The default text sizes for your word processing app typically will be acceptable. If you’re writing a paper for a class and the instructor provides you with specific font sizes, use those. If you change the font for your main text, check the footnotes – they may still be in the default font.

When you insert a footnote, your word processing app should automatically format them correctly for you. Check the footnote formatting if it isn’t working properly and adjust as necessary. Example: “Preliminary research suggests that this matter could be of crucial significance within the field. 1”

Example: “Studies regarding this matter could be difficult to perform,2 but the effort may well be worth it. " In this example, the footnote is placed after the comma in the first clause to demonstrate that the source does not indicate the effort to perform the studies would be worth it. Generally, superscript numbers should follow punctuation. There is an exception for a dash. For example: “The research is important3—whether these efforts are for personal or public gain has yet to be determined, though. " If you have a parenthetical phrase in a sentence, place the superscript number after the period as usual if the footnote applies to the sentence as a whole. If the footnote relates only to the material in parentheses, place it inside the closing parentheses. For example: “(Contradictory reports made in the past have already been proven inaccurate, as noted in the chart below. 4)”

Even if your paper has several sections, you generally will not restart numbering for each section. You may restart numbers if you are writing a lengthier work and have separate chapters. Discuss this with your editor or advisor.

If there is are 2 or 3 authors, list their names separated by commas, with an “and” before the last author’s name. Use the order in which the authors are listed on the title page of the work. For example: John Doe and Bob Smith, Interesting Book If there are more than 4 authors, list the name of the first author followed by the abbreviation “et al. " For example: Rebecca Johnson, et al. , Another Great Book Generally, italicize book titles and place article titles in quotation marks. For articles, follow the title of the article with the name of the publication in which the article is found. Italicize the name of the publication.

Example: John Doe and Bob Smith, Interesting Book (New York: Wonderful Publisher, 2010)

When citing a book, place a comma after the publication information (or title, if you didn’t include publication information), then the page number. For example: John Doe and Bob Smith, Interesting Book (New York: Wonderful Publisher, 2010), 32. When citing an article in a journal or other publication, place a colon after the last element of your citation, followed by the page number. For example: Sue Rogers, “Clever Article,” Very Important Journal 14, no. 3 (2011): 62.

Example: Sally J. Sunshine, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Missives of Mindfulness, http://mindfulmissives. com/happiness_pursuit

Book example: Johnson, et al. , Another Great Book, 117. Article example: Rogers, “Clever Article,” 84. It may be helpful to make a list of all of your sources before you begin writing. That way you can mark them off when you’ve used them once, so you use shortened citations in future references.

Example: John Doe and Bob Smith, Interesting Book (New York: Wonderful Publisher, 2010), 32; Sue Rogers, “Clever Article,” Very Important Journal 14, no. 3 (2011): 62. Signal phrases can be used if you want to indicate that one source disagrees with or contradicts another. For example: Sally J. Sunshine, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Missives of Mindfulness, http://mindfulmissives. com/happiness_pursuit; but see Annie A. Warbucks, Only a Day Away (New York: Big Apple Publishers, 2014), 44-48.

You still need to include the page number, if it differs from the previous mention. For example: Ibid. , 24.

Example: Peter Parker, Interviewing Interns, 24. Parker’s list of questions is somewhat abbreviated, but it serves as a starting point for future discussion.

Example: For a more in-depth discussion of whether interns should be paid, see Jane Doe, I Can’t Pay Rent with Experience (Chicago: Windy City Publishing, 2018).

Example: When used here and throughout this work, the word “intern” refers to college students and recent graduates working in temporary internship programs, either for pay or for credit.

Example: Sally J. Sunshine, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Missives of Mindfulness, http://mindfulmissives. com/happiness_pursuit; but see Annie A. Warbucks, Only a Day Away (New York: Big Apple Publishers, 2014), 44-48 (noting the power of belief in finding happiness).

Example: Sally J. Sunshine, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Missives of Mindfulness, http://mindfulmissives. com/happiness_pursuit (“The idea of pursuing happiness is an exercise in futility. Happiness only exists where you exist, which is in the here and now. “)

Example: Actor and writer Wil Wheaton has noted that “people die from exposure. " Use these types of footnotes sparingly, depending on your audience. For example, if you’re writing a paper for a class and you know your instructor has a healthy sense of humor, such a footnote might be appreciated.