To change the default location of endnotes, select the “Endnotes” option, and then open the dropdown menu to its right. Switch to the “References” tab on Word’s Ribbon. How to Insert Footnotes and Endnotesįire up Microsoft Word, and then open the document to which you’d like to add footnotes (or create a new document if you’re just getting started). Which one you should use in your writing depends on your personal preference or-if you’re writing for school or work-your organization’s publication standards. Endnotes, on the other hand, are added to the end of a section or document. The only difference between footnotes and endnotes is where they appear in your document.Īs the name suggests, footnotes are attached to the bottom of the page containing the sentence they correspond to. You can use footnotes and endnotes to add side comments to your work or to cite other publications like books, articles, or websites. Think of them like verbal asides, only in writing.

What Are Footnotes and Endnotes?įootnotes and endnotes are both ways of adding extra bits of information to your writing outside of the main text. But don’t worry-the features and functions are the same. Depending on the version of Word you’re using, the menus we walk through in this guide may look a little different. Note: We’re using Microsoft Word 2016, but Word has supported footnotes and endnotes since at least Word 2007. Luckily, Word has useful tools for adding footnotes and endnotes to your writing. Maybe you want to make a side comment on one of your arguments, or you need to cite another author’s work without distracting from the main text. Whether you use Microsoft Word for personal or professional writing, sometimes you may want to add supplemental notes to sections of your work.

Footnote and endnote citations in word