Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Use footnotes as citation
• Method 2 of 2: Using footnotes to clarify information
• Tips

Footnotes are very useful for providing additional information and resources at the bottom of a page of a text. Typically, editors will indicate to include information in parentheses as footnotes so as not to interrupt the flow of the text. When used properly, footnotes can be a very helpful addition to a text, and a quick way to quote a quote.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Use footnotes as citation

1. Write your bibliography / source list before posting the footnotes. A footnote is generally, but not always, an abbreviated version of a reference in the back of a book. Whatever content is mentioned in the footnote, it is generally the last thing that is done when writing a text. Write the complete text of your essay or thesis, including a reference list, before adding the footnotes.
2. Go to the end of the sentence you want to add a footnote to. In Microsoft Word, go to the References tab, and click "Insert Footnote." A "1" appears at the cursor location, and a "1" appears in the footer of the page. Enter the footnote information in the footer.
   • The cursor should be placed after the period. The number associated with the footnote should be placed outside the sentence, not inside it.
   • If you don't know where to find the menu for placing footnotes in your word processing program, search the manual for instructions.
3. Cite a quote or source. In case you are using footnotes instead of parenthetical references in the text, you should include the author or editor name in italics, compiler, translator, edition, series name (including number or volume. ), place of publication, publisher and date of publication, next to the page numbers of the citation.
   • For example: Reginald Daily, Timeless wiki How Examples: Through the Ages (Minneapolis: St. Olaf Press, 2010), 115.
4. Citing an online source. You need the following information to indicate a footnote of a website: author or editor of the website, title (italics), URL and date of consultation.
   • For example: Reginald Daily, Timeless wikiHow Examples, http: //www.timelesswikihowexamples.html (Accessed July 22, 2011).
5. Continue to place footnotes in your text. Go to each section in the text where you included a quote and repeat the previous process. Use an abbreviated version of a citation for consecutive footnotes from the same source. You will need the author's or editor's last name, an abbreviated title (in italics), and the numbers you gave the quotes.
   • Regardless of the style you have used, applying footnotes does not mean that you do not have to include a list of sources at the end of the article or essay, even if it seems a little unnecessary. Include a page with citations, or a reference list in the case of the APA style.

Method 2 of 2: Using footnotes to clarify information

1. Add footnotes that clarify sources. Rather than inserting information about the release in the footnote, many authors often place additional or indirectly related information in footnotes, often taken from other sources that are not directly cited. David Foster used Wallace in his bulky novel Infinite Jest use of page-long footnotes, intended as a joke for insiders. You should use this sparingly in scientific pieces, but it is more common in memoirs or non-fiction.
   • The convention in writing scientific articles is to quote in footnotes similar studies that have reached the same conclusion but are not directly cited in the text.
2. Be brief. If a text mentions a source that is related to wikiHow articles and you want to clarify this, your footnote might look like this: "WikiHow examples are used to clarify text in those situations where it is useful to use images. Reginald Daily, Timeless wikiHow Examples: Through the Ages (Minneapolis: St. Olaf Press, 2010), 115. "
3. Use these types of footnotes sparingly. Long-winded footnotes are distracting to the reader. If you find yourself wanting to cram a lot of information into footnotes, try to find a place for it in your text, or rewrite some of your text to use the extra information.
   • Editors will often recommend that any information in parentheses be included in the text as a footnote. Consider the course of the text and judge for yourself whether additional information might be better placed as a footnote at the bottom of the page.
4. Double check that a footnote is correct to use. Before you start inserting footnotes for reference, it is good to check with your editor or teacher whether it is a good idea to include the sources as a footnote. A characteristic of the MLA or APA guidelines is that references in the text, between brackets, are preferred, instead of footnotes, and the latter are reserved for additional information or alternative references on the same information. Use footnotes only where necessary.
   • In the Chicago style, footnotes are used more than references in parentheses.

Tips

• Before you start writing, it is wise to first consult with your teacher or organization whether the text should use the APA, MLA or Chicago style. After that, make sure you work consistently throughout the text following the guidelines of this style.