When you cite footnotes in APA style, you must follow a similar pattern to the basic APA citation. The basic in-text citation for a single author work is as follows: (Last name, year of publication, p. page number). For example, you may write: (Taylor, 2004, p. 213). The exact page number is optional if you refer to general ideas an author discusses throughout a work. You may also incorporate a citation within a sentence. For example, "Justine Taylor (2004) claims that teachers are nicer when students give them apples (p. 213)."
APA style dictates that you do not cite sources in the footer of a research paper unless you need to note a copyright. Copyrighted items include images, graphs and song lyrics. You do not need to list copyrighted items in the bibliography if you use them in your work, but you must cite the copyright in the footnotes after you receive permission from the copyright holder. Begin with the word "Note" and end with "Reprinted with permission." In between, list the name of the work, the author(s), the year of the work, the page number, the year of copyright and the copyright holder. The correct format as is follows: Note. From "Making Teachers Happy," by J. Taylor, 2004, p. 213. Copyright 2004 by ABC Copyright Holder. Reprinted with permission.
APA style allows the writer to add content footnotes to her own work sparingly. Use footnotes to direct the reader to a place where he can learn more about a topic you raised so long as the topic has minimal bearing on your research. For example, if you write about methods of making teachers happier and you mention a technique for making students happy as well, the footnote can point to books that concern making students happy. Place the footnote number directly after the idea upon which you want to elaborate, after a period but before any other punctuation, such as an em-dash or a parenthesis. Write a brief note at the bottom of the page in one to three sentences.
If you want to cite a source that you found in the footnote of another source, consider the fact that APA style asks that you cite only sources you have read yourself whenever possible. However, if you cannot get the secondary source yourself and you think the idea is vital to your work, you may reference the secondary source within a sentence that refers back to the source you do have. For example, "Jim Williams (as cited in Taylor, 2004, p. 214) suggests that teachers are only happy in school if they're happy at home."