How to make footnotes in a diploma thesis?

Automatic footnotes in Word

Position your cursor after the sentence, select the References tab, and select Insert Footnote. The program will create a number and a place at the bottom of the page, and after adding or removing a reference, it will update the numbering itself.

Do not enter index numbers manually. Such a record is not connected with the content of the footnote and quickly falls apart when editing the document.

The first reference to a book or article

A full footnote to a book usually includes the author's initials and surname, title, place and year of publication, and page. The exact order and punctuation depend on the template adopted at the university.

The article must include the author, title of the text, name of the magazine, year, number and page. A chapter in the book requires information about the collective work and its editors.

Another citation from the same source

The repeated reference can be shortened using a short title or phrases indicated in the instructions. It is important that the reader recognizes the correct position without any doubt.

Avoid mechanically using "ibid" if another source appears between the notes. After major corrections, always check the adjacent footnotes.

Online sources and final check

In the page description, include the author or institution, title of the material, address and date of access, if required by your university. If the document is a report or article, use a template appropriate for this type of publication.

Finally, check the order of numbers, completeness of data, page numbers and compliance with the bibliography. In case of a large number of inconsistent entries, professional technical editing may be helpful.

Establish which passage the footnote documents

Before entering bibliographic details, determine the scope of the reference. A footnote may document a single fact, a definition, a comparison of several positions or an extended paraphrase. Readers should understand this boundary from the sentence structure. If a paragraph begins by discussing one publication and ends with your own assessment, signal the transition in your wording. Do not let a number at the end suggest that your interpretation also comes from the source. In a teaching example, you can separate the sentences: first present the definition with a footnote, then explain its application in your own study. When comparing two authors, identify both sources in accordance with university instructions. A footnote number cannot replace a logically developed text. Pay particular attention to paragraphs in which editing has combined information previously contained in separate passages.

Distinguish the cited page from the publication's full page range

For a journal article, the page range identifies the entire text's location in the journal, whereas the cited page points to the passage used. These pieces of information serve different purposes. The same applies to a chapter in an edited book: identify both its full range and the precise location of the claim you cite. Prepare a note containing all details, then apply the format required by your university. Do not automatically treat a PDF page number as equivalent to the printed publication's numbering. A cover and preliminary pages may create an offset. Before inserting the footnote, compare the program's counter with the number visible on the page. If the document has no numbered pages, choose an accepted way to locate the passage. Avoid guessing missing information, as an apparently complete footnote may direct the reader to a completely different place.

Check abbreviations after moving paragraphs

Shortened footnotes are convenient as long as they retain an unambiguous reference to an earlier publication. Extensive editing can break this relationship. If you move a paragraph, a footnote saying 'ibid.' may start pointing to a different source from the one intended. After changing a chapter's order, review all abbreviations that depend on adjacent notes. When citing several books by the same author, a short title may be clearer, provided the guidelines permit it. Establish shortening rules before organising the entire document and record a few working examples. Do not mix Polish and Latin forms randomly. If your university template specifies a particular form, use it consistently. Do not correct a doubtful abbreviation solely by looking at the previous line: open the full record and check the title, edition and page to which the text actually refers.

Use explanatory footnotes for a clear purpose

Not every footnote must contain only source details. It can explain a term, identify an adopted translation or add a detail that would interrupt the main argument. Such an explanation should nevertheless remain brief and necessary. If the argument cannot be understood without the footnote, consider moving its content into the paragraph. Extensive discussions hidden at the bottom of the page make reading harder and may conceal a problem with the chapter's structure. Do not move key reservations about the method or findings into footnotes. In a bachelor's or master's thesis, a footnote should help the reader rather than serve to bypass length limits. If an explanation itself draws on someone else's concept, it still needs a source. Distinguish the commentary function from the obligation to document information used, and maintain a consistent presentation.

Check footnotes in the final page layout

Once the content is stable, review the document in print layout and in the file intended for submission. Pay attention to footnote text size, spacing, the separator and notes split across pages. Do not fix every location manually with blank paragraphs, because another text change may shift the layout again. Use footnote and paragraph style settings consistent with the guidelines. Also check that all references are real program-generated footnotes rather than numbers entered manually after copying material. Search for unusually short or empty footnotes that may remain after a source was removed. Finally, compare the publications used with the bibliography. Correct numbering alone does not prove correct content, so the technical check should follow verification of authors, titles and pages rather than replace it.

Summary

Good footnotes are complete, consistent, and technically related to the text. Use Word's automatic function, use one university template and shorten subsequent references according to clearly defined rules. Finally, compare the footnotes with the bibliography, rather than checking each item individually.