{"id":702,"date":"2014-06-09T18:44:21","date_gmt":"2014-06-09T18:44:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/?p=702"},"modified":"2021-02-01T11:48:08","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T16:48:08","slug":"footnotes-for-white-papers-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thatwhitepaperguy.com\/footnotes-for-white-papers-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Footnotes for white papers 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Footnotes are an essential ingredient of a persuasive white paper.<\/h2>\n

It’s not difficult to write down your views.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s much harder to find compelling evidence to back up those views.<\/p>\n

\"colourful_stack_of_booksFootnotes help your white paper convey more authority than a simple blog post or opinion piece.<\/p>\n

Footnotes help build your argument and prove that you did your homework.<\/p>\n

But most writers have never thought much about footnotes since, well, college.<\/p>\n

To help you use footnotes effectively, here are answers to some frequently asked questions about them.<\/p>\n

Q: How can I tell when I need a footnote?<\/h3>\n

Whenever you define a term<\/strong>, find a source for your definition. Example: “PII is any information that can link an account number to a specific person.”<\/p>\n

Whenever you give a number, date, or statistic<\/strong>, back it up with a reliable source. Example: “Since 2000, more than 200 million accounts have been exposed in security breaches in the U.S. alone.”<\/p>\n

Whenever you state a controversial view<\/strong>, include a reference to help quiet the doubts that arise in the reader’s mind. Example: “By now, the cloud is perfectly secure for any enterprise.”<\/p>\n

Note how all three examples look\u00a0questionable\u00a0without any sources. Each one\u00a0would be much stronger with a footnote that gave a precise reference.<\/p>\n

Q: Which are better: footnotes or endnotes?<\/h3>\n

As you know, a footnote falls at the bottom of a page, while an endnote is placed at the end of a document. This small detail makes a big difference.<\/p>\n

Footnotes<\/strong> provide immediate credibility. Many readers glance down the page to see them, so they tend to be noticed. Footnotes look scholarly and suggest that a document is well-researched.<\/p>\n

Endnotes<\/strong> are more tidy, since they do not break up the reading experience of a page. But fewer people flip back to see them, so endnotes tend to\u00a0add less authority to a document.<\/p>\n

It’s your choice which format you use.<\/p>\n

For a longer discussion of this question, see my article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Q: How much text can I legally quote in a white paper?<\/h3>\n

You’re generally safe to quote a sentence or two from any published source like a newspaper, magazine, blog or company website, as long as\u00a0you give proper credit.<\/p>\n

Some say that you can legally use 200 or 300 words from any source.\u00a0But this isn’t carved in stone.<\/p>\n

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, “there is no formula to ensure that a predetermined percentage or amount of a work\u2014or specific number of words, lines, pages, copies\u2014may be used without permission.” [1]<\/p>\n

Copyright material can be quoted for comment, education, parody, reporting, or research under “fair use” provisions.<\/p>\n

Here is the key question to ask: Am I costing someone money to quote what I want from their material?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s a thought experiment. Suppose\u00a0someone wrote a book called 10 Dumb Things IT Managers Do to Undermine Their Careers<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you come along and quote one of their 10 points, along with the full title and publisher, you likely won’t hurt sales of that book. You could even say you helped promote it.<\/p>\n

But if you copy all 10 points\u00a0with a fair\u00a0chunk of text under each item, that’s giving away too much of someone else’s content.<\/p>\n

The author and publisher could well argue that you hurt sales and cost them money.<\/p>\n

To be practical, no one sues anyone else unless there’s a great deal of money at stake. Just be reasonable, and you shouldn’t have any legal problems.<\/p>\n

Q: When do I need permission to quote from another document?<\/h3>\n

Some publishers that produce premium newsletters, market research, or other original material want you to ask permission before you quote anything from them.<\/p>\n

Some industry analysts like Gartner try to enforce\u00a0this policy.<\/p>\n

If you simply want to quote one factoid that was already widely reported by other websites or publications, you can likely skip getting permission.<\/p>\n

But if you grab all the best insights from a report priced at $3,995 and put them into your own white paper, the publisher may get pretty annoyed.<\/p>\n

Can you blame them?<\/p>\n

Once again, ask yourself the key question: Am I costing someone\u00a0money to quote what I want from their material?<\/p>\n

If you do want to quote from a high-priced report, always consider asking permission from the publisher. You can usually find contact information at the front of the report.<\/p>\n

Q: How should I format my footnotes?<\/h3>\n

Here are two down-to-earth principles for formatting footnotes in a white paper:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A footnote must provide enough detail for an interested reader to find that source if they wish.<\/li>\n
  2. Footnote formats must be consistent within any white paper, and ideally across all white papers from a company.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most white paper sponsors and readers will not notice much beyond these basics. You simply want your footnotes to be clear, accurate and complete.<\/p>\n

    For example, here is the format I use for footnotes in my white papers:<\/p>\n

    X: Author Name, “Title of Book or Article”, Publication (for articles), Publisher, date, page<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    To avoid any confusion, I give dates with the day first as in “13 March 2016” in the way more popular in Europe. Even if someone has never seen this format in their life, it’s\u00a0abundantly clear.<\/p>\n

    Q: How can I cite a webpage?<\/h3>\n

    If your source is a blog or website, you can append a URL to a footnote to show where and when you found the document online. For example:<\/p>\n

    retrieved 20 March 2016 from www.domain.com\/page.html<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Q: Where can I find out more about footnotes?<\/h3>\n

    If you want to venture deeper, there are several styles for academic footnotes, including:<\/p>\n