An endnote is most commonly the place in the paper where a reader can find out more about the source of a quotation or idea. If you are using the endnote style of citations, you add a number in superscript at the end of the quoted information. At the end of the paper, all of the biographical information is listed, in order of use in the paper, on a page titled "Endnotes" or "Works Cited," depending on the style you are using.
When you list a source in your endnotes for the first time, list all of the biographical information for that source according to the style you're using. There are format variations between the common citation styles. In general, you need to include the book or article title, author, publisher, publication date and the page number with the information you are citing. If you are citing an article in a journal or magazine, you also need to include the journal name, the volume number and the issue number. For online sources, include the date that you most recently accessed the website. If you use the same source in multiple citations, you only need to list the full biographical data once. On subsequent endnotes, you only need to list the author's name and the page number.
Most word processing programs allow you automatically create endnotes as you write. Follow the instructions for your specific program. Use the help menu to find the specific steps. In most programs, you can set your preferences to format your endnotes to the specific style that you are using.
In some cases, such as when an author cites sources in parentheses throughout the paper, endnotes are not used for citations, but instead as a place where the author can include more information without disrupting the flow of the piece. For example, when citing the conclusions of a study, the author can include an endnote indicating that other studies reach the same conclusions, and point readers to where they can find this information. The endnotes also can be a place where the author provides additional analysis or information that did not fit within the context of the piece.