What Are Endnotes?

Endnotes are short notations at the end of the section, chapter, paper, or entire book. These consecutively numbered notes don’t disrupt the reading experience and provide additional information and supplementary references. The placement at the end is crucial for streamlining the reading experience without cluttering a page with extensive commentary. In this article, we’ll explain what is an endnote and delve deeper into various citation styles, like Chicago, APA, and MLA.

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How to Do Endnotes?

When creating endnotes, you need to observe only a few rules, but you must follow them diligently. A superscript number appears at the end of the sentence or clause the note relates to and should be written in a smaller font than the main text. Punctuation-wise, the numbers must appear after any punctuation mark with no space added before or after the number. The only exception to the rule is when the clause ends with an em dash: in such cases, the number must appear before the punctuation mark. Here’s an example of an endnote citation format with an em dash:

The discovery of DNA structure that marked the beginning of modern molecular biology¹ was an outstanding achievement.²

The numbers should appear consecutively and never repeat, even when citing the same source.

Endnotes in Chicago Style

The Chicago style allows two forms of citation: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) the author-date system, with the former allowing either footnotes or endnotes and the latter relying on in-text citations. Bibliographic notes are preferred for humanities topics, as they offer a more flexible system that can accommodate multiple sources, examples, and additional commentary. The author-date system, namely, works cited directly in the text by the author’s last name and publication date, should be your go-to when writing science and social science works.

There are a couple of Chicago Manual’s note bibliography system rules you must follow:

1. After you insert the number at the end of the relevant clause/sentence, place the endnotes on a separate page titled ‘Notes’ at the end of the section, chapter, etc. but before the separate bibliography. Different sources have distinct formatting; here’s an example of how you should cite a book in endnotes in Chicago style, with # standing for the note’s number:

#. Author’s First Name and Last Name. Book Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), Page(s).

Provide complete information when citing the source the first time; consecutive mentions require shortened information. You should also create a hanging indent for the start of each note and write the note number in standard text. Endnotes are single-spaced in between.

Endnotes in APA Style

APA format is the source documentation style promoted by the American Psychological Association and widely used in scientific journals, textbooks, academic papers, and a range of social and behavioral sciences, including psychology, education, anthropology, etc. In APA style, footnotes and endnotes are acceptable for providing supplemental information. Remember that, unlike in-text citations, endnotes primarily use copyright attribution. Additionally, you can use APA-style notes to direct readers to further information sources and examples. 

Although it may seem like a sure way to befuddle APA style users, notes appear after the reference list under the bold ‘Footnotes’ heading. The paragraphs are indented, while the note number is written in superscript text, followed by a space. The notes are double-spaced. Here’s a look at an APA format endnote example:

Endnotes in MLA style

Endnotes in the MLA (Modern Language Association) format provide citations, supplementary information, and lengthy examples and clarify confusing content. The format appears predominantly in humanities-related research papers. In the main text, the superscript number should be typically placed at the end of the sentence, after the period. If you need to put the number in the middle of the sentence, it should appear after a punctuation mark unless there is a dash (then you must place the number before the dash).  

The notes should appear under the ‘Endnotes’ or ‘Notes’ heading at the end of the paper before the list of the works cited. The first line of each note should be indented; the number of the note is written in superscript text, followed by a space. The notes are double-spaced. Here’s a look at how you should present an endnote citation in MLA format:

Endnotes vs. Footnotes

The differences and similarities between the endnotes and footnotes are often grounds for confusion as both provide additional information and list citations. What are the main differences between the two? Here’s a quick look at the placement, advantages, and drawbacks of the often confusing duo.

Summary

Endnotes are short notes at the end of any section, chapter, paper, or book. Numbered consecutively, they help writers provide a separate section with supplementary information and additional citations without cluttering each page with notations or compromising the format of the paper.

If you need to use endnotes in your research paper or add them to any given section, you must properly format them in Chicago, MLA, or APA style. Whether you want to avoid this meticulous task or encounter other obstacles in your academic writing tasks, EssayService is here to help with undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate tasks.