Guide to Footnotes
Purpose
Notes are put at the botom of a page (footnote) or at the end of an assignment (endnote). Although
footnotes or endnotes have a role to play in academic writng, as a rule-of-thumb your argument,
explanaton or interpretaton should be coherent and viable without them. Hence, you should not
carry on your main argument in footnotes or endnotes.
Generally speaking footnotes and endnotes should be used to back up the argument or provide
citatons. Occasionally they can be used to present subsidiary claims or useful details, which would
otherwise cluter your argument in the main text of your assignment. 1
Use
The American Psychological Associaton (APA) suggests only two instances in which footnotes may be
used:
1. Content footnotes or endnotes: to ofer further informaton on a topic that is not directly
related to the text. As content footnotes or endnotes should be concise, avoid writng lengthy
paragraphs or including extraneous informaton.
2. Citaton footnotes or endnotes: to provide citatons of the sources used and/or cite adapted
or reprinted materials in the paper, especially data sets, tables, and quotatons that exceed
400 words.2
In general, however the APA recommends we refrain from extensive usage of footnotes and
endnotes as this practce may distract or confuse readers. When applicable, incorporate additonal
informaton in the main text of the paper, but avoid insertng irrelevant material. Footnotes and
endnotes should briefy present the reader with meaningful informaton that enhances your
argument.
Practce: citaton footnotes
When to use notes is therefore a queston of judgement. As a general rule, however, you should use
them to indicate the sources of:
i) facts which are not generally known or agreed upon (hence, it is not necessary to use
footnotes or endnotes for facts which are generally known, e.g., “Japan is an island naton
comprised of four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku”).
ii) informaton which cannot be taken for granted (e.g., percentages of male and female artsts
in exhibitons in a certain year);
iii) partcular approaches or interpretatons;
iv) quotatons.
1
This secton is indebted to the Department of Art History and Film Studies' Guide to Essay Writng - Footnotes, University
of Sydney.
2
The Writng Commons gives some examples of Content and Copyright notes.
Foot/Endnote Guide 1
Practce: content footnotes
In additon to listng sources, notes can also serve as a place to put supplementary informaton that is
not appropriate in the main text of your essay or might distract your reader from your main
argument. Provide notes for the following:
i) suggestons for further reading;
ii) further explanaton or background that is not strictly relevant to your argument;
iii) defnitons of terms and concepts based on scholarly research;
iv) the original language of a translated quotaton;
v) and broad historiographical, methodological or conceptual debates that would be
overwhelming in the body of the essay. For example, if a date is disputed, you might explain
the debate in a note, while in the body of your essay providing only the date you have
determined is most valid.3
3
These fve additonal uses are provided by Trent University's Online History Workbook – Footnotes and Bibliographies.
Foot/Endnote Guide 2
Guide to Endnotes
Purpose
Notes are put at the botom of a page (footnote) or at the end of an assignment (endnote). Although
footnotes or endnotes have a role to play in academic writng, as a rule-of-thumb your argument,
explanaton or interpretaton should be coherent and viable without them. Hence, you should not
carry on your main argument in footnotes or endnotes.
Generally speaking footnotes and endnotes should be used to back up the argument or provide
citatons. Occasionally they can be used to present subsidiary claims or useful details, which would
otherwise cluter your argument in the main text of your assignment. 1
Use
The American Psychological Associaton (APA) suggests only two instances in which footnotes may be
used:
1. Content footnotes or endnotes: to ofer further informaton on a topic that is not directly
related to the text. As content footnotes or endnotes should be concise, avoid writng lengthy
paragraphs or including extraneous informaton.
2. Citaton footnotes or endnotes: to provide citatons of the sources used and/or cite adapted
or reprinted materials in the paper, especially data sets, tables, and quotatons that exceed
400 words.2
In general, however the APA recommends we refrain from extensive usage of footnotes and
endnotes as this practce may distract or confuse readers. When applicable, incorporate additonal
informaton in the main text of the paper, but avoid insertng irrelevant material. Footnotes and
endnotes should briefy present the reader with meaningful informaton that enhances your
argument.
Practce: citaton endnotes
When to use notes is therefore a queston of judgement. As a general rule, however, you should use
them to indicate the sources of:
i) facts which are not generally known or agreed upon (hence, it is not necessary to use
footnotes or endnotes for facts which are generally known, e.g., “Japan is an island naton
comprised of four main islands: Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku”).
ii) informaton which cannot be taken for granted (e.g., percentages of male and female artsts
in exhibitons in a certain year);
iii) partcular approaches or interpretatons;
iv) quotatons.
Foot/Endnote Guide 3
Practce: content endnotes
In additon to listng sources, notes can also serve as a place to put supplementary informaton that is
not appropriate in the main text of your essay or might distract your reader from your main
argument. Provide notes for the following:
i) suggestons for further reading;
ii) further explanaton or background that is not strictly relevant to your argument;
iii) defnitons of terms and concepts based on scholarly research;
iv) the original language of a translated quotaton;
v) and broad historiographical, methodological or conceptual debates that would be
overwhelming in the body of the essay. For example, if a date is disputed, you might explain
the debate in a note, while in the body of your essay providing only the date you have
determined is most valid.3
Foot/Endnote Guide 4
Notes
1
This secton is indebted to the Department of Art History and Film Studies' Guide to Essay Writng - Footnotes, University
of Sydney.
2
The Writng Commons gives some examples of Content and Copyright notes.
3
These fve additonal uses are provided by Trent University's Online History Workbook – Footnotes and Bibliographies.
