HOW TO FOOTNOTE IN YOUR RESEARCH PAPER
Whenever an outside source is used in your final research paper, you must provide a
footnote. Please footnote at the bottom of the page (MS Word: Insert – Reference – Footnote –
Bottom of Page). The formatting of the cite should follow the examples provided. Footnotes
should be single-spaced. Be sure to include the page number of the source from which the info
came in each footnote. The first time you cite to a source, use the long citation. Additional cites
to that reference may use the short citation.
Cases – Long Cite
[Case Name], [Volume] [Reporter] [1st Page of Case], [Page #] ([Court] [Year]).
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Example: U.S. v. Clary, 34 F.3d 709, 710 (8th Cir. 1994).
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Reporters are the books in which the cases are found. If accessing a case on the
internet, the volume and reporter are typically at the beginning of the case.
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U.S. Supreme Court cases do not need the court identified.
o Example: Ozawa v. U.S., 260 U.S. 178, 180 (1922).
Cases – Short Cite
[Short Name], [Vol.][Reporter], at [Page #].
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Example: Ozawa, 260 U.S. at 180.
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Choose one party for the short name (most often the first party named), but be
consistent throughout. If one party is a state or the U.S. use the other party as the
short name.
Books – Long Cite
[Author/Editor’s Full Name], [Title] [Page #] (Year)
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Example: Joanne Grant, Black Protest: History, Documents, and Analyses 1619 to the
Present 155 (1968).
Books – Short Cite
[Author’s Last Name], [supra], at [Page #].
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Example: Grant, supra, at 155.
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If using more than one work by the same author, include a short name in any supra
cite.
o Example: Grant, Black Protest, supra, at 155.
Law Review/Journal Articles – Long Cite
[Author’s Full Name], [Title], [Vol. Number][Abbreviated Journal Name] [first page], [page #]
(Year).
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Example: Genna Rae McNeil, Before Brown: Reflections on Historical Context and
Vision, 52 Am. U.L. Rev. 1431, 1435 (2003).
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The abbreviated name of the Journal can usually be found at the beginning of law
review articles. If none is found, abbreviate the best you can and be consistent
throughout. If you have any questions please ask.
Law Review/Journal Articles – Short Cite
[Author’s Last Name], [supra], at [page #].
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Example: McNeil, supra, at 1435.
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If using more than one work by the same author, include a short name in any supra
cite.
o Example: McNeil, Before Brown, supra, at 1435.
Magazine Articles – Long Cite
[Author’s Full Name], [Title], [Vol.] [Magazine Name] [1st page of article], [page #]
(Month/Date Year).
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Example: Willie E. Gary, Jack Hitt, Alexander J. Pires Jr., Richard F. Scruggs, &
Dennis C. Sweet III, Making the Case for Racial Reparations: Does America Owe a
Debt to the Descendants of Its Slaves?, 1806 Harper’s Magazine 37, 40 (Nov. 2000).
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If there is no volume number available, simply omit the volume number.
Magazines – Short Cite
[Author’s Last Name], [supra], at [page #].
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Example: Gary, Hitt, Pires, Scruggs, & Sweet, supra, at 40.
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If using more than one work by the same author, include a short name in any supra
cite.
o Example: Gary, Hitt, Pires, Scruggs, & Sweet, Making the Case, supra, at 40.
Newspapers – Long Cite
[Author’s Full Name], [Title], [Newspaper], [Date], at [page article begins].
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Example: Charles J. Ogletree Jr., Litigating the Legacy of Slavery, N.Y. Times,
March 31, 2002, at 9.
Newspapers – Short Cite
[Author’s Last Name], [supra], at [page article begins].
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Example: Ogletree, supra, at 9.
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If using more than one work by the same author, include a short name in any supra
cite.
o Example: Ogletree, Litigating, supra, at 9.
The Internet
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Articles w/ Authors on the Internet – Long Cite
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[Author’s Full Name], [Title], available at: [web address].
o Example: Gregory Jay, Teaching About Whiteness, available at:
http://www.uwm.edu/~gjay/Whiteness/Teachwhiteness.html.
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Articles w/ Authors on the Internet – Short Cite
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[Author Last Name], [supra], available at: [web address].
o Example: Jay, supra, available at:
http://www.uwm.edu/~gjay/Whiteness/Teachwhiteness.html.
o If using more than one work by the same author, include a short name in any
supra cite.

Example: Jay, Teaching, supra, available at:
http://www.uwm.edu/~gjay/Whiteness/Teachwhiteness.html.
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Internet Sources w/o Authors
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[website short name], available at: [web address].
o Example: ACLU Homepage, available at: http://www.aclu.org.