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How to Do a Footnote Using the Associated Press Style

Associated Press style is one of the most commonly used writing style guides in the United States, used primarily by journalists. While the Associated Press Style guide gives guidance on how to cite sources used within articles, it does not indicate guidelines for using footnotes, since footnotes do not typically appear with newspaper and magazine articles. Other commonly-used writing styles, such as Chicago Style and the Modern Language Association Style, also issue guidelines for citing sources that can be used both in footnotes and in reference pages. As the Associated Press style is used mainly for news writing and information pieces, the rules for citing sources are very different than those demanded by other American writing styles.

AP Style Manual

Instructions

- 1
  Do not use footnotes to reference information. Associated Press style does not allow for bibliographies or works cited pages, or for citations via footnotes. An information report employing Associated Press style needs to communicate solid information to its readers and information must be clearly referenced within the article.
- 2
  Use an in-text citation such as, "According to the Mayo Clinic's citation guidelines, writers must ask permission to reprint entire articles from the website." Attribute your information directly to its source in the body of your article.
- 3
  Do not use footnotes to add anecdotes or extra information to your article. Associated Press style does not include footnotes in this case, either.
- 4
  Use the same method of citation regardless of your source. Books and journal articles, for example, should both be cited in this method.

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