It’s simple to insert individual footnotes and endnotes with Word. Using footnotes, you can add extra information to the footer at the bottom of the page, which you can then refer to in the main text by using a superscript number or symbol.
Endnotes and footnotes are two separate things; endnotes are found at the end of the text, whereas footnotes are found on the page they are referred to.
In this guide, we will walk you through how to insert footnotes in Word.
How to Insert Footnotes in Word
To successfully insert footnotes in Word, follow the steps below;
- Open your Word document.
- Place the cursor where you want to insert the footnote.
- Select the References tab in the ribbon.
- Click “Insert Footnote” or “Insert Endnote” under the Footnotes section. A superscript should appear in the cursor, and then the cursor should go to the page’s footer.
- Then type your footnote.
How to Insert Footnotes in Word Using a Keyboard
- Choose where you want your footnote to go and click on it.
- Press Alt + Ctrl + F on your keyboard to continue.
- The bottom of the page will then be brought up for you to enter your footnote. To return to your previous position in the document when you finish typing, just double-click the minuscule number that appears before the footnote you just added.
How to Cross-Reference Your Footnotes and Endnotes
Occasionally, a document will need you to cite the same source more than once. You may cross-reference the initial occurrence throughout the text if necessary, saving you from having to constantly write the same footnote or endnote.
Follow the steps below to cross-reference endnotes.
- Place the cursor where you wish to place the footnote a second time after inserting it the first time.
- On the ribbon, select the “References” tab.
- Click “Cross-reference” under “Captions.”
- Set the “reference type” dropdown option to “Footnote” in the Cross-Reference dialog box.
- Choose “Footnote number (formatted)” from the drop-down option under “Insert reference to.”
- Choose the footnote you wish to cross-reference in the “For which footnote” area, and then click “Insert.”
- Then click Done.
How to Customize a Footnote or Endnote in Word
- On the References tab, click the Footnotes group dialog box launcher.
There are options to modify how footnotes and endnotes appear in the Footnote and Endnote dialog box.
Format: Select a starting number, a number format, and whether to restart numbering on each page or every new section to indicate footnotes or endnotes.
Footnote layout: Choose whether footnotes behave independently or display with the same column style as the main text.
Location: Choose either Footnotes or Endnotes, then select where you want the footnotes and endnotes to appear by clicking the Location list arrow. Instead, you can change all endnotes to footnotes by selecting the Convert option.
Apply changes: Select whether the choices you’re using apply to the entire document or just the portions you’ve chosen.
- You can change the choices whatever you wish.
- Click Apply.
Benefits of Footnote and Endnote Tools in Word
- In the same text, both endnotes and footnotes are acceptable. If you decide to utilize both, superscript numerals and letters will be allocated to the first kind and, respectively, to the second type. The Footnote and Endnote dialog box, however, allows you to alter these choices.
- The reference numbers and separator lines that display above the notes, as well as the style of all the footnotes or all the endnotes, can all be changed.
- The ordering of the superscript numerals (or letters) and the notes themselves will be altered automatically if you move the text that is attached to footnotes or endnotes. Also, the ordering of the superscript numbers (or letters) and the notes themselves will be automatically adjusted if you insert or remove footnotes or endnotes between existing notes.
Why Are My Footnotes Moving to Another Page in Microsoft Word?
Because the contents of the footnote are too extensive for the bottom of your page, Word footnotes may keep shifting to another page. It’s possible that your page margins are too narrow or that the font size is excessive.
But most of the time, it happens because the footnote itself has the potential to change the contents of your document page. The footnote will transfer itself, ensuring that your page’s contents are not changed, rather than forcing the on-page text to a new page.
Conclusion
A footnote is a comment that is included at the bottom of a page in academic writing. Superscript numbers (or occasionally letters or other symbols) are used to identify footnotes in the text.
In Word or Google Docs, footnotes can be added automatically. Follow all the steps in this article to know how to insert a footnote in Word.