Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.
For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!
Reference notes pertain to works that have been directly cited or paraphrased, whereas a bibliography lists the works consulted.
Reference notes may be found within a text (in-text notes), but may also be presented at the foot of a page (footnotes) or at the end of a chapter or document (endnotes).
Footnotes and endnotes are generally referenced by means of a raised (superscript) numeral, letter or symbol immediately following the item in question. The superscript follows all punctuation marks except the dash:
The principal differences between notes and bibliographies are as follows:
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau