Typically used in literature, history and the arts, footnotes and endnotes allow authors to cite frequently without interfering with overall readability. After making a reference to a source, the writer marks with a superscript character in the text. The superscript character leads the reader to the note, which the writer can either place at the foot of the page on which the reference occurs or at the very end of the piece. The author can also append additional comments about the reference to the note. Footnotes and endnotes emphasize the author and the work by following the general format of author, work, city of publication, publisher, year of publication and page cited. For example, Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club (New York: Ivy Books, 1989), 211.
Students using footnotes or endnotes collect together the complete details of publications used throughout the entire paper in a list called a bibliography. Bibliographic listings follow the same general pattern as the textual citation; however, the works are listed in alphabetical order with the author's last name listed first, followed by the author's first name. Citations that take up multiple lines require the author to indent all lines after the first. For example, the bibliographic listing for The Joy Luck Club would read as follows: Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ivy Books, 1989.
Writers and researchers in the sciences prefer parenthetical citation because it emphasizes the timeliness of a particular reference. The style allows readers to see immediately whether the author makes use of out-dated research or statistics. After referencing a source the author inserts a parenthetical citation, which includes the author's last name, the year of publication and the page referenced. For example, (Tan 1989, 211).
Authors who cite their references parenthetically expand upon the publication information using a reference list. Reference lists follow conventions similar to bibliographies. Publications are listed in alphabetical order according to author's last name, and any entry that requires more than one line has all subsequent lines indented. However, reference lists emphasize the year of publication. List the author's last name, first name, the year of publication, the title of the publication, location of publication and publisher. For example, Tan, Amy. 1989. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Ivy Books.