Any supplementary information about the topic being discussed in the text can be added in the footnote. In most citation styles, footnotes are used to provide additional information. While MLA and APA use footnotes to provide additional information, Chicago uses footnotes in one of its systems of citing the sources (notes–bibliography system). Do MLA, APA, and Chicago use footnotes?Īll three citation styles use footnotes. If footnotes provide a short citation of the source (e.g., Chicago style), they need the bibliography to be added to allow the reader to see the full information of the source. You can use both footnotes and endnotes in your paper, but use different numbering styles to distinguish them. A footnote will act as a short citation, whereas an endnote may act as a bibliography and provide full details of the source. The following sections will explain how to add callouts in the text and add footnotes in the footer. An endnote, on the other hand, appears at the end of the paper under the heading “Notes.” In most citation styles, footnotes are used to provide additional information. For example, Chicago, Turabian, and Oscola citation styles follow footnote citation instead of the author–date citation.įAQs What is the difference between a footnote and an endnote?Ī footnote appears at the end of each page on which it is cited. In addition to providing additional information, footnotes also act as citations in some styles. You can follow either footnote style or endnote style. The advantage of using a footnote is that it does not hinder the reader from the main topic discussed in the text. Include only information that provides supplementary details as a footnote.

Such information should be included in the text and not as a footnote. The information added in the footnote should not be a continuation of the text being discussed in the text. Footnotes provide additional information for a term, phrase, or sentence mentioned in the text.

Foot note