Skip to Main Content 
Common errors
- No full stops at the end of each footnote >> Solution: all footnotes have a full stop.
- Placement on the footnote marker >> Solution: place footnote markers after any punctuation. For example: actus reus is a contested principle.1
- Quoting everything as a website >> Solution: check whether you are looking at an article, a book, a case, a webpage.
- Italics >> Solution: only book titles, command papers, Law Commission reports titles, select committee reports titles and webpages go in italics in both footnotes and tables and bibliography. Case names only go in italics in a footnote.
- Repeated references (ibid and n) >> Solution: check this guidance.
- What goes in the bibliography at the end and the tables at the beginning >> Solution: check this guidance. In general primary sources go in a table at the beginning of your assignment, while secondary sources go at the end of your assignment.
- Author's name in footnotes and bibliography/tables >> Solution: footnote: John Smith or J Smith // bibliography or Table: Smith J
- The purpose of footnotes >> Solution: footnotes either guide readers to specific references or add more information or explanation. You should back up your statements with evidence, so footnotes are needed whenever you are presenting evidence or ideas.
