DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES

Footnotes are located at a page’s bottom while endnotes are listed at the end of a book just before the bibliography or reference list, you should never combine endnotes and footnotes in the same document as it’s advisable that you pick only one and stick to it, and citations are formatted the same way in both cases.

Endnotes or footnotes are not used for citations in APA or MLA style, but they may be used to give more information. In this article, we will focus on the differences between a footnote and an endnote.

Footnotes are notes that are included at the bottom of a page and are used to cite specific passages of text (generally using superscript numbers). Authors generally use footnotes for a variety of things, such as citations, background information, parenthetical information, outside sources, copyright clearances, and more.

The purpose of a footnote is that lengthy explanations in your main text might be tiresome for readers to read through, so footnotes help to give clues and explain what was written in the main text.

In contrast, footnotes are used to share or explain information without cluttering up the text. It’s of great importance to remember that some style manuals have guidelines on when and how a footnote can be used.

Guidelines on When And How a Footnote Can Be Used

Here are some guidelines on when and how a footnote can be used.

• When formatting, use the same font

Footnotes should be written in the same typeface as the body of the essay. Be advised that sticking with one font throughout the entire essay is preferable to employing multiple or using different font types; the built-in font in your word processing program should be used.

• After the final punctuation, put the footnote number

The material you want to quote or explain usually appears in a footnote at the end of the sentence, which should be placed after the final period or the closing punctuation. According to some style manuals, there should be a number, and superscript numbers are preferable.

• Use your word processing program to add footnotes.

You may quickly add footnotes to your document using a feature found in the majority of word processing programs. This feature is typically accessible from the menu bar of your app to indicate footnotes; You may usually choose from a variety of formatting options that let you use numbers, characters, or other symbols. The default setting is typically suitable, but you can also alter the font or positioning of footnotes.

Now that you probably have an idea about a footnote, let’s look at some key points about an endnote.

Endnotes are used in academic writing; they appear at the end of your text. Oftentimes, numbers are used in the text to indicate them, or occasionally, symbols can also be used. Endnotes are used to provide extra details that don’t naturally fit in the primary text.

Guidelines To Note When Using Endnotes

There are some key points you should note if you’re using an endnote, which are;

• You should cite sources using endnotes.

You must provide your reader with all the sources you used in your academic work, as they will need to check the information from where it was derived. There are several reasons why you need to cite your work, which are;

1. To give your reader a chance to review your work, because when you properly cite your sources, your readers may check the context of the quotes and ideas you used to determine whether they concur with your interpretation.
2. To encourage readers to learn more: Endnotes make it simple for readers who are interested in your work to find the sources that you got your work from, so they can read more from those sources as well.
3. To show your consideration of a range of sources

Endnotes allow you to demonstrate to the reader that you have thought through every important issue related to the topic.

• Your paper should end with endnotes.

Endnotes are all compiled in a distinct section at the end of your paper called “Notes.” And some benefits of doing this are;

1. Citations should be moved to the end of a paper or other work to assist and maintain a clear, uncluttered page. This is why endnotes are frequently preferred in books.
2. The reader can view the citations as a whole because they are all in one location.

• Create a different page for your endnotes.

Your endnote should carry the heading “Notes” and should be placed in the center of a fresh page then a superscript number that corresponds to the note number in the paragraph where you derived an idea should be stated in every citation and each endnote should have its first line indented from the left margin, you should also refer to your style manual to determine the proper citation format for your work.

• The bibliography page should be written before the endnotes are added.

Endnotes are often the short version of the full citations that appear in your bibliography after your paper, and ensure complete citation accuracy when you write down the full citation. The majority of style manuals do not consider endnotes to be a substitute for the list of references at the end of your article, so even if a list of references isn’t technically necessary, it might assist in putting your paper in the right perspective.

The key difference between a footnote and an endnote is that a footnote is an extra piece of information printed at the bottom of a page and generally used in an academic paper or book to cite sources or add additional information to the main text of a paper.

An endnote is a note written at the end of a book or the end of a section of a book, but students or academic papers less commonly use endnotes; they are quite common in books. Authors should think about these three key aspects before determining whether to use endnotes or footnotes:

• The adopted style manual may require either footnotes or endnotes.
• The number of notes that are present with too many footnotes on each page can be distracting
• Which choice is most practical for the reader?

Conclusion 

Now that you know the differences between Footnotes and Endnotes, it is important to know how to use them effectively, in terms of where to place them and the content each of them needs to have. That is why we recommend you check out this content on Footnotes to learn more about how to use them effectively.

If you have any concerns or questions, feel free to drop them in the comment section. We’ll be glad to have them.