Research Skills

Footnotes

What are footnotes?

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. In this case, you could add the symbol for a footnote. Then, at the bottom of the page you could reprint the symbol and insert your comment. Here is an example:

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This is an illustration of a footnote.¹ The number “1” at the end of the previous sentence corresponds with the note below. See how it fits in the body of the text?

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¹ At the bottom of the page you can insert your comments about the sentence preceding the footnote.

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When your reader comes across the footnote in the main text of your paper, he or she can either look down at your comments right away, or continue reading the paragraph and read your comments at the end. Because this makes it convenient for your reader, most citation styles require that you use either footnotes or endnotes in your paper. Some, however, allow you to make parenthetical references (author, date) in the body of your work:

Example of parenthetical reference: Professor Scott asserts that “environmental reform in Alaska in the 1970s accelerated rapidly as a pipeline expansion.”: (Scott 1999,23)

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Footnotes are not just for interesting comments, however. Sometimes they simply refer to relevant sources - they let your reader know where certain material came from, or where they can look for other sources on the subject. If you're not sure whether you should cite your sources in footnotes or in the body of your paper, you should ask your subject teacher or EPQ mentor.

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Where does the little footnote mark go?

Whenever possible, put the footnote at the end of a sentence, immediately following the period or whatever punctuation mark completes that sentence. Skip two spaces after the footnote before you begin the next sentence. If you must include the footnote in the middle of a sentence for the sake of clarity, or because the sentence has more than one footnote (try to avoid this!), aim to put it at the end of the most relevant phrase, after a comma or other punctuation mark. Otherwise, put it right at the end of the most relevant word. If the footnote is not at the end of a sentence, skip only one space after it.

Creating a footnote in Word (or other word-processing programs, such as Pages) is usually very easy. Place your mouse cursor where you want the footnote to go, and find the footnote creation button on the toolbar. In Word it can be found under the 'References' tab:

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What's the difference between footnotes and endnotes?

The only real difference is placement - footnotes appear at the bottom of the relevant page, while endnotes all appear at the end of your document. If you want your reader to read or refer to your notes right away, footnotes are more likely to get your reader's attention. Endnotes, on the other hand, are less intrusive and will not interrupt the flow of your paper. Again, check with your subject teacher or EPQ mentor if you're not sure which to use. Endnotes can also be added using the toolbar button in Word.

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If I cite sources in the footnotes (or endnotes), how is that different from a bibliography?

Sometimes you may just be asked to include these as well - especially if you have used a parenthetical style of citation. If you are using someone else's words, statistics, illustrations, etc. you must make it clear that these are not your own work to avoid being accused of plagiarism. Taking someone else's work and using it as your own can result in a failed piece of coursework or research project.

A "works cited" page is a list of all the works from which you have borrowed material. Your reader may find this more convenient than footnotes or endnotes because he or she will not have to wade through all of the comments and other information in order to see the sources from which you drew your material. A "works consulted" page is a complement to a "works cited" page, listing all of the works you used, whether they were useful or not.

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Isn't a "works consulted" page the same as a "bibliography" then?

Well, yes. The title is different because "works consulted" pages are meant to complement "works cited" pages, and bibliographies may list other relevant sources in addition to those mentioned in footnotes or endnotes. Choosing to title your bibliography "Works Consulted" or "Selected Bibliography" may help specify the relevance of the sources listed. It is highly unlikely you will need to use both.

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If in doubt, stick to using footnotes and a bibliography, as these are the most commonly used methods of citation and research referencing. Ask your teachers about what form of citation they want you to use.

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This page is adapted from: http://www.plagiarism.org/citing-sources/what-are-footnotes/