How to write footnotes and endnotes in MLA style

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This chapter will only cover the most common and simple examples of how to create Endnote and Footnote citations.

Before you can learn how to properly write Endnote and Footnote citations, you need to have a better understanding of MLA formatting.

MLA Format Definition

MLA style is the citation format developed by the Modern Language Association. This type of documentation is used most often in English literature (or any other language), cultural studies, gender studies and the humanities.

MLA guidelines stipulate a few parameters for in-text quotation. If your essay contains a reference to another work, then you must acknowledge it in parenthesis. Then, add the surname of that original author and the page number indicating where the reference is found in the originating source.

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MLA Citation Example

The gender wage gap is decreasing because more women are entering trades or executive-level business fields. (Smit, 1998).

When using MLA format to represent sources other than your own, there are many things you should consider. Is the original material authored by more than one author? Is the source from a journal, a website, or both? Maybe it’s a source that comes from a source. Or maybe even a block quote. Each one of these situations will require that a particular variation of the MLA style is used.

You should also consider the bibliography or works cited.

How to write a bibliography

The bibliography, also known as a works cited’ list, is where you list all relevant information (and any necessary) about the sources that were used in your paper. The bibliography must include every source used in your paper. There are no exceptions.

These guidelines should be followed when you create your bibliography.

  • Always place the bibliography on a separate page. According to the contents of the essay, the page will be numbered in sequential order. Sometimes, the bibliography can be included on the last page of an essay if the list has a shorter length. The general rule is to add a separate page.
  • Always center the title – Bibliography or Works Cited – A proper MLA heading should always be in the center of a page. It is not necessary to use bold, italic fonts or underline the title.
  • The bibliography should be double-spaced (or 1.5, 2.0, etc. as long as it follows a similar space alignment to the rest of your essay.
  • Each entry will use what is called a “hanging indent”. This means that the first line of each entry should be flush with the margin, and every line thereafter should be indented five- to seven spaces (equal Tab.
  • MLA format citations examples, bibliography texts and other styles of documentation should refer to authors’ surnames alphabetically. If the surname of an author is not known, it’s appropriate to list titles alphabetically.
  • If more than one work is to be cited by the same author it should be alphabetized by title with the name of each author in the first entry.

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Footnotes and endnotes

MLA Footnotes or Endnotes can be used to credit the source of material that has been borrowed, summarized, paraphrased, or summarised. These are used to direct readers to the Works Cited or References sections.

What’s a footnote? The footnote refers the ancillary notes that are added at the end of a webpage. These notes are used to provide commentary or cite sources on a particular part of the text in the paper’s body. If an author wishes to add a comment or fact about a statement in the paper but it is not relevant to the argument being made, they might choose to include the information in a footnote. They would insert a symbol at the end to mark the footnote and then reprint their commentary and the symbol in the footnote.

Footnotes and Endnotes differ in that Footnotes are numerically placed at the foot of the page where direct references are made. Endnotes, on the other hand, are numerically placed at the end of an essay on a separate Endnotes page or Notes page.

If you’re still using a typewriter you will need to put a superscript number half-way up the line following the last word of your citation. 1 You can also access the superscript function if you are using a word processer. The same superscript number must be used to create a Footnote citation.

A complete Endnote or Footnote entry must be included when mentioning a work.

For most texts, the process of including Footnotes and Endnotes is fairly consistent. But what about virtual media such as blogs and websites?

How to Footnote a Site

Technology is constantly changing. As such, standardizing citations on websites has yet to be established. Many thought leaders believe that website footnotes will give credibility to the site and allow users to use originating sources to find additional information. It is easy to create a website footnote.

  1. Go to the website where the footnote was created.
  2. If possible, locate the name of the author of the page. Note the URL of the website and the date it was published online.
  3. Use commas to list the recorded information. MLA format example: John Smith, “The Hot Summer Sidewalk,” 2009, http://www.thehotsidewalk.com (accessed September 25, 2010).
  4. You can check if the website has a publication date by using “n.d.” as a sign of “no date”.

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NOTE: A Footnote or Endnote can only contain one sentence. This means that only one period, or full stop, is allowed at the end of any Footnote, Endnote, or Endnote. In a Bibliography, each citation consists of a minimum of three statements or sentences, hence each entry requires a minimum of three periods, e.g., a period after the author statement, a period after the title statement, and a period after the publication statement (publication/publisher/publication date).

Additional tips regarding MLA Footnote example.

First Footnote/Endnote example in MLA format

2 G. 2 G.

Bibliography example:

Miller, G. Wayne. King of Hearts - The True Story of the Maverick who pioneered Open Heart Surgery. New York Times, 2000.

Use of ibid. cit.:

Gibaldi (313) does not recommend that these old-fashioned abbreviations be used: ibid. cit. (from Latin opere citato, meaning “in the work quoted.”)

If you see the term in Footnote or Endnote Citations, it means that the citation refers to the second mention of the work without any intervening entries.

Ibid. 12-15.

ibid.. :

Miller 12-15.

Where previously op. cit., where previously op.

Miller 198.

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Use of superscript:

[Tab] or indent footnote and endnote entries 5 spaces from left margin. One space should be left between the superscript number (and the entry). Don’t indent the second and subsequent lines. Double-space between entries. Use a superscript to separate Number Footnotes from Endnotes, e.g. 7.

Endnotes must have the same superscript number as your text at the beginning of each Endnote. Your Endnotes list should be placed on a separate page after the conclusion of your essay. The Endnotes page should be placed before the Bibliography or Works Citted pages.
Here are examples of the first Footnotes and Endnotes, as well as subsequent Footnotes and Endnotes.

Refer to the Bible, Catechism or Sacred Texts for further information:

Text example:

Interesting reference was made about the harvesting of corn on Sabbath. 8

Example of Footnote Citation, Long Form:

8Matthew 12 :1-8

8Mt 12 :1-8

Click Here to See Abbreviations of Books of the Bible

List under Works Cited:

The New Jerusalem Bible Reader’s Edition. New York: Doubleday 1990.

Text example:

The Catechism for the Catholic Church states: “Because its common origin , the human race forms one unity, because ‘from one ancestral [God] all nations were made to inhabit the entire earth. ‘”9
An example of a Footnote or Endnote citation to the above quote from Catholic Church, Section II, Chapter 1, Paragraph 6I Reference #360, Page 101 would be:
9 Catechism for the Catholic Church (New York, Doubleday 1994) 360

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This same quote can be cited again:

10 Catechism 120.

Citation of a different quotation from the same book

11 Catechism 499.

List under Works Cited:

Catechism for the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday 1994.

For other sacred texts, examples of Footnote and Endnote citations:

12Pius XII encyclical, Summaryi Pontificatus

13 Roman Catholic Catechism I. 24,

Avoid confusing Footnote and Endnote Citations with Explanatory Notes that some authors refer as “Endnotes”. These Notes are not considered citations, but are used to add comments or explanations to specific passages within the text.

This authoritative publication by the Modern Language Association of America has been simplified to provide information about MLA style.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA 2003.

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