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What Are Footnotes? | Guide with Word Instructions
Published on March 28, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 7, 2022.
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’re used to provide:
- Citations in certain styles
- Additional information that would disrupt the flow of the main text
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Table of contents
How to insert footnotes in word and google docs, numbering and placement of footnotes, footnotes in chicago style, footnotes in apa style, footnotes in mla style, frequently asked questions about footnotes and endnotes.
If you’re writing in Microsoft Word or in Google Docs, it’s easy to insert footnotes automatically using the built-in functionality of the software.
Most style guidelines are flexible enough that these automatically inserted footnotes meet their requirements, so that you don’t have to worry about the specifics of formatting.
Inserting footnotes in Word
It’s straightforward to insert footnotes in Word. Just follow these steps:
- Click on the point in the text where you want the footnote number to appear.
- Select the “References” tab at the top, and then select “Insert Footnote.”
- Type whatever text you want into the footnote that appears.
Inserting footnotes in Google Docs
You can also easily add footnotes in Google Docs. Follow the steps below:
- Click on the point in the text where you want to add a footnote.
- At the top, click on “Insert” and then on “Footnote” in the drop-down menu.
- Type the text you want into the footnote.
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Footnotes should be numbered consecutively in the order they appear throughout your paper. Each note should have a unique number; don’t use the same number again even if you cite the same source repeatedly.
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 , in which case the number appears before it. Don’t add a space before the number.
Chicago style uses footnotes for citations (unless you’re following Chicago author-date ). 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.
In Chicago footnotes , 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.
1. Tegan George and Jack Caulfield, “Academic Integrity vs. Academic Dishonesty,” March 10, 2022, https://www.scribbr.com/plagiarism/academic-dishonesty/.
2. George and Caulfield, “Academic Integrity.”
Full information about all your sources is usually included in a bibliography at the end, except in very short papers, where footnote citations may be used alone if your institution allows it.
Chicago recommends using your word processor’s built-in footnote function to add footnotes, but a couple of formatting details may need to be changed manually:
- Add an indent at the start of each footnote (before the number).
- Write the number at the start of the note in normal text (not superscript), followed by a period and then a space.
- Leave one blank line between footnotes, and make sure footnotes are single-spaced.
APA footnotes are used only for providing extra information, since APA in-text citations appear in parentheses instead.
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 when it’s needed.
1 From What Parents Can Expect in Behavior Therapy , by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017 (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/infographics/what-parents-expect.html). In the public domain.
2 A second round of testing was initially planned, but this idea was abandoned due to …
APA recommends using your word processing software to automatically insert footnotes, but add an indent at the start of each footnote if this isn’t done automatically. The footnote begins with the superscript footnote number followed by a space.
MLA footnotes are used to provide supplemental information such as extra examples, clarifications of citation practice, or elaborations on ideas.
MLA in-text citations 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.
1 Citations of marginalia refer to George’s edition and include page numbers. Citations of the poem refer to Davis’s edition and include line numbers.
2 This remains a controversial point. Researchers in the field have debated this issue since …
3 See Crittenden 5–11; Kent 17–34; Smith 44–50; and Jones 36.
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).
Footnotes 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.
Endnotes appear all together at the end of the whole text. This may be less convenient for the reader but reduces clutter.
Both footnotes and endnotes are used in the same way: to cite sources or add extra information. You should usually choose one or the other to use in your text, not both.
Footnotes are notes indicated in your text with numbers and placed at the bottom of the page. They’re used to provide:
- Citations (e.g., in Chicago notes and bibliography )
Be sparing in your use of footnotes (other than citation footnotes), and consider whether the information you’re adding is relevant for the reader.
To insert a footnote automatically in a Word document:
- Click on the point in the text where the footnote should appear
- Select the “References” tab at the top and then click on “Insert Footnote”
- Type the text you want into the footnote that appears at the bottom of the page
If you need to change the type of notes used in a Word document from footnotes to endnotes , or the other way around, follow these steps:
- Open the “References” tab, and click the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the “Footnotes” section.
- In the pop-up window, click on “Convert…”
- Choose the option you need, and click “OK.”
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Caulfield, J. (2022, June 07). What Are Footnotes? | Guide with Word Instructions. Scribbr. Retrieved October 14, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/what-are-footnotes/
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MLA Endnotes and Footnotes
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Because long explanatory notes can be distracting to readers, most academic style guidelines (including MLA and APA, the American Psychological Association) recommend limited use of endnotes/footnotes. However, certain publishers encourage or require note references in lieu of parenthetical references.
Bibliographic Notes
MLA discourages extensive use of explanatory or digressive notes. MLA style does, however, allow you to use endnotes or footnotes for bibliographic notes , which refer to other publications your readers may consult. The following are some examples:
To cite a lengthy string of sources.
¹See Said, Culture and Imperialism and Orientalism ; Serres, The Natural Contract ; Foucault, The Foucault Reader , esp. Part II.
²For more material related to Postcolonial Studies and Technology, see McClintock, Imperial Leather ; De Landa, War in the Age of Intelligent Machines.
To explain an unusual documentation practice.
³Italicised words denote translations for which there are no clear equivalents in the original Chinese.
To flag editions and translations used. Editions and translations usually require a note only when more than one edition or translation is cited. This can be done by placing a note in the text where the work is first referenced. Alternatively, an initial and unnumbered note may be created.
⁴Citations of The Odyssey refer to Emily Wilson’s translated version unless otherwise noted.
⁵Translations are provided by Emily Wilson unless otherwise noted.
Content Notes
You can also use endnotes/footnotes for occasional explanatory notes (also known as content notes), which refer to brief additional information that might be too digressive for the main text:
To amplify. Writers may feel that amplifying certain sections of their content will allow readers to better understand the context which affected/affects the following circumstances.
¹Kujou and Yanagi are often confused by their misinterpretation of each other’s words, actions, and interactions with others.
²Beach considers Readicide to be a necessary read for all incoming Student Teachers, including it in recommended words for all his students.
³Culler makes it clear that “Literature” is “an institutional label that gives us reason to expect that the results of our reading efforts will be ‘worth it’” (28).
To explain word choice.
⁴She refers here to a branch of physiological research.
⁵He chose to translate the verb (first translated by Yang as “to feel”) as “to understand” to point to the character development.
To justify the scope of your study. Justifying the scope of your study can help readers better understand what to expect from reading your work by specifically pointing to what will or will not be explored, and why.
⁶Whether or not Beowulf as a character is justified in his actions is not relevant to my point.
⁷The efforts of decolonization are beyond the extent of my essay, but I point readers to Garvey’s work.
To provide more examples.
⁸Readers can think about Atwood’s inclusion of insects in her literary work
⁹This same idea applies to queer youth, as Chelsea Monheim’s “Percieved social norms and acceptance of transgender students in gendered restrooms” addresses.
To provide counterexamples.
¹⁰Bankfeld (99-102) calls for an alternative call to action.
To identity of comment on allusions.
¹¹The reference to ‘Westword’ in Iron Man 3 recalls the 1973 movie Westworld, starring Yul Brynner as a killing cyborg.
To point to an area of future research.
¹²More extensive research remains to be done on this subject.
To identify authors whose names appear as et al. in documentation.
¹³The contributing authors of Teaching Literature to Adolescents are Deborah Appleman, Bob Fecho, and Rob Simon.
To acknowledge.
¹⁴Anna Turner, from a local veterinary clinic, brought distinctions between small and large animal care to my attention.
Numbering endnotes and footnotes in the document body
MLA notes may be styled either as footnotes or endnotes. Endnotes and footnotes in MLA format are indicated in-text by superscript Arabic numbers after the punctuation of the phrase or clause to which the note refers:
Note that when a long dash appears in the text, the footnote/endnote number appears before the dash:
Do not use asterisks (*), angle brackets (>), or other symbols for note references. The list of endnotes and footnotes (either of which, for papers submitted for publication, should be listed on a separate page, as indicated below) should correspond to the note references in the text. Do not use the abbreviation ibid. in a note to refer readers to the information provided in the note right above it.
Placement of Notes in the Text
Use parentheses around page numbers when page numbers interrupt a sentence or are given at the end of a sentence. Similar to parenthetical citations within text, citations in notes are usually placed at the end of a sentence. Alternatively, parenthetical citations may be placed mid-sentence.
¹As Danes (45) and Gilmore (151) argue, caffeinated beverages play a vital role in American business environments.
²Gilmore considers the relationship between caffeine, productivity, and success (151).
Do not place parentheses around page numbers if the note is utilized to direct readers to the location of information. For example:
³See Gilmore 151.
Notes in MLA format are typically indicated in-text by superscript Arabic numbers (1, 2, 3, …) after the punctuation mark of the phrase or clause to which the note refers. Whenever possible, place the superscript numbers at the end of sentences. Keep in mind that word processing programs will likely style note numbers in the text and notes section as superscript by default .
Audience members generally responded positively to the racial representation in the musical.¹
Marquis de Lafayette uses a stereotypical White American accent to say the word “anarchy.”²
Aaron Burr advises a young Alexander Hamilton to “talk less, smile more” (16).³
Note that when a dash appears in the text, the note number appears before the dash.
After finding out about her daughter’s passion for music, Cho⁴—surprised, impressed, and a little confused—purchased a piano and allowed her daughter to take lessons.
If a note number must be placed somewhere other than at the end of a sentence or a sentence requires more than one note, the note number should be placed in the least distracting unambiguous spot. For instance:
Placement of a note mid-sentence, for clarity of citations.
Despite the awareness from her past mistakes,⁵ Britney “did it again” and thus continued to face the consequences of her actions (203).
Placement of more than one note in a sentence.
Crystal’s love of farmers markets—especially those located in their hometown (which they support by “getting up at 7am every Saturday to go to” [Webb 21]⁶)—has become apparent even on social media platforms.⁷
Formatting endnotes and footnotes
Endnotes Page
MLA recommends that all notes be listed on a separate page entitled Notes (centered). Title the page Note if there is only one note. The Notes page should appear before the Works Cited page. This is especially important for papers being submitted for publication.
The notes themselves should be double-spaced and listed by consecutive Arabic numbers that correspond to the notation in the text. The first line of each endnote is indented five spaces, and subsequent lines are flush with the left margin. Place a period and a space after each endnote number, and then provide the appropriate note after the space.
Footnotes (below the text body)
The ninth edition of the MLA Handbook states that notes may be styled either as footnotes or endnotes. See the MLA Style Center for additional guidance on this topic and follow your instructor's or editor's preferences.
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