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For the official guideline on citing sources, see Wikipedia:Citing sources.

This page explains how to "nest" footnotes (references or notes) in Wikipedia articles, i.e. how to create a footnote within a footnote. It reflects the way the Mediawiki software operates as at May 2015.

Overview[edit]


Footnotes: reminder[edit]

Footnotes are used most commonly to provide:

  • References to reliable sources, published in print or online
  • Notes containing supplementary content.

The Footnotes system shows two elements on the page:

  • A Footnote marker is displayed in the article's content as a bracketed, superscripted number, letter, or word. Examples shown respectively are: [1] [a] [Note 1]. This footnote label is linked to the full footnote.
  • A Footnote displays the full note or reference. The footnotes are displayed in an ordered list wherever the reference list markup (e.g. {{reflist}}, {{reflist}} or {{notelist}} is placed. Each entry begins with the footnote label in plain text.

Nesting footnotes[edit]

Sometimes, an editor wishes to insert (nest) a footnote within a footnote. We will call the inserted footnote a "subnote". Cases may include:

Type of nesting Example
Reference within a note Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[a] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[3]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ This has been disputed by later scholars.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ^ Nested reference, 2003.
  3. ^ Book 2, 1968.
Note within a note Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[a] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[3]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ This has been disputed by later scholars[i] on the grounds of unsound evidence.

Subnotes

  1. ^ For example, writing in 2003, Nested argued strongly for rejecting the source as a forgery.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ^ Nested reference, 2003.
  3. ^ Book 2, 1968.
Note on a reference Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ^ Book 2, 1968.

Cite error: A list-defined reference has a conflicting group attribute "lower-alpha" (see the help page).

Notes on references

Things to consider[edit]

  1. Is your subnote really necessary? Especially if the subnote is a short one, would it be more straightforward for the reader - as well as for you - to keep it as part of the main note, perhaps in brackets?
  2. If the subnote is a reference, should it appear within the main numbered list of references, or in a separate list?
  3. If the subnote appears in a separate list, where should that list be placed among the different lists of footnotes?
  4. Should the subnote marker be - numeric [1], a roman numeral [i], alphabetic [a], or user-defined [subnote 1]? Could it be confusing to use the same system in different footnote lists? Bear in mind also that roman numeral [i] is identical with alphabetic [i].

What does not work[edit]

Subnote in same list[edit]

A subnote cannot appear in the same list as the footnote in which it is nested.

The subnote marker points to the wrong footnote, and the subnote itself will not appear where expected. Example:

Disappearing subnote, Case 1: in same list
Lorem ipsum dolor[a] sit amet.[c] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[d]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ^ For example, writing in 2003, Nested argued strongly for rejecting the source as a forgery. Case 1: This subnote does not appear in the right place!
  3. ^ This has been disputed by later scholars[b] on the grounds of unsound evidence.
  4. ^ Book 2, 1968.

Subnote above main note[edit]

A subnote cannot appear above the footnote in which it is nested.

Again, the subnote marker points to the wrong footnote, and the subnote itself will not appear where expected, even if other subnotes do display correctly. Example:

Disappearing subnote, Case 2: in list above the main footnote
Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[A] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[3]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ This has been disputed by later scholars[i] on the grounds of unsound evidence.

Subnotes

  1. ^ For example, writing in 2003, Nested argued strongly for rejecting the source as a forgery.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ^ Nested reference, 2003.
  3. ^ Book 2, 1968. (The subnote placed here is not Subnote (i) displayed above).

Cite error: A list-defined reference has a conflicting group attribute "lower-roman" (see the help page).

Using <ref>...</ref> tags within <ref>...</ref> tags[edit]

You cannot nest <ref>...</ref> tags, even if they belong to different groups.

Neither the subnote nor the preceding part of the main footnote is displayed. The following part of the main footnote (if any) appears in the article text, with an unwanted </ref> tag.

Disappearing subnote, Case 3: using <ref>...</ref> tags
Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

This is the latter part of the main footnote.</ref> Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[2]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ^ Book 2, 1968.

Wrongly placed text from the examples above[edit]

Use of templates for nesting footnotes[edit]

To nest a footnote within another, one or both footnotes should be enclosed within the {{refn}} template or the {{efn}} template. You may also meet #tag:ref - this is just a less user-friendly equivalent of {{refn}}.

{{efn}} is equivalent to {{refn|group=lower-alpha}}, and the corresponding {{notelist}} is equivalent to {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}. Likewise, {{efn-lr}} is equivalent to {{refn|group=lower-roman}}, and the corresponding {{notelist-lr}} is equivalent to {{reflist|group=lower-roman}}; similarly for the other variants.

The following are some examples of correct use of these templates for nesting footnotes. Other permutations are possible and will yield similar results.

Reference within note[edit]

The reference appears within the main list of numbered references, and the reference marker is a simple numeral.

Using {{refn}}[edit]

Markup Renders as
 
Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Mary's possessions are on record.<ref>Book, 1949.</ref>}}  Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Mary's possessions are on record.[2]

References

  1. ^ Bloggs, 1981.
  2. ^ Book, 1949.
  3. ^ Scroggs, 1983.

Using {{efn}}[edit]

Markup Renders as
 
Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{efn|Mary's possessions are on record.<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{notelist}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Mary's possessions are on record.[2]

References

  1. ^ Bloggs, 1981.
  2. ^ Book, 1949.
  3. ^ Scroggs, 1983.

Subnote within note[edit]

The subnote appears in a separate list, below the list in which the main note appears. The subnote may be given a non-numeric marker - e.g. [b] or [iv] - or a numeral preceded by a character string, e.g. [Subnote 3], [n 3] or [nb 3].

(1) Non-numeric marker[edit]

If the main note is also indexed in the same way, the two sets of markers must be different, e.g. one set alphabetic with the other set roman numerals. The full range of possible markers can be seen here.

Using {{refn}}[edit]

Note the use of {{refn}} rather than <ref>...</ref> for both main note and subnote, so that the reference doubly nested within the subnote will display correctly.

Markup Renders as
 
Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Mary's possessions are on record.{{refn|group=lower-roman|They have been itemised by Book<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

''Subnotes''
{{reflist|group=lower-roman}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Mary's possessions are on record.[i]

Subnotes

  1. ^ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

References

  1. ^ Bloggs, 1981.
  2. ^ Book, 1949.
  3. ^ Scroggs, 1983.
Using {{efn}}[edit]

Note the use of {{efn}} rather than <ref>...</ref> for both main note and subnote, so that the reference doubly nested within the subnote will display correctly.

Markup Renders as
 
Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{efn|Mary's possessions are on record.{{efn-lr|They have been itemised by Book<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{notelist}}

''Subnotes''
{{notelist-lr}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Mary's possessions are on record.[i]

Subnotes

  1. ^ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

References

  1. ^ Bloggs, 1981.
  2. ^ Book, 1949.
  3. ^ Scroggs, 1983.

(2) Numeric marker with character string[edit]

If the main note is also indexed in the same way, the two character strings must be different. The main note and subnote both use {{refn}}.

Markup Renders as
 
Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|group=main note|Mary's possessions are on record.{{refn|group=subnote|They have been itemised by Book<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Main notes====
{{reflist|group=main note}}

''Subnotes''
{{reflist|group=subnote}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

Mary[1] had a little lamb.[main note 1] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

Main notes

  1. ^ Mary's possessions are on record.[subnote 1]

Subnotes

  1. ^ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

References

  1. ^ Bloggs, 1981.
  2. ^ Book, 1949.
  3. ^ Scroggs, 1983.

Subnote within reference[edit]

The subnote appears in a separate list, below the main References list. The subnote uses {{refn}}.

(1) Non-numeric marker[edit]

Markup Renders as
 
Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.<ref>Book, 1949.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.}} </ref> Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====References====
{{reflist}}

''Notes on the references''
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

Mary[1] had a little lamb.[2] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

References

  1. ^ Bloggs, 1981.
  2. ^ Book, 1949.
  3. ^ Scroggs, 1983.

Cite error: A list-defined reference has a conflicting group attribute "lower-alpha" (see the help page).

Notes on the references

(2) Numeric marker with character string[edit]

Markup Renders as
 
Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.<ref>Book, 1949.{{refn|group=Rnote|The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.}} </ref> Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====References====
{{reflist}}

''Notes on the references''
{{reflist|group=Rnote}}

Mary[1] had a little lamb.[2] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

References

  1. ^ Bloggs, 1981.
  2. ^ Book, 1949.
  3. ^ Scroggs, 1983.

Cite error: A list-defined reference has a conflicting group attribute "Rnote" (see the help page).

Notes on the references

See also[edit]

Policies and guidelines
General advice
Citing sources
Inline citations
Help for beginners
Advanced help
Help templates
Italics indicate deprecated or obsolete content.
source: https://web.archive.org/web/20150617123840/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Nesting_footnotes

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