How does footnotes looks

This is especially true for discursive notes that include commentary on the text. If your notes are very long or complex, however, endnotes may be the better choice. Note that if you are using author-date style , your paper may still include discursive footnotes see section To see what a page with footnotes looks like, consult the sample below. For more details, see chapters 16 and 17 in the Turabian Manual. See also section A. The T urabian tip sheets illustrate everything you need to know for formatting a student paper in Chicago style.

They are fully compatible with The Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed. Both serve similar purposes; the main difference lies in their location in your text. Here's a closer look at how both footnotes and endnotes work. When deciding whether to use footnotes or endnotes , authors must consider three main factors:. To make a footnote citation, label the area of your text that you need to reference with a number if it's your first footnote, start with "1.

At the bottom of the page, include this number with the citation. When readers see the number in the text, they know they can find the source by looking for the corresponding footnote. The exact format of your footnote depends on the style guide you're following. Here are some of the most common style guides for writing papers, as well as the footnote rules for each one.

However, footnotes are occasionally employed in other style guides as well. While MLA style discourages the use of long footnotes or endnotes, the style guide does permit their use for directing readers to other pertinent information on a relevant subject.

The guide recommends that superscript numbers within the text are placed outside any punctuation that might be present i. The exception to this is that the superscript numbers should be placed before dashes.

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. Of the three main style guides described here, CMS relies on footnotes the most. While CMS does allow the author—date system of in-text referencing i. In both cases, bibliographies are also required.

Whether an author should use the author—date system or footnotes is often decided by the author's professor, journal, or publisher. As an example, if footnotes are used, the following format should be adhered to when referencing a book in CMS:.

To use footnotes in your own book, essay, or article, you must first decide on the most appropriate and logical placement of your footnotes in the text. Add numbers according to your chosen style guide, and be sure to add the numbers directly after the phrase, clause, or sentence to which the corresponding footnote refers.

Most online writing programs such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs come with easy-to-use tools for inserting footnotes. Here are step-by-step guides to using footnotes in both these programs. You've created your first footnote. You can also adjust the footnote settings like the numbering by clicking the arrow beside the Footnotes group. It's really that easy! To improve your writing and avoid cluttering the page, you should use footnotes sparingly and only to provide helpful additions or citations.

As previously noted, this information may be considered supplementary, which is why it's best to place it away from the main portion of your writing. When creating your footnotes, always keep reader convenience in mind, and remember that the footnotes are there to convey helpful information. If your footnotes are excessive or unnecessary, readers are likely to become annoyed — they may even be distracted from the main points of your writing.

Now that you're no longer asking "What are footnotes? Be sure to follow the recommendations above, as well as those of your preferred style guide, to ensure that you're using footnotes to their best effect. Don't forget—if you ever need help with writing, our academic articles are here for you! If you need professional proofreading , let Scribendi perfect your writing. Check with your professors to see which style they prefer. The format for a footnote or endnote varies depending on whether it refers to a book, article, or online source.

There are some key characteristics common to all footnotes and endnotes:. For example:. Note that The Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed. The shortened citation shown above author surname, shortened title, page number is preferred.

The information you include in a footnote varies based on the type of source you cite; navigate to the following pages to learn more:. Academic Skills. Footnotes and Endnotes. How is a footnote different from an endnote?