Using Footnotes in A Skripsi/Thesis

      Using Footnotes in A Skripsi/Thesis
 
                                                             Written by Ari Julianto

Different faculty sometimes uses footnotes (catatan kaki) in writing a skripsi or thesis. It is desirable to quote some authoritative views or statements from written works of others in the research report. It may be necessary from various purposes for example to review the related literature,to support to give the rationale for one’s viewpoint.

Each quotation must have a footnote or reference indicating the sources from which it is borrowed. All these sources and authority be acknowledged both for intellectual honesty and for validity of one’s research.

Footnotes serve a number of purposes. They enable the researcher to substantiate his presentation by quotations or citations of other authorities, to give credit to sources of material that he has reported and to provide the reader with specific sources that he may use to verify the authenticity and accuracy of material quoted. The citation or quoted statements are written in single-spaced whereas the text is written double-spaced.

The footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page” and are separated from the text by a three cms horizontal line drawn from the left margin. Footnotes are numbered consecutively within a chapter.

The recent approach is that references are given in the place of footnotes. The reference of quoted material is inserted in parentheses at the end of the sentence. For example, (4 : 72) indicates that the statement refers to the bibliography listing number 4, page 72. Another procedure is that all the references are placed on one page at the end of the chapter in the sequence of quoted statements.

Method of Writing Footnotes
Usually the footnotes are given at bottom of the page at the end of the text according to the number of quotations provided on it. The following examples illustrate the style of writing footnotes:

1. Single author

John W. Best. (1977), ‘Research in Education’ 3rd ed. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,Inc., Englewood Cliff, 84 p.

2. Two authors:

J.H. MC. Grath and D. Gene Wattson (1970), ‘Research Methods and Designs for Education’, Pennsylvania International Text-book Company, 124 p.

It may be noted from the examples of footnotes and bibliography that the author’s last name or surname is written first in bibliography while last name or surname is given in usual way or in the last.

Second difference between these two can be gathered regarding page-total number pages of the book are written in bibliography and specific page number of the book is recorded on the foot-notes where the quotation has been given in the book. In this way eleven types of bibliography have been illustrated in this chapter, with this difference eleven types of footnotes can also be written.

To avoid repetition and making economy of time and space some abbreviations are used in writing the footnotes references. Usually following three types of abbreviations are employed.Ibid–In consecutive reference to the same work the Latin abbreviation Ibid (Indicates same page as earlier footnote), Ibid p. 36 (same work, but a different page 36) is used. Qp. Ci.–When a reference to the same work is not used in consecutive but after some other references, the Latin abbreviation op. cit. (indicates the work already cited in the report).

The surname of the author and op. cit. is used. If the page number of the book is different, in this situation op. cit. and page number along the surname is used. The examples are as follows:
Chaube, op. cit ( the work cited).
Chaube, op. cit. page 48 (the work cited on page 48).
Loc. Ci. – When a second but non-consecutive reference follows, referring to the same work and same page, the Latin abbreviation Loc-cit (previously cited) may be used. The authors surname along Loc. cit must be included. An example is given below:
Chaturvedi, Loc. cit (previously cited on page 48).

(Taken from various sources)

Well, hopefully today's posting will be useful for all of us. Amien.