Quick and Dirty Footnotes: the Basics

QUICK AND DIRTY FOOTNOTES: THE BASICS

When to Footnote (see Handling Sources pp. 1-5)  Footnotes should be placed outside all punctuation. So that means “outside both the  As a rule, supply a footnote whenever you period AND the quotations marks.”1 use an idea in your paper that is not your own, whether you quote that idea or simply  Most word processors will format the notes paraphrase it. If you can say to yourself “this themselves for you. When in doubt about idea came from this source,” you probably format, refer to pages 6-7 of Handling need to provide a footnote. Sources).

 You do not need to footnote common Tips on Footnotes (Handling Sources, 7-9) knowledge, even if it wasn’t common to you when you found it out. The dates of historical  You only need to write a COMPLETE events, for instance (like the Civil War ending footnote ONCE in any paper. All other in 1865), don’t need footnotes, even if you references can be handled with either short found out about them for the first time in your citations or “Ibid.” research. Rule of thumb: information published articles drop without footnotes is  If you’re citing ONE source a lot – as in, for probably considered public knowledge; instance, a literary paper about a single book) information that you find in more than three you can use parenthetical references to avoid sources without citation is probably public “Ibid.” See page 8. of Handling Sources. knowledge. When in doubt, just provide a footnote.  Always cite the SPEAKER, not the SOURCE in the footnote. The reader needs  You need to provide a footnote every time to know who’s talking – even if the person you quote. There are no exceptions to this talking is NOT the person who wrote or edited rule. Every time you quote. Every time. the book you found it in. See “Quoting a Yes, this time, too. Primary Source Cited in a Secondary Source” on page 8 of Handling Sources.  When you use a source, you should attribute that source in the text as well as footnoting it. Bibliographies (Handling Sources, 8-9) See attached sheet.

How to Quote (Handling Sources, 4)  Bibliography entries are DIFFERENT from footnotes. Don’t ask why – that’s a bad habit.  Quoted material less than three lines long They just are. Wait, you’re about to ask why should be woven directly into your own again, aren’t you? DON’T DO THAT! paragraph.  The bibliography should always be on a  Quoted material longer than three lines should separate page at the end of your paper. be treated as a block quotation: a new paragraph, indented on both sides by ½ inch,  Items in the bibliography should be single- in the same font, single-spaced, with no spaced, with two spaces in between them. quotation marks. (The block formatting already indicates it’s a quote.)  Bibliography entries are “hanging indented” – How to Footnote (Handling Sources 6-7) the first line goes to the left margin, subsequent lines are indented ½ inch. Most word processors will do this for you.  Unless it’s impossible or impractical to do otherwise, put your footnotes at the end of the sentence in which the material you’re citing  Bibliography entries shouLd not be appears. Sentences with1 a lot of footnotes2 numbered, but they should be alphabetized, inside them very3 quickly become difficult4 to by last name of author. read.5