# See footnotes **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [December 13, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569 "2023-12-13T20:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/1 "2023-12-13T20:15:30Z")
Please continue this thread by providing a numbered footnote to the post above it, to provide either a citation or ‘additional information that would disrupt the flow of the main thread’ ( **1** ). Be sure to include your own new, sequential footnote reference for the next poster to pick up from. I’ve been re-reading Bill Bryson’s ‘A short History of Nearly Everything’, which is how I thought of this thread idea - some of his most amusing asides are to be found at the bottom of the page in this way. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/2 "2023-12-14T17:38:58Z")
> [@Ferris](#): > > I’ve been re-reading Bill Bryson’s ‘A short History of Nearly Everything’, which is how I thought of this thread idea - some of his most amusing asides are to be found at the bottom of the page in this way. (1) I think I remember reading someplace that Bryson’s love of footnoted japes stems from his reading articles and books by Will Cuppy, most notably _The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody_, in which humorous and cynically pedantic footnotes make up a good deal of the humor. ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/3 "2023-12-14T22:31:54Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > > [@Ferris](#): > > > > I’ve been re-reading Bill Bryson’s ‘A short History of Nearly Everything’, which is how I thought of this thread idea - some of his most amusing asides are to be found at the bottom of the page in this way. > > (1) I think I remember reading someplace that Bryson’s love of footnoted japes stems from his reading articles and books by Will Cuppy, most notably _The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody_, in which humorous and cynically pedantic footnotes make up a good deal of the humor. (2) I personally prefer it when authors reserve the numbered footnotes for actual references, which I frequently ignore, and use symbols such as daggers and asterisks for the sort of footnotes that Prof. Pepperwinkle cites above. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/4 "2023-12-14T22:57:29Z")
> [@Quondam\_Mechanic](#): > > > [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > > > > [@Ferris](#): > > > > > > I’ve been re-reading Bill Bryson’s ‘A short History of Nearly Everything’, which is how I thought of this thread idea - some of his most amusing asides are to be found at the bottom of the page in this way. > > > > (1) I think I remember reading someplace that Bryson’s love of footnoted japes stems from his reading articles and books by Will Cuppy, most notably _The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody_, in which humorous and cynically pedantic footnotes make up a good deal of the humor. > > (2) I personally prefer it when authors reserve the numbered footnotes for actual references, which I frequently ignore, and use symbols such as daggers3 and asterisks for the sort of footnotes that Prof. Pepperwinkle cites above. 3 The dagger usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. A third footnote employs the double dagger. The notation for additional footnotes is inconsistent has variously been represented by a variety of symbols, e.g., Parrallels ‖, Sections §, or Pilcrows ¶. This inconsistency is considered the primary reason why superscript numerals are preferred in modern literature. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/5 "2023-12-14T23:40:52Z")
4️⃣ In Jasper Fforde’s highly inventive _Thursday Next_ series of novels, Thursday is a secret agent dealing with literary investigations. Whilst being inserted into a classic novel (e.g. _Jane Eyre_) she receives communications from the outside world. In footnotes. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/6 "2023-12-15T00:08:12Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > (1) I think I remember reading someplace that Bryson’s love of footnoted japes5 stems from his reading articles and books by Will Cuppy, most notably _The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody_, in which humorous and cynically pedantic footnotes make up a good deal of the humor. 5 Jape mysteriously appeared in the English language, without having a clear derivation, during the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer _et al_, meaning both “to trick” and “to jeer.” The word also had sexual connotations and this ambiguity which caused it to fall out of usage. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/7 "2023-12-15T01:42:30Z")
VI. There is some question about whether footnote formatting should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Modern Language Association Style Manual, Council of Science Editors Manual or other resource. ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/8 "2023-12-21T02:09:25Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > VI. There is some question about whether footnote formatting should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Modern Language Association Style Manual, Council of Science Editors **(8)** Manual or other resource. **8.** Who, as an ‘authoritative resource on current and emerging issues in the communication of scientific information, are holding their 2024 Council of Science Editors May 4-7 in Portland **(9)**. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/9 "2023-12-21T18:46:43Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > 4️⃣ In Jasper Fforde’s highly inventive _Thursday Next_ series of novels, Thursday is a secret agent dealing with literary investigations. Whilst being inserted into a classic novel (e.g. _Jane Eyre_) she receives communications from the outside world. In footnotes. 🕘 And not to forget Sir Terry Pratchett’s use of footnotes as humorous devices throughout the length, width, depth and breadth of the Discworld series. ---
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/10 "2023-12-21T19:57:24Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > 🕘 And not to forget Sir Terry Pratchett’s use of footnotes as humorous devices **10** throughout the length, width, depth and breadth of the Discworld series. **10**. And a certain [xkcd](https://xkcd.com/1208/) cartoon **11** (which must have subconsciously inspired my OP). ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/11 "2023-12-21T23:58:43Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > There is some question about whether footnote formatting should follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Modern Language Association Style Manual 12 12 The American Psychological Association (APA) style requires two elements: in-text citations throughout the published dissertation or assignment, and a reference list at the completion of the text ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/see-footnotes/994569/12 "2023-12-22T00:08:34Z")
13All problems that can be solved by using endnotes instead of footnotes. My very subjective preference. * * * † Of course footnotes and endnotes can be mixed.