7. Footnotes and endnotes

'The number of schools is increasing¹.

Notice the small ¹ superscript in the statement above? This would tell you that there was a related footnote or endnote.

A footnote is an area set aside at the bottom on the page which contains extra information, a comment, citation or reference about an item of text referenced on the same page.

An endnote looks similar to a footnote. The superscript number appears next to the relevant word on the page, but the endnote information appears at the end of the document rather than at the bottom of the page.

Endnotes are often used to provide a reference to the original source of the information.

Academic papers make very heavy use of Foot- and End- notes because they have to prove where their claims come from.

Footnotes and Endnotes help make the document a bit easier to read by tucking away the extra information.