| ||
| ||
Footnoting |
| Print Sources Click here for a printer-ready version of this section in Word format 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. 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. Footnote forms must be adapted to suit different types of source material. The following models illustrate some common variations for print sources and electronic sources. Examples of two common forms-a book and a journal article-are shown below:  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 author's last name and the page number(s), as shown below: 9 Anderson 49-50. First-Reference Footnote Formats for Print Sources A book other than the first edition (edition number or "rev. ed." appears after the title) 1 Michael B. O'Malley, 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 "and" 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 "et al." to indicate "and others") 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, "The Thin Green Line," 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, "Siberian Spring," National Geographic Apr. 1999: 78-79. Encyclopedia article in which the author is named (no page numbers are given) 6 David Gordon Tucker, "Sonar," Encyclopaedia Britannica: Macropaedia, 15th ed. Encyclopedia article in which no author is named (footnote begins with the article heading) 7 "Plastics," Encyclopedia Americana, 1988 ed. Newspaper article (if newspaper name does not include city, include it in square brackets) 8 Catherine Milroy, "Liberal Blues," 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. Electronic Sources Click here for a printer-ready version of this section in Word format Footnotes for Internet sources follow this basic pattern, omitting any items that are not available:
Web Sites: 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, "Construction of the CPR," Canadian History Matrix, ed. Emily Black, May 2001, University of Alberta, 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 article's heading, followed by the title of the website and the name of the site editor. 2 "Women from Canada's Past," Women in History, ed. Sheila Trask, 17 Dec. 2001 <http://www .niagrara.com/~merrwill>. Further footnotes to this site: 5 "Women from Canada's Past." Item from an Internet database 3 World Flag Database, ed. Graham Bantram, 3 Jan. 2002, The Flag Institute, 27 Jan. 2002 <http://www.flags.net>. Further footnotes to this site: 6World Flag Database. Other Internet sources Item from an Internet encyclopedia 7 "Armenia," Britannica Online, 28 Feb. 2002 <http://search.eb.com>. Article from an Internet magazine (following the magazine title, give the issue date, then downloading date and address) 8 Lisa Pease, "Sirhan and the RFK Assassination," Probe Apr. 1999, 20 Mar. 2002 <http://www .webcom.com/ctha/pr398-rfk.html>. Article from an Internet journal(following the journal title, give the volume and issue numbers and the year, then downloading date and address) 9 Elizabeth B. Gianelli, "The Legacy of the Crusaders," Journal of Medieval History 31.8 (2001), 6 Apr. 2002 <http://www.jomh.com/bkis/v31-lc.html>. Item originally from a periodical, accessed through a library's Internet subscription service 10 David Levine, "Learning to Listen," Early Education May 2000: 76-82, ProQuest, Dawson Library, Montreal, 2 Mar. 2002 <http://www.umi.com/proquest>. Other Electronic Sources Items from a CD or DVD 11 "Oedipus Complex," PsychoPrimer, CD-ROM, vers. 3:1 (Miami: Brainworks, 1999). Article from a CD or DVD encyclopedia 12 "Afghanistan," Encarta, CD-ROM, 2002 Standard vers. Film (director is always named; performers, producer, etc. may also be included) 13 Schindler's List, dir. Steven Spielberg, perf. Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, videocassette, Universal Pictures, 1993. Television or radio program (writer, narrator, director, or performers may be named, according to the nature of the program) 14 "Ecology: A Delicate Balance," The Nature of Things, narr. David Suzuki, CBC, 10 Nov. 2001. Source: Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1999. |
Home Page | Writing the Essay | The Outline | Editing an Essay | Writng the Short Essay | The Research Paper
Title Page Formats | MLA Citations | MLA Footnoting | MLA Bibliography
APA Citations | APA References List | Annotated Bibliography
Date Last Modified: 7-Feb-04
