Endnotes and Footnotes

Endnotes

These are placed at the end of the article, chapter or book. Their advantage over footnotes is that they are easier for the writer to handle - especially if writing by hand! - and are certainly easier for most publishers.
Also, if you are likely to make many lengthy comments, then it is probably preferable to leave them to the end of the text.
On the other hand, if you are only likely to want to make brief references, then there are advantages to using Footnotes.

Footnotes

These occur at the foot of the same page of text. With everyone using word processors, this is becoming a popular and reader-friendly way of providing commentary on, and bibliographic support to, the main text. The reader does not have to jump to the end of the text to follow up your notes.

Most word processors will produce Footnotes (or Endnotes) automatically¹. Each additional Footnote will have the effect of reducing the amount of main text on the page².
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¹ This is just to illustrate how Footnotes will appear on a page
² Like this one!

Note: Two expressions are used in Endnotes and Footnotes for repeated references to the same text:
•	op. cit.: always following the authors' names, & meaning 'already referred to'; the page reference will be stipulated E.g. Brown op. cit. p.341
•	ibid.: without reference to author, meaning the same work as the one above, and featuring only a page reference E.g. Ibid: p.341

Last updated 27 October 2001