Chicago Style: Footnotes vs Endnotes (When to Use Each)

Chicago style formatting gives you a choice in Notes-Bibliography format: footnotes or endnotes. Both are acceptable in Chicago format, but they serve different purposes. Here's how to decide and format each correctly when formatting a document in Chicago style.

Chicago Format: Footnotes vs Endnotes

• Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page where the citation occurs
• Endnotes are compiled at the end of the document or chapter

According to CMOS 17th Edition (Section 14.19), footnotes are generally preferred because they allow readers to see sources immediately without flipping pages.

When to Use Footnotes

• Academic papers where readers want quick source verification
• Documents with relatively few citations per page
• When your instructor or publisher prefers them
• When you want to add explanatory commentary alongside citations

When to Use Endnotes

• Books and longer works (cleaner page layout)
• Documents with many citations that would clutter the page
• When publisher guidelines require them
• When your focus is readability over immediate source access

Chicago Style Formatting for Notes

Whether footnotes or endnotes, the Chicago formatting rules are the same:

• Superscript Arabic numerals (¹, ², ³) in the text after punctuation
• Notes begin with a full-sized number followed by a period and space
• First line is indented 0.5 inches
• Author names in normal order (Given Surname)
• Single-spaced within notes, blank line between notes

Automatic Chicago Formatting

SimpleFormat Pro supports both footnotes and endnotes in Chicago format. The software handles all the Chicago style formatting — numbering, indentation, and spacing — automatically.