LibAnswers

Some referencing styles use footnotes, including OSCOLA, MHRA, Author/Date, Oxford and Chicago notes & bibliography (NB) format. Visit the Referencing LibGuide for a full list of all referencing styles and to check whether you need to use a footnote for your required style.  

You may have heard of footnotes in general academic writing, but this FAQ relates to footnotes when you are referencing. A footnote is when a reference appears at the foot (or bottom) of a page. You indicate a footnote reference by putting a small number above the line of type, sometimes called superscript, directly following the source material. It sits slightly above the line of text.  

Find sample text of how footnotes are used in some of the different referencing styles on Cite them right: 

• OSCOLA sample text 

• MHRA sample text 

• Chicago (NB format) sample text