Footnotes[1]
In a term paper, the exact sources of
your research information must be shown, even though most of it is summarized
in your own words. One method of citing sources is the use of footnotes, which
appear at the bottom of the page wherever research information has been used.
In this system, a raised
number (superscript) is placed in the essay as a marker, immediately following
a passage of research information.5 At the foot of that same page, a
note beginning with the corresponding number identifies the source of the
information. Footnote numbers rise consecutively through the paper.
Footnotes should be size 10
font, and of course the numbers will be smaller. Just use what your computer puts in automatically. You may need to check that your font
sizes. When in doubt, use size 10
font for all things footnote related.
Footnote forms
must be adapted to suit different types of source material. This handout
illustrates some common variations for print sources. (Consult an the MLA
Handbook for more
complete guidelines.)
Examples of a
common form for a book is shown below:
indent the authorÕs
name book
title, underlined city
of publisher
first line
in natural order or
in italics
publication
5
Elizabeth Greene, The Art of the Italian Renaissance (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995), 31.
date of
page
publication number(s)
Full-length
footnotes, as shown above, are used only for your first reference to each
source.
Other
footnotes citing the same sources later in the paper simply give the authorÕs
last name and the page number(s), as shown below:
8 Greene 52.
First-Reference Footnote Formats for Various
Print Sources
A book other than the
first edition (edition number or Òrev. ed.Ó appears after the title)
1
Michael B. OÕMalley, The History of the Celtic Cross, 3rd
ed. (Dublin: Liffey Press,
1971) 31-33.
A book by two or three
authors (list the authors, with ÒandÓ before the final name)
2
Claire Smith, P. F. Harris, and Rita G. Hicks, Practical Nursing
(Toronto: Danforth, 1990) 117-119.
A book by four or more
authors (name the first author, adding Òet al.Ó to indicate Òand othersÓ)
3
Peter Black et al., Understanding Shakespeare, 2nd ed. (London:
Tower Press, 1955) 77.
An essay, short story,
poem, or other work in an anthology (writer is named first, editor later)
4
Richard T. Clark, ÒThe Thin Green Line,Ó Essays on Ecology, ed.
Joan Fraser (Seattle: Northwest Press, 1999) 201-203.
Magazine article (article
title first, then name of magazine, then date or month of the issue)
5
Mary Blake, ÒSiberian Spring,Ó National Geographic Apr. 1999:
78-79.
Encyclopedia article in
which the author is named (no page
numbers are given)
6
David Gordon Tucker, ÒSonar,Ó Encyclopaedia Britannica : Macropaedia,
15th ed., 543.
Encyclopedia
article in which no author is named (footnote begins with the article heading)
7
ÒPlastics,Ó Encyclopedia Americana, 1988 ed., 543.
Newspaper article (if
newspaper name does not include city, include it in square brackets)
8
Catherine Milroy, ÒLiberal Blues,Ó The Globe and Mail [Toronto],
15 Oct. 1998: D8.
Pamphlet (if no individual
is named as author, begin with the title)
9
London Landmarks (Toronto: Travel Quest, 1996), 5.
WEBSITES: TYPICAL
VARIATIONS
An item
from an Internet website. In this case, the author is named and the
organization responsible for the site is identified.
1Jonathan
Feeny, ÒConstruction of the CPR,Ó Canadian History Matrix, May 2001, 23
Jan. 2002 <http://www.ualberta.canhismx/cprx>.
Any further footnotes to
this site would be in short form: 4Feeny.
An
anonymous Internet item with no organization identified. Open with the articleÕs heading, followed
by the title of the website and the name of the site editor.
2ÒWomen
from CanadaÕs Past,Ó Women in History, ed. Sheila Trask, ND, 17 Dec.
2001 <http://www .niagrara.com/~merrwill>.
Further footnotes to this
site: 5
ÒWomen from CanadaÕs Past.Ó