow punctuation, and preferably be

placed at the end of a sentence

. When citing the source for a quotation, the number should be placed at the end of the quotation and not after the author’s name if that appears first in the text.

What is footnote referencing called?

Footnotes (sometimes just called ‘notes’) are what they sound like—a note (or a reference to a source of information) which appears at the foot (bottom) of a page. In a footnote referencing system, you indicate a reference by: … This number is called

a note identifier

. It sits slightly above the line of text.

Why is it important to cite your own work?


Citing or documenting the sources used in your research

serves three purposes: It gives proper credit to the authors of the words or ideas that you incorporated into your paper. … Citing your sources consistently and accurately helps you avoid committing plagiarism in your writing.

Can you use one footnote for multiple sentences?

If there is more than one sentence in a single paragraph that requires a footnote you may consolidate these by putting multiple sources in a single note and the end of the paragraph. …

You should NEVER use one footnote to refer to material

in more than a single paragraph of text .

How do I put multiple sources in one footnote?

To cite multiple sources of the same kind in the same footnote, put

the sources in chronological order with the oldest first, separating them with a semi-colon

. For example: Broder v Saillard (1876) 2 Ch D 692 (Ch); Pemberton v Bright [1960] 1 All ER 792 (CA).

Do footnotes go inside or outside quotation marks Chicago?

When using direct quotes in your assignment enclose them in

double quotation marks

with the footnote number at the end of the quote. If the quote is longer than 30 words start the quote indented on a new line, without double quotation marks.

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.