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How to add footnotes in Google Docs in 4 easy steps, to cite your research and provide links

Devon Delfino   

How to add footnotes in Google Docs in 4 easy steps, to cite your research and provide links
Tech2 min read

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It can be helpful to add footnotes in Google Docs to cite your research in a lengthy paper.

When you begin working on academic papers, one thing that will stand out is the pervasive use of footnotes.

They can both provide useful context and allow you to show your work, giving the reader access to, and an idea of, all the hours you spent researching and synthesizing complex information.

But you don't have to be an academic to use footnotes, and they can provide value to anyone when used correctly. In general, the most useful footnotes provide not just a notation about where the information in the text came from, but also gives a link for quick access.

If you use Google Docs, footnotes are a built-in feature you can take advantage of right away. Here's how to add them to any document.

How to add footnotes in Google Docs

This should take you less than a minute to do, provided you're already in the document you want to add footnotes to. Here's how to get it done:

1. Click your cursor at the point in the document that you want to add a footnote (this way, a notation will automatically be added to the correct spot).

2. In the toolbar at the top of the document, select "Insert" and then "Footnote."

2 HOW TO ADD FOOTNOTES GOOGLE DOCS

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Add a footnote with the Insert tab.

3. The document will automatically add a footnote notation to the bottom of the page, along with a line of delineation - type out your footnote in the space provided.

3 HOW TO ADD FOOTNOTES GOOGLE DOCS

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Google Docs will add a numbered footnote at the bottom of the page.

4. Format the footnote in the citation style of your choice.

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