The best examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples for real papers

Let’s skip the theory and go straight to how this looks on the page. When people search for examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples, they’re usually trying to answer one question: “What should it literally look like?” So here are a few realistic setups you might use in a student paper, thesis, or journal article.

Imagine you have Appendix A: Survey Instrument. At the bottom of a page containing survey questions, you might see:

Appendix A. Undergraduate Stress Survey

1. How many hours per week do you work at a paid job?
2. How many hours per week do you study outside of class?
3. How often do you feel overwhelmed by your coursework?¹
4. How often do you feel supported by your instructors?²

¹ “Overwhelmed” was defined for participants as “feeling unable to manage academic demands.”
² Item adapted from the National College Health Assessment (American College Health Association, 2023).

This is a clean example of how to use footnotes in an appendix to clarify wording and acknowledge a source without cluttering each question.

Classic academic examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples

Let’s walk through several best examples you’re likely to need. I’ll keep the formatting simple so you can adapt it to your style guide.

1. Footnotes in a data table (Appendix B)

Data tables are probably the most common place people need examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples. Here’s a realistic setup:

Appendix B. Descriptive Statistics for Study Variables
Table B1

Variable	n	M	SD	Range
GPA	212	3.21	0.42	2.1–4.0
Weekly study hours¹	212	14.7	6.3	0–40
Weekly work hours²	212	18.2	10.5	0–50
Perceived stress³	212	21.4	7.8	0–40

¹ Self‑reported estimate for a typical week during the semester.
² Includes all paid employment during the semester.
³ Measured with the 10‑item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS‑10; Cohen et al., 1983).

Why this works:

• The superscript numbers are small enough not to distract from the table.
• Footnotes explain how variables were measured and defined.
• The third footnote also functions as a mini citation (most style guides allow this in appendices).

If you want to double‑check how to describe scales or instruments, you can look at examples in published articles on sites like NIH’s PubMed Central or education journals hosted by universities such as Harvard’s open access resources.

2. Footnotes clarifying coding in a transcript (Appendix C)

Qualitative projects often need examples include how to explain coding decisions. Here’s how a transcript excerpt might use footnotes:

Appendix C. Interview Transcript Excerpt (Participant 07)
R: Can you describe a typical week during your first year of college?
P07: It was pretty chaotic. I was working nights at the hospital¹ and trying to keep up with labs.
R: How many hours per week were you working?
P07: Around thirty‑five, sometimes more when people called out.²

¹ Participant worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at a local hospital.
² Coded as “high work hours” (≥ 30 hours/week) in quantitative analyses.

This example of appendix footnotes shows how you can:

• Clarify context that would be obvious to the participant but not to your reader.
• Link qualitative data to quantitative coding without turning the transcript into a statistics lecture.

3. Footnotes in a methodological appendix (Appendix D)

Sometimes your appendix is basically a “methods overflow” section. Here’s how footnotes might look when you’re describing a procedure:

Appendix D. Detailed Laboratory Procedure
Participants arrived at the lab between 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.¹ After informed consent, they completed a baseline questionnaire and provided a saliva sample.²

¹ Sessions were scheduled in the morning to reduce circadian variation in cortisol levels (see NIH for an overview of cortisol rhythms).
² Saliva samples were collected using passive drool into polypropylene tubes and immediately frozen at −20 °C.

Here, the footnote does two things:

• Gives a scientific justification for the timing.
• Points the reader to an external resource for more background.

4. Footnotes acknowledging adaptations and permissions (Appendix E)

In 2024–2025, journals and universities are increasingly picky about transparency, especially around adapted instruments and copyrighted materials. That’s where more detailed examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples come in handy.

Appendix E. Adapted Anxiety Scale Items

1. I feel nervous in social situations.¹
2. I worry about being judged by others.¹
3. I avoid speaking up in class.¹

¹ Items adapted from the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS; Mattick & Clarke, 1998). Adaptation approved by the original authors via email on March 4, 2024.

This kind of footnote:

• Documents that the items are not entirely original.
• Records that you obtained permission (something IRBs and publishers increasingly care about).

If you’re not sure about permissions, many universities (for example, Harvard Library’s copyright resources) offer guidance.

5. Footnotes explaining missing or excluded data (Appendix F)

Another realistic example of appendix footnotes: explaining why numbers don’t quite add up.

Appendix F. Participant Flow Diagram
Total students invited: 450
Completed baseline survey: 312
Completed follow‑up survey: 247¹
Included in final analyses: 212²

¹ Follow‑up survey was optional and completed online during final exam week.
² Participants were excluded if they did not provide consent for grade access (n = 23) or failed at least one attention‑check item (n = 12).

Instead of squeezing all of that into the main text, these footnotes keep the story clear in the appendix where the full flow is documented.

6. Footnotes in technical or coding appendices (Appendix G)

If you’re including code, syntax, or technical details, you may still need examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples—just fewer of them.

Appendix G. R Code for Primary Analyses

model1 <- lm(GPA ~ work_hours + study_hours + stress, data = df)

Note. All continuous predictors were mean‑centered prior to analysis.¹

¹ Centering was performed to reduce multicollinearity and improve interpretability of the intercept.

In technical appendices, many writers prefer a short italic “Note” under a block of code or a table instead of multiple numbered footnotes. That still functions like a footnote in practice, and most instructors are fine with that.

How to format examples of footnotes in an appendix across styles

Now that you’ve seen several real examples, let’s talk about how they fit with common style guides. The good news: the basic patterns of examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples are similar across APA, MLA, and Chicago.

APA Style (7th edition)

In APA, appendices usually appear after the references. Key points:

• Label each appendix with a letter: Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.
• Within each appendix, tables and figures can have their own numbers (Table A1, Figure B2, and so on).
• Footnotes for tables go directly under the table, before the note about source.

A short APA‑style table footnote example:

Note. N = 212. GPA = grade point average. Work hours = weekly paid employment.

APA tends to favor this “Note” format over multiple numbered footnotes in a single table, but you can mix in superscript letters or numbers when you really need separate explanations.

For current APA guidance on appendices and tables, the official APA Style site is the best starting point.

MLA Style (9th edition)

MLA doesn’t obsess over appendices as much as APA, but the same spirit applies:

• Label appendices with letters (Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.).
• Use endnotes or footnotes sparingly; in an appendix, they mainly clarify sources or unusual terms.

An MLA‑friendly example of a footnote in an appendix might look like this under a primary source excerpt:

¹ All spelling and punctuation in this excerpt reflect the original 1892 edition.

Chicago Style (17th edition)

Chicago is the most footnote‑friendly of the big three. In Chicago notes and bibliography style, you can:

• Use standard numbered footnotes in appendices exactly the way you do in the main text.
• Include full citations in the first note, then shortened forms later.

A Chicago‑style example of an appendix footnote:

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011–2021 (Atlanta: CDC, 2023).

For official Chicago guidance, you can check the Chicago Manual of Style Online (many universities provide access through their libraries).

When should you use footnotes in an appendix (and when not to)?

You’ve seen several examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples. The next question is: When are they actually helpful?

Footnotes in appendices are helpful when you need to:

• Clarify abbreviations or specialized terms without rewriting the whole table.
• Explain how you coded or transformed data (e.g., “High stress = score ≥ 24 on PSS‑10”).
• Acknowledge adaptations, permissions, or unusual procedures.
• Connect an appendix item back to a measure, dataset, or external source.

They’re usually not helpful when:

• You’re repeating information that’s already clear in the main text.
• The note is so long it should really be a short paragraph in the appendix itself.
• You’re trying to hide important limitations or caveats in tiny text at the bottom of the page.

A quick rule of thumb: if the reader must know it to understand your results, keep it in the main text or in a clearly visible paragraph in the appendix. Use footnotes for helpful clarifications, not for critical warnings.

2024–2025 trends: transparency, data sharing, and appendix footnotes

Recent years have pushed research toward more transparency, and that shows up in appendices. When you look at current articles in psychology, public health, or education—especially those indexed through NIH’s PubMed or major university repositories—you’ll notice a few patterns:

• More detailed method appendices. Footnotes often clarify small but important details: exact survey wording, timing of data collection (for example, during the COVID‑19 pandemic), or how missing data were handled.
• Clearer documentation of measures. Many researchers now use appendix footnotes to identify open‑access scales, link to original validation studies, or specify which items were dropped.
• Ethics and consent notes. Some projects add footnotes in appendices to explain consent procedures or data‑sharing limitations, particularly when working with minors or sensitive health data.

If you want your work to feel current, borrowing these best examples from recent papers is a smart move. Use footnotes in appendices to make your process more transparent, not more mysterious.

FAQ: short answers and quick examples

What are some common examples of footnotes in an appendix for student papers?

Common examples of appendix footnotes in student papers include:

• Explaining how a survey item was adapted from an existing instrument.
• Defining categories like “high stress,” “low income,” or “first‑generation student.”
• Clarifying that a transcript keeps original spelling, grammar, or slang.
• Noting that certain participants were excluded from analyses and why.

All of these are variations on the examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples shown above.

Is it okay to include full citations in appendix footnotes?

Yes, especially in Chicago style. In APA and MLA, you’ll usually give full details in the reference list and keep appendix footnotes shorter, but a brief citation in the footnote is fine when it helps the reader connect the appendix material to a specific source.

Do appendix footnotes restart numbering, or continue from the main text?

This depends on your style guide and your instructor or journal. Many student papers restart numbering in each appendix (¹, ², ³ for Appendix A, then ¹, ², ³ again for Appendix B). Chicago often continues numbering through the whole document. If in doubt, check your assignment instructions or the journal’s author guidelines.

Can I use an asterisk instead of numbered footnotes in an appendix table?

Yes. Many tables use symbols like , †, and ‡ instead of numbers. For example, a table might have “p < .05” at the bottom and “† Outlier removed prior to analysis.” This is still functioning as a footnote, and it’s a widely accepted example of how to keep explanations tidy.

If you model your work on these examples of footnotes in an appendix: practical examples, you’ll be in good shape for most undergraduate, master’s, and even early doctoral projects. Focus on clarity, honesty, and making life easier for your reader—that’s the real purpose behind every good appendix footnote.