readers can find footnotes at the end of the page. Too many notes imply a disorganized paper.Įasy to locate. Ask yourself, is this supplementary or tangential information that would otherwise disrupt the narrative flow of the text or is this essential information that I should integrate into the main text? If you are not sure, it's better to work it into the text. NOTE: Always think critically about the information you place in a footnote or endnote. Consult with your professor about which form to use and always remember that, whichever style of citation you choose, apply it consistently throughout your paper. However, some disciplines, such as law and history, still predominantly utilize footnotes.
In general, the use of footnotes in most academic writing is now considered a bit outdated and has been replaced by endnotes, which are much easier to place in your paper, even with the advent of word processing programs.
If you are unsure about how to use endnotes, consult with your professor.ģ. Depending on the writing style used in your class, endnotes may take the place of a list of resources cited in your paper or they may represent non-bibliographic items, such as comments or observations, followed by a separate list of references to the sources you cited and arranged alphabetically by the author's last name. In general, to avoid interrupting the continuity of the text, footnote numbers are placed at the end of the sentence, clause, or phrase containing the quoted or paraphrased material.Ģ. They can follow all punctuation marks except dashes.
Do not include periods, parentheses, or slashes.
The numbering of footnotes are "superscript"-Arabic numbers typed slightly above the line of text. Footnotes are numbered consecutively throughout a research paper, except for those notes accompanying special material (e.g., figures, tables, charts, etc.). Things to keep in mind when considering using either endnotes or footnotes in your research paper:ġ.