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Whether you're writing a report that needs references to other sources, doing research for the next great Hemingway-esque novel, or just creating a printed list to organize and navigate your ridiculous collection of vintage hats — with references to where you purchased them, as well as outfit pairing suggestions — Microsoft Word 2016 for Windows has a number of 'reference' features that make it easy to insert footnotes and endnotes quickly.
Use this program to store your citations and insert them into Word. They will automatically format both in-text citations and works-cited lists. Put your cursor where you want to insert your new footnote or endnote. On the References Ribbon, in the Footnotes Group, click either the Insert Footnote or Insert Endnote icon.
![Inserting A Apa Footnote In Word Inserting A Apa Footnote In Word](http://www.addintools.com/documents/word/images/shot-ribbon-footnote.png)
How to add a footnote in Microsoft Word
Before getting into the tutorial, a definition of 'footnote' could be useful, to help explain when and where you want to use them. Here's a definition, from Dictionary.com:
- An explanatory or documenting note or comment at the bottom of a page, referring to a specific part of the text on the page.
- A minor or tangential comment or event added or subordinated to a main statement or more important event.
Here's how to add a footnote in Word 2016 for Windows:
- Navigate to the location in your document where you want to add a footnote.
- Click the References tab at the top of your Word display. (It's the seventh tab in from the left.)
- Click the tiny box in the bottom-right corner of the Footnotes tab, to customize your footnote settings. (The box looks like an arrow pointed down and to the right at a 45-degree angle.)
- In the Location box, make sure the circle next to Footnotes is filled in, and the in the corresponding drop-down menu, choose whether you want your footnotes to appear at the Bottom of page or Below text.
- In the Footnote layout section, click to open the drop-down menu next to Columns and choose the number of columns you'd like to use for footnotes. If you choose 3 columns your footnotes automatically break into three evenly-spaced columns, and subsequent footnotes stack on top of each other, in the three-column format.
- The Format section lets you change the footnote numbering scheme from digits to letters; use custom marks for numbering; and customize the way you otherwise organize footnotes.
- After you choose all the footnote settings you want, click the Apply button to save the changes.
- When you're ready to insert your first footnote, again make sure your cursor is in the proper position on the page, and in the Footnotes box, within the References tab, hit Insert Footnote.
- A new footnote appears either at the bottom of your page or directly below your text, based on your settings, and you can begin typing your footnote immediately. Click anywhere else on the page to 'save' the footnote.
- You can edit existing footnotes at any time by navigating to them and then clicking within the text.
- When you're ready to create an additional footnote on the same page, repeat the steps above. Subsequent footnotes appear below previous footnotes at the bottom of the page, or directly below the corresponding text, based on your settings.
How to add an endnote in Microsoft Word
What exactly is an 'endnote,' and when should you use one? From Dictionary.com:
a note, as of explanation, emendation, or the like, added at the end of an article, chapter, etc.
So while footnotes are used to provide quick, as-you-go information throughout a document, and endnote should be used to provide pertinent information at the finish, or 'end,' of a document, to provide some sort of context or conclusion, not unlike a form of written punctuation.
Here's how to add endnotes in Word 2016:
- Click the References tab at the top of your Word display. (It's the seventh tab in from the left.)
- Click the tiny box in the bottom-right corner of the Footnotes tab, to customize your endnote settings. (The box looks like an arrow pointed down and to the right at a 45-degree angle.)
- In the Location box, make sure the circle next to Endnotes is filled in.
- The Format section lets you change the endnote numbering scheme from digits to letters, use custom marks for numbering, and customize the way you organize endnotes.
- After you choose all the endnotes settings you want, click the Apply button to save the changes.
- When you're ready to insert an endnote, again make sure your cursor is in the proper position on the page, and in the Footnotes box, within the References tab, hit the Insert Endnote button.
- You can add multiple endnotes, and place them throughout your documents, but they'll all appear on the final page at the end of your text. This is unlike footnotes, which appear on the same pages to which you add them.
More Microsoft Word and Office tutorials
For more Microsoft Word help, how-tos and tutorials, read:
Or check out our full Office 101 page:
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The difference between a footnote and an endnote in Word 2013 is that one appears on the same page as the reference and the other appears at the end of the document. Content-wise, a footnote contains bonus information, a clarification, or an aside, and an endnote is a reference or citation. That’s just a guess.
![Inserting A Apa Footnote In Word Inserting A Apa Footnote In Word](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125847646/203681982.png)
In both cases, the footnote or endnote is flagged by a superscripted number or letter in the text1. And both are created in the same manner, like this:
1See? It works!
- Click the mouse so that the insertion pointer is immediately to the right of the text that you want the footnote or endnote to reference.There should be no spaces.
- Click the References tab.You should see the Footnotes Group.
- From the Footnotes group, choose either the Insert Footnote or Insert Endnote command button.A number is superscripted to the text, and you’re instantly whisked to the bottom of the page (footnote) or the end of the document (endnote), where you type the footnote or endnote.
- Type the footnote or endnote.There’s no need to type the note’s number; it’s done for you automatically.
Here are some non-footnote endnote notes:
- The keyboard shortcut for inserting a footnote is Alt+Ctrl+F.
- The keyboard shortcut for inserting an endnote is Atl+Ctrl+D.
- The footnote and endnote numbers are updated automatically so that all footnotes and endnotes are sequential in your document.
- Use the Next Footnote button’s menu to browse between footnote and endnote references in your document; the Next Footnote button is found in the Footnotes group on the References tab on the Ribbon.
- You can see a footnote or endnote’s contents by pointing the mouse at the superscripted number in the document’s text.
- Use the Show Notes button (Footnotes group, References tab) to help you examine footnotes or endnotes themselves. That same button can also be used to hop back to the footnote/endnote reference in your text.
- To delete a footnote or endnote, highlight its reference number in your document and press the Delete key. Word magically renumbers any remaining footnotes or endnotes.
- To convert a footnote to an endnote, right-click on the footnote itself. Choose the command Convert to Endnote. Likewise, you can convert endnotes to footnotes by right-clicking on the endnote text and choosing the command Convert to Footnote.
- For additional control over the footnotes and endnotes, click the dialog box launcher button in the Footnotes group. Use the Footnote and Endnote dialog box to customize the reference text location, format, starting number, and other options.
Did this glimpse into using footnotes and endnotes in Word 2013 leave you longing for more information and insight about Office 2013 applications? You’re free to test drive any of the For Dummies eLearning courses. Pick your course (you may be interested in more from Office 2013), fill out a quick registration, and then give eLearning a spin with the Try It! button. You’ll be right on course for more trusted know how: The full version’s also available at Office 2013.
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