How to add a footnote to an essay or report

Place the cursor just after the word or sentence the note belongs to, then press Ctrl+Alt+F in Write by Zaweba, or insert a footnote from the Insert menu. A small number appears in the text, a matching number appears at the foot of the page, and the cursor jumps down so you can type the note.

What footnotes are for

A footnote keeps a side remark or a source out of the main text without losing it. Students use them to cite books and articles in history and law essays. Reports use them to explain a figure or a term. Some writers use them for asides that would break the flow of a paragraph.

The reader sees the number, glances down if they want the detail, and carries on reading if they do not. That is why footnotes suit careful writing better than long brackets.

Adding a note step by step

Click right after the text the note refers to. In most referencing styles the number goes after the full stop at the end of the sentence, so put the cursor there. Press Ctrl+Alt+F. Write puts the reference number in the text and a matching note at the bottom of the page, ready for you to type.

Type the note. For a source, that is usually the author, title, publisher, date and page. When you have finished, click back in the main text and carry on.

Footnotes are numbered for you, so there is no list of numbers to keep in order by hand. Add the notes as you write rather than saving them all for the end, while the source is still open in front of you.

How footnotes sit on the page

Footnotes really do sit at the foot of the page that holds their number. Write's own layout engine handles them as part of the page, along with margins, headers and footers. The same engine draws the screen, the printer and PDF export, so what you see is exactly where the notes will print.

This matters most with a word limit and a page limit at the same time. Zoom out to whole page view to check how much space notes are taking before you submit.

Keeping notes consistent

Pick one referencing style and stick to it. If your course uses a particular style, follow its guide for the order of author, title and date, and use the same punctuation every time. Short forms for second mentions of the same source keep notes compact.

Spell check runs on notes as well as the main text, with UK English as standard, so typing slips in titles get the same red squiggle. Word count in the status bar helps you keep an eye on length, and Tools, then Word count gives the details if you need to report a total.

Sharing documents with footnotes

Save as .docx or Write's own .zawr, which is a .docx inside, and the notes stay as real footnotes for anyone opening the file in another word processor. If you open a .docx with footnotes from someone else, they come in at the foot of each page and stay editable. Export as PDF keeps them exactly where they sit on screen.

Footnotes take seconds to add in Write by Zaweba, and because the program handles numbering and placement, you can concentrate on what the notes say.