Footnotes can add emphasis to an important point you want to make in your paper, but adding them into your document can be tricky if you don’t know the process. Thankfully, it isn’t all that difficult to add footnotes into Google Docs and then properly format them, so it’s worth taking the time to learn the steps. Here are three ways to add footnotes in Google Docs.
Use keyboard shortcuts
There are three different ways you can add footnotes in Google Docs: by using keyboard shortcuts, by using the Insert menu, or by using the Research tool. Since it’s easier to use the research tool, we’ll focus on that option. To do so, just open up a new document and click on Insert from the toolbar at the top of your screen.
From there select Footnote from the drop-down menu under Reference Type and then follow the instructions for adding your footnote. First, enter a footnote mark (e.g., *) at the bottom of the page where you want your footnote to be placed; next, go back to where you want to include the reference and type Footnote 1.
Then press enter twice and type what this note is referencing (i.e., * will become 1) followed by another asterisk (*). Repeat these steps until all desired notes have been added. You may also place a number before each footnote to order them numerically if you prefer. When done, close out of the document and make sure Save changes before closing is checked off on the box below the save button.
Now whenever someone clicks on one of your references they will see the footnote appear along with a link to go back to that specific spot in your paper. For example, clicking on Footnote 2 would take them back to where the first footnote was referenced. The downside to this method is that you can’t see which footnotes exist without going through every single word of your paper—meaning if you forget to put a footnote in somewhere and proofread through it later, it might not show up. If you want an easier way to find all of your existing citations, use Keyboard Shortcuts instead.
Add them manually (using the toolbar buttons)
The first way to add footnotes in Google Docs is by using the toolbar buttons. To do this, simply place your cursor where you want the footnote to appear and click on the InsertFootnote button. In the box that appears, type in your footnote text and hit OK. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+F to insert a footnote. You can use these shortcuts while typing or while editing existing text
The second way to add footnotes in Google Docs is by using keyboard shortcuts: Using keyboard shortcuts will save you time when adding footnotes as they require less work than using the toolbar buttons. Simply select the text that you would like to make into a footnote and press Shift+Ctrl+Alt+F (or Cmd+Shift+Option+F for Mac). When prompted, enter your footnote text into the box before hitting Enter/Return.
Add them manually (by clicking Insert)
If you want more control over your footnotes, or if you’re working on a long document, you can add them manually. To do this, click Insert >Footnote. A number will appear in your text, and a corresponding footnote will appear at the bottom of the page. You can then type out your footnote. Each new paragraph should be preceded by an asterisk (*). For example *First sentence* *Second sentence* *Third sentence* *Fourth sentence*. When typing out the footnote itself, each paragraph should also have an asterisk before it.
In other words: First sentence*, Second sentence*, Third sentence*, Fourth sentence*. Footnotes are useful for adding extra information that might not fit within the body of your essay. They can also help when you need to cite sources that are located elsewhere in your document (like within a table), because they allow you to give readers both the reference and where they can find it within your work.
