Insert a superscripted Arabic number (1, 2, 3, etc.) into the main text of your paper directly after the portion that you would like to footnote. If you need to punctuate and footnote at the same time, place the superscripted number after punctuation marks. The exception is a dash, which should never go before a superscripted number.
Format your paper so that the footnoted section begins four single-spaced lines below the main body of the text.
Begin your footnote with the same number that you used in the text, followed by a period. If you used a superscripted number 4 in the text to direct your reader to this particular footnoted book, you should begin your footnote as follows:
4. Another analysis that sheds light on this idea can be found in...
Indent the first line of your footnote five spaces. If your footnote is longer than one line, all the lines that follow should line up with the left-hand margin.
Format your footnote so that it is single-spaced. According to MLA format, all footnotes should be single-spaced.
Ensure that you provide enough information in your footnote to successfully point readers to the appropriate books in your reference list. This means that you should include the author's name and the page or section of the book you are referring to. For example:
4. Another analysis that sheds light on this idea can be found in Jones, chapter three. See also Smith 81, Hall 49-56.