Difference Between Endnotes Vs Footnotes

Do you know that gecko and salamander belong to two different categories of the animal kingdom despite having so many similarities between them? The same is the case with turtle and tortoise. These are just a couple of the many pairs of terms that you come across during your academic years that look the same but are not. One such pair that often gets students thinking is footnotes and endnotes. This blog throws some light on both these terms and how they are important in their own sense.

In fact, there is only one difference between footnotes and endnotes. There is their location. How to use footnotes or endnotes? You can use both regardless of the type of source you are referring to (periodical, book, online resource) because the reason for this is their external similarity. The text contains marks that indicate that supplementary info is in a footnote or endnote. For each type a dissimilar numbering system is used, which tells the reader where they can look for this info: under text or at the end of your document. The text that you plan to add is placed either at the end or at the beginning of the page or document. It is worth noting that the text of notes uses a smaller font than the whole text.

Before we go into discussing the major aspects of footnotes vs endnotes, it is important to understand the basics of endnotes and footnotes.

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What Is an Endnote?

An “endnote” is a reference, comment or explanation placed at the end of a research paper, book, chapter, or article. The endnotes primarily serve two purposes in a research paper (or article):

1. To acknowledge the source of a quotation, summary or paraphrase
2. To provide explanatory comments which within the text would have interrupted the flow of the content

In an endnote, the name of the author (at least his/her last name) and title need to be repeated to avoid confusion about the source material.

Endnotes are numbered consecutively throughout an article or chapter with every new chapter or section starting over with endnote 1. The notes section at the back is then segmented by section or chapter, listing the corresponding endnote numbers underneath.

Place the endnote numbers within the text in superscript type. You should then use the same number, in the notes section, to identify the endnote with the number mentioned in the text.

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What Are Footnotes? 

Quite similar to endnotes, a footnote is also a reference, comment, or explanation placed below the main text in a document. Such footnotes are linked in the text by a numeral or a symbol. Just like the endnotes, the footnotes in research papers, reports and articles commonly acknowledge the sources of the quotations or facts that appear in the text. While footnotes are often seen as an essential element of a scholarly document, overflowing footnotes are not something that the readers appreciate.

You can use different types of footnotes in your research paper:

1. Content footnotes:

Such footnotes supplement or simplify crucial information in the text. They should be clear and must add value to the text.

1. Copyright permission footnotes:

These footnotes acknowledge the source of long quotations, figures and tables that have been mentioned in the text or have been adapted while developing the text.

 If you still cannot figure out what is the difference between footnotes and endnotes, just keep reading this blog. It highlights all the major aspects of endnotes vs footnotes comparison.

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Endnotes Vs Footnotes: Basics

Endnotes and footnotes – each are crucial once you are writing start a research paper. Once you have a touch of additional data that is too long for the parentheses, you set that either during an exceedingly in a very} footnote or in an endnote. However, the fundamental distinction between footnotes and endnotes is that footnotes seem at very cheap of every page, whereas endnotes seem at the terrible end of the text (preferably at the tip of the paper).

You might have already detected that there are little numbers written higher than bound words in an exceeding analysis paper or in your textbook. These numbers either match with the numbers listed at rock bottom of that exact page, notably at the footnotes, or at the tip of the book or a chapter, called the endnotes.

Both the notes justify or expand upon the fabric within the text. However, they additionally contain listing info, further background material or references. The essay writer experts here are highly experienced at delivering critical assignments or essays on time without hampering the quality.

The Purpose of a Footnote or an Endnote:

As mentioned, the purpose of a footnote or endnote is to provide the readers with more information in the document. Since it is not possible to fit all the significant data in the main body of the document, you can put the clarifying details about a certain term or information on the text of these notes. These notes save the readers from the trouble of looking elsewhere for further information.

The footnotes and endnotes can also be used to mention the source of particular information. Also, if there are any unfamiliar words or mention of an individual, more information on those elements can also be provided in these notes. Both footnotes and endnotes are generally used in academic essay writing, especially college essays help and research papers. However, one can use it in narrative writing (such as stories and poems) as well.

Difference between Footnote and Endnote:

Endnotes and footnotes, as mentioned previously, have a lot in common. However, there are some discernible differences that separate them from one another. Here are the major differences between endnotes and footnotes.

• The position:

You can find the footnotes at the bottom every page of the document. Endnotes, however, appear only at the end of a chapter or the end of the whole document.

• Interruption:

Since footnotes appear in every page, it can interrupt the flow of reading. On the other hand, endnotes appear at the end of the text, which does not allow them to cause any sort of interruption to the reader.

• Purpose:

The common purpose of footnotes and endnotes is to deliver additional information. However, footnotes offer extraneous information to the readers and refer to a certain part of the text. Endnotes, on the other hand, offer acknowledgment or reference to the text.

• Use:

Besides the common purpose of delivering additional information, a lot of people use footnotes for detailed comments, while the endnotes are often used for citation of sources.

• Content:

Footnotes usually feature abbreviated addition of an in-text excerpt. Endnotes generally feature the details of the reference quoted.

If you didn’t know the difference between footnotes and endnotes, this “endnotes vs footnotes” comparison must have given you a decent idea about these formatting elements.

Endnotes vs Footnotes: Advantages and Disadvantages: