There are some exceptions. You don’t need to document the source
of a fact, theory, or expression that is common knowledge. And you
also do not need a source note when you use a phrase or expression
for which there is no known author.
To judge whether a statement needs a source note, ask yourself
whether readers would otherwise think that you had come up with
the information or idea all by yourself. If the answer is yes, you need
a source note. If you’re in doubt, include a source note anyway.
Footnotes
For many years, the preferred way to credit sources was the
footnote. Two other forms of documentation, endnotes and paren-
thetical notes, are popular now as well.
A footnote is a source note that appears at the bottom of a page
of text. You put a raised (superscript) number at the end of the
statement or fact you need to document, which tells your readers
to look at the bottom of the page for a note about the source of the
data.
What goes in a footnote? The same information that’s in the bibliog-
raphy listing. Andthe exact page number the information appears on.
In front of that source note, you put the same superscript number as
you put next to the statement or fact in your text.
There is no limit to the number of footnotes you may have in
your paper. Number each footnote consecutively, starting with the
number 1. For every footnote “flag” in your paper, be sure there is
a corresponding source note at the bottom of the page.
Like bibliography listings, different authorities cite different rules
for setting up footnotes. Ask your teacher whose rules you are to
follow.
Chapter 7 ■How to Write Terrific Papers 159