What is the Difference between a Footnote and an Endnote?

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Are you a student? Confused with the concept of footnote and endnote? Then you are on the right platform. In this blog, our best assignment help experts will guide you regarding the meaning of footnote and endnote and the main difference between these two. So, just read our blog to clear your concept and then use it in your writing. 

Before going to further we need to know what is a note. A note is basically a string of text that is placed at the end of a page in a book, chapter, volume, or text. Throughout the note, the author wants to comment on the main text or the style of citation that he or she has used in the writing to support the text. 

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There are basically two types of notes that are found in a text i.e. footnote and endnote. Now we must know what these two are. 

Have you ever seen small numbers that are printed above certain words or at the end of sentences as a superscript in a particular work such as a book, article, documents, etc? These are considered footnotes and endnotes. 

What is Footnote?

Footnotes are notes that are included at the foot of the page. 

What is Endnote?

On the other hand, endnotes are enlisted with a separate heading at the end of a particular chapter, text, volume, or the entire work. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Endnote and Footnote

Footnote and Endnote both have some advantages and disadvantages too. 

Advantages of Footnote

  • A footnote is used at the end of the page, so it becomes easier for the reader to locate the information. 
  • It gives instant information to the reader about the citation process or the idea related to a particular part of the book, document, or volume.
  • Footnotes are included automatically at the time of printing. 
  • It gives additional information about a particular topic and it does not consume a lot of time as it is enlisted at the end of the page. Readers can get the information by giving a quick glance at it. 

Disadvantages of Footnote

  • If you find too many footnotes on a particular page then the page may look cluttered and it would be difficult to read for the readers. 
  • If we use a lot of footnotes and information on a particular page then it may distract the reader by giving a lot of external information and the footnote may dominate the main subject of the writing. 
  • If there are a lot of columns, tables, or charts on a particular page, then you may not find the footnotes properly and you may arrange a different place for them; that is a difficult job. 

Advantages of Endnote

  • Like footnotes, it does not distract the readers; because endnotes are enlisted in a particular part of the context. 
  • As a particular section is allocated for the endnote, so, readers may get all the additional information in a place. 
  • The endnote does not affect the layout of the main text.
  • Readers will get all the external information all at once. 
  • Endnotes do not create a mess on the page. 

Disadvantages of Endnote

On the other hand, while a reader is busy in reading a particular text, then he or she needs to move back and forth between the main texts to know more about the text in that situation. It creates inconvenience for them. 

Using endnotes in writing which contains a lot of chapters, can create confusion. Here, readers need to remember all the number of chapters, act numbers, or scene numbers so that they will be able to find the correct endnote. 

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How to Use Footnote and Endnote?

In a text, a footnote or an endnote is indicated by a superscripted number immediately followed by the text for reference. Here, numbering sequentially is mandatory. Naturally, a number between brackets or parentheses is used to identify the footnote. For instance, [1] or (1) etc. 

On the other hand, various signs like an asterisk (*), dagger, and other symbols like +, $, #, and others have been used. The usage of these symbols mainly varies with the texts. Different types of symbols, letters, and numbers are used by authors in different notes. 

In a text, a footnote or an endnote must include the specific page number or numbers where you can find the cited information. 

But in the first footnote or endnote, you need to provide the full information about the date of publication and other necessary information. Below, our essay helper have included an example, by following it, you can understand how to use it in the writing. 

The Midnight Horror Platform: David Morose and Ruskin Williamson in Paris, 1885 – 1908 (France, University of France Press, 2008), 254. 

What you include in the footnote largely varies with the type of source that you cite. Different types of elements like books, sections of books, digital media, other sources, etc have their own style.

What to Keep in Mind While Adding Footnotes?

Most of the time, we feel the importance of adding footnotes in our writing. But there are certain guidelines to use it. Below we have listed some of the guidelines, you need to follow while including those in your writing. 

In footnotes, you need to use commas to separate the information. But in a bibliography, it is separated by periods. 

In a footnote, the author’s first name is listed in the first then the last name. But in a bibliography, the author’s last name is listed first then followed by their first name. 

In footnotes, the titles of the books, journals, or other references are written in italics. 

You need to put the titles of the book, articles or journals, etc within quotation marks. 

All the keywords of the title must be written in capital to highlight them. 

What are the Key Differences between a Footnote and an Endnote?

Though the purpose of both footnote and an endnote is almost the same, but we can’t use them anywhere. While using it, we need to maintain proper guidelines. Below we have enlisted the common differences between these two. I hope it would help you to identify it in a proper way. 

  • A footnote is such a note that can be found at the bottom of the page. Its main motive is to give external information to the reader and it refers to a particular part of the text. 

On the other hand, the endnote is mainly used by the authors to give credit or reference to a text, and it is used at the end of the writing such as essay, book, volume, etc. 

  • Footnote is placed at the footer part of the page. 

But endnote appears at the end of the book, document, or section of a particular volume. 

  • A footnote is mainly an abridged extension of an in-text collection; on the other hand, an endnote is mainly used by the writer or author to quote a reference or provide necessary information about the sources from which concepts or information has been borrowed. 

Endnotes and footnotes are an integral part of a text. It helps the author to add additional information to the text without disrupting the reading. 

Conclusion: I hope the above-mentioned information will give you additional information about footnote and endnote in a straightforward way and you have understood the common differences between a footnote and an endnote. If you still have doubts or want to know about endnotes or footnotes, you can contact with our case study helper by just visiting our official website, check our website reviews and Order now.

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