Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Part One: Footnote Basics
• Method 2 of 4: Part Two: Features of the MLA Style
• Method 3 of 4: Part Three: Features of the APA Style
• Method 4 of 4: Part Four: Features of the Chicago Style

Footnotes are common in Chicago-style documents, but rarely in MLA and APA-style documents. Regardless of the citation style you use, all footnotes you use must be properly formatted.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Part One: Footnote Basics

1. 1 Number the footnotes in the main body. In the main part of the document, footnotes should be numbered in Arabic numerals after the punctuation mark used in the sentence to which the footnote refers.
   • All footnote numbers should be in superscript in the body of the text.
   • For example:
     • Preliminary research suggests that this issue can be critical in its own field.
     • Research into this question can be challenging, but the effort is worth it.
   • Keep in mind that the only exceptions are the large dash and closing parentheses. When an em dash follows a marked sentence, the footnote number is preceded by the dash. Also, in the case where a sentence with a footnote is in parentheses, the footnote number must be in parentheses.
   • For example:
     • Research is essential — whether the effort is for personal or public benefit.
     • (It has already been proven that conflicting reports made in the past and shown in the diagram below were inaccurate.)
2. 2 Format the footnotes section at the bottom of each page. A footnote should appear at the bottom of each page containing related information, and it should be marked with Arabic numerals in the same format so that the corresponding sentence can be found in the main body of the text.
   • Footnotes should be typed one line at a time, spaced 4 or double-spaced 2 below the body of the text on this page.
   • Footnotes should be double-spaced.
   • Each footnote must start with a standard leading indentation (five spaces). Although only the first line begins with the red line. All others are at the level of the left edge of the page.
   • Place the appropriate number after the first paragraph indent, then add a period and one space. This should be followed by the footnote text.
   • Examples:
     • 1. For a more detailed explanation of this concept, see Smith, chapters 2 and 5.
     • 2. Other studies support similar findings. See Jackson 64-72, Doe & Johnson 101-157.
     • 3. Brown, who worked closely with Smith during these studies, agrees with Smith's course of events, but disagrees with his conclusions. (Brown 54).
     • 4. Note. From Engineering Research, J. Doe, 2007, Intelligent Journal11, p. 14. Copyright 2007 by J. Doe. Reprinted with permission.
3. 3 Number each footnote sequentially in your document. Do not start over your numbering within the same document. Simply put, you should only have one footnote marked with a "1", one footnote marked with a "2", and so on.

Method 2 of 4: Part Two: Features of the MLA Style

1. 1 Use bibliographic footnotes in moderation. The MLA discourages the use of footnotes in a document, but some publishers use a footnote system instead of the more widely accepted parenthesis system.
   • Do not include the entire source in your footnotes. The bibliographic information contained in your footnotes should only provide information that is usually indicated in parentheses.
   • You will have to include bibliographic information in the context of the full proposal. At a minimum, you should start your sentence with the words “See ... "
   • Put a period at the end of each link.
   • For example:
     • 1.See Smith, chapters 2 and 5 for a more detailed explanation of this concept.
     • 2. Other studies support similar findings. See Jackson 64-72, Doe & Johnson 101-157.
2. 2 Insert footnotes for explanatory purposes. Most of your reasoning and information should be included in the main body of the document, and the MLA style discourages long, off-topic notes. However, if you occasionally need to include summaries that deviate from the main topic, you can use footnotes to do so.
   • Each footnote must fit into one complete sentence. Avoid using footnotes that are longer than one or two sentences.
   • Include information that will be useful to the reader, even if it deviates from the main topic.
   • For example:
     • Brown, who worked closely with Smith during these studies, agrees with Smith's course of events, but disagrees with his conclusions. (Brown 54).

Method 3 of 4: Part Three: Features of the APA Style

1. 1 Insert meaningful footnotes only when necessary. Semantic footnotes can be used when you have additional information that will benefit your readers, even if it does not fit the main body of your document. Use these notes as sparingly as possible, as the APA style does not favor the frequent use of footnotes.
   • Limit the content of your footnotes to one or two sentences. The total length should not exceed one small paragraph.
   • Note the brevity and purpose of your footnote. In other words, talk only about one thing, and, if possible, do it as succinctly.
   • You can also use footnotes to tell readers where to find more information.
   • For example:
     • 1.SeeSmith (2009) for a more detailed explanation of this concept.
     • 2. Other studies support similar findings. See Jackson (1998), Doe & Johnson (2012).
     • Brown (2009), who worked closely with Smith during these studies, agrees with Smith's course of events, but disagrees with his findings.
2. 2 Insert copyright footnotes if necessary. If you have used a direct quote of more than 500 words from published material, you need formal permission from the first author. This authorization must be mentioned in a footnote.
   • In order not to violate the "fair use" of copyright, it is also required that you obtain formal permission from the author.
   • You will also need to paste the copyright link if you are copying a graph, diagram, or table from another source.
   • Such excerpts usually begin with the word "Note" in italics.
   • The APA specifies the full extract from the source.
   • For example:
     • 4.Note. From Engineering Research, J. Doe, 2007, Intelligent Journal11, p. 14. Copyright 2007 by J. Doe. Reprinted with permission.

Method 4 of 4: Part Four: Features of the Chicago Style

1. 1 Use bibliographic footnotes in all text quotes. Unlike the APA and MLA styles, the Chicago style prefers to use footnotes instead of parenthetical quotes. Information relevant to all of your text quotes should only be conveyed by footnotes.
   • Please note that footnotes must also appear at the bottom of the page containing the information provided, and the basic rules for footnote formatting apply to them.
2. 2 Provide complete bibliographic information. A footnote should include more than just the name of the author, page number or date of publication. The link should contain a complete list of cited materials. It includes the names of the author or authors and all information about the published original source.
   • Please provide the full names of the authors in the same order in which they appeared in the original source. Do not replace full names with initials.
   • Please note that the complete list of cited materials should be indicated when you first refer to the text, but each time you refer to the same text, you should use an incomplete or shortened form.
3. 3 Provide used literature. When citing a book, you should include the full name of the author in the format First Name Last Namefollowed by the title of the book in italics. After that, in parentheses, you need to indicate the place of publication, the publisher and the year of publication. If necessary, add the page number of the original source at the end.
   • If there are two or three authors, each author must be listed in the same sequence in which it was done in the original source. If there are four or more authors, enter the name of the first author only, followed by the phrase "etc."
   • Examples:
     • 1. John Doe and Bob Smith, Interesting book (New York: Amazing Publishing, 2010), 32.
     • 2. Rebecca Johnson et al., Another great book (Chicago: Fine Publishing, 2009), 102.
   • For subsequent links to the same text, reduce the size of the link to last names, titles, and page numbers.
   • Examples:
     • 3. Doe and Smith, Interesting book , 98.
     • 4. Johnson et al., Another great book. 117.
4. 4 Citation of journal articles. When citing articles from journals, indicate the full name of the author in the format First Name Last Name, the title of the article in quotation marks and the title of the journal in italics. This information should be followed by the edition number, issue number and page number in parentheses.
   • Example:
     • Sue Rogers, Smart Article, A very important journal, 14, no. 3 (2011): 62.
   • When referring to the same article later in the text, reduce the footnote size to last name, article title and page number.
   • Example:
     • Rogers, Smart Article, 84.