1. The best known name of the author. Give initials only when necessary to distinguish between several authors of the same name. Set in roman lower-case unless otherwise ordered.
2. The name of the book in roman lower-case. If there is a Bibliography, or list of authorities attached to the book the names of all works referred to should there appear in full, but should be abbreviated in the notes. Otherwise, the name is sometimes written in full the first time it is referred to in a footnote and afterward abbreviated. If the book has but few references to authorities the names may be given in full in the footnotes especially when the reference is to the book as a whole and not to a particular paragraph. In such a case as this last the name is often printed in italics.
Always abbreviate uniformly in the same book.
3. The number of the volume in roman numerals of capital letters. No period.
4. The numbers of the pages in Arabic figures. If there are several editions varying in subject matter and paging the edition used should be specified. If the edition has been specified in the Bibliography this information should not be repeated in the footnotes. In books like the Bible, Shakespeare, Blackstone, or Milton, which have been printed in innumerable editions book, chapter and verse; act, scene and line; section and paragraph, or canto, stanza, and line must be specified.
Number of paragraph only No. 68 Stanza only st. 18 Page only P. 213 Line only l. 384 Paragraph only ¶ 34 Section only § 5
Chapter only
Canto only xiv Book only iii
Book and chapter
Part and chapter Book and line Act and scene iii 2 Act, scene, and line iv. 3. 45
Chapter and verse
Number and page Volume and page II 34 Volume and chapter IV. iv.
Part, book, and chapter
Part, canto, and stanza II. iv. 12 Chapter, section, paragraph vii. § 3, ¶ 4
Volume, part, section, paragraph
Book, chapter, section, paragraph I. i. § 2, ¶ 6 In abbreviated references to the Bible or to the plays of Shakespeare use Arabic figures prefixed to the name to indicate part of succession of the book, play, or letter.
2 Kings II: 5
3 John 11
1 Henry VI, iii. 2. 14
| Number of paragraph only | No. 68 | |||||
| Stanza only | st. 18 | |||||
| Page only | P. 213 | |||||
| Line only | l. 384 | |||||
| Paragraph only | ¶ 34 | |||||
| Section only | § 5 | |||||
| xiv | |||||
| Book only | iii | |||||
| iii 2 | |||||
| Act, scene, and line | iv. 3. 45 | |||||
| II 34 | |||||
| Volume and chapter | IV. iv. | |||||
| II. iv. 12 | |||||
| Chapter, section, paragraph | vii. § 3, ¶ 4 | |||||
| I. i. § 2, ¶ 6 |
The following excellently chosen illustrations of good methods in handling numerous footnotes in learned works are taken from De Vinne's "Correct Composition."
From English Past and Present, by R. C. Trench
1 Guest, Hist. of English Rhythms, vol. I. p. 280.
2 Hooker, Eccles. Pol. i. 3, 5.
3 Craik, On the English of Shakespeare, 2nd edit. p. 97.
4 Marsh, Manual of the English Language, Engl. edit. p. 278.
From Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Murray's edition of 1881 (8 vols. 8 vo)