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Wikipedia:Nesting footnotes

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This page explains how to "nest" footnotes (references or notes) in Wikipedia articles, i.e. how to create a footnote within a footnote. It reflects the way the MediaWiki software operates as of July 2015.

Overview

Footnotes: reminder

Footnotes are used most commonly to provide:

  • References to reliable sources, published in print or online
  • Notes containing supplementary content.

The Footnotes system shows two elements on the page:

  • A Footnote marker is displayed in the article's content as a bracketed, superscripted number, letter, or word. Examples shown respectively are: [1] [a] [Note 1]. This footnote label is linked to the full footnote.
  • A Footnote displays the full note or reference. The footnotes are displayed in an ordered list wherever the reference list markup (e.g. {{reflist}}, {{reflist|group=...}} or {{notelist}}) is placed. Each entry begins with the footnote label in plain text.

Nesting footnotes

Sometimes, an editor wishes to insert (nest) a footnote within a footnote. We will call the inserted footnote a "subnote". Cases may include:

Type of nestingExample
Reference within a noteLorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[a] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ This has been disputed by later scholars.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ↑ Nested reference, 2003.
  3. ↑ Book 2, 1968.
Note within a noteLorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[a] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ This has been disputed by later scholars[i] on the grounds of unsound evidence.

Subnotes

  1. ↑ For example, writing in 2003, Nested argued strongly for rejecting the source as a forgery.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ↑ Nested reference, 2003.
  3. ↑ Book 2, 1968.
Note on a referenceLorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Book 1, 1923.[subnote 1]
  2. ↑ Book 2, 1968.

Notes on references

  1. ↑ The 1952 paperback edition of Book 1 does not contain the relevant passage.

Things to consider

  1. Is your subnote really necessary? Especially if the subnote is a short one, would it be more straightforward for the reader - as well as for you - to keep it as part of the main note, perhaps in brackets?
  2. If the subnote is a reference, should it appear within the main numbered list of references, or in a separate list?
  3. If the subnote appears in a separate list, where should that list be placed among the different lists of footnotes?
  4. Should the subnote marker be - numeric,[1] a roman numeral,[i] alphabetic,[a] or user-defined?[subnote 1] Could it be confusing to use the same system in different footnote lists? Bear in mind also that roman numeral[i] is identical with alphabetic.[i]

What does not work

You cannot nest a footnote within a footnote that uses <ref>...</ref> tags, even if the footnotes belong to different groups.

1. Using <ref>...</ref> tags within <ref>...</ref> tags

Neither the subnote nor the preceding part of the main footnote is displayed. An error message is displayed in red font. The following part of the main footnote (if any) appears in the article text, with an unwanted </ref> tag.

Case 1: Error message and missing text, using nested <ref>...</ref> tags
Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[A]This is the latter part of the main footnote.</ref> Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ This has been disputed by later scholars. This part of the main footnote does not appear!<ref>Nested reference, 2003. This subnote does not appear!

References

  1. ↑ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ↑ Book 2, 1968.

2. Using a {{refn}} template within <ref>...</ref> tags

The subnote is not displayed. An error message is displayed in red font.

Case 2: Error message and missing text, using {{refn}} within <ref>...</ref> tags
Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[A] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ This has been disputed by later scholars. Subnote inserted here This is the latter part of the main footnote.

References

  1. ↑ Book 1, 1923.
  2. ↑ Book 2, 1968.

3. Using a {{efn}} template within <ref>...</ref> tags

The subnote is not displayed. An error message is displayed in red font.

Case 3: Error message and missing text, using {{efn}} within <ref>...</ref> tags
Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[A] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ This has been disputed by later scholars. Subnote inserted here This is the latter part of the main footnote.

Subnotes

    References

    1. ↑ Book 1, 1923.
    2. ↑ Book 2, 1968.

    4. Using a {{r}} template within <ref>...</ref> tags

    The subnote is not displayed. An error message is displayed in red font.

    Case 4: Error message and missing text, using {{r}} within <ref>...</ref> tags
    Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[A] Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.[2]

    Notes

    1. ↑ This has been disputed by later scholars. Subnote inserted here This is the latter part of the main footnote.

    References

    1. ↑ Book 1, 1923.
    2. ↑ Book 2, 1968.

    5. List-defined references

    Due to a long-standing bug (see phab:T22707), list-defined references do not work correctly when references are nested.

    Case 5: Error message and missing reference using list-defined references
    Lorem ipsum dolor[1] sit amet.[2]

    References

    1. ↑ This is Reference 1, with Reference 3 inside it.[3]
    2. ↑ This is Reference 2, with Reference 4 inside it.[4]
    3. Reference 3
    4. Reference 4

    A workaround is available via {{sfnlink}}.

    What does work

    To nest a footnote within another, one or both footnotes should be enclosed within the {{r}}, {{refn}} or {{efn}} templates. You may also use #tag:ref – this is just a less user-friendly equivalent of {{refn}}.

    {{r}} and {{refn}} use a very similar calling syntax (with {{r}} supporting all named parameters of {{refn}}), but {{r}} also supports shorter parameter aliases and is generally more flexible and powerful: {{refn|group=groupname|name=name|Contents of the footnote}} {{r|g=groupname|n=name|r=Contents of the footnote}}

    {{efn}} is equivalent to {{refn|group=lower-alpha}} (or {{r|g=lower-alpha}}), and the corresponding {{notelist}} is equivalent to {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}. Likewise, {{efn-lr}} is equivalent to {{refn|group=lower-roman}} (or {{r|g=lower-roman}}), and the corresponding {{notelist-lr}} is equivalent to {{reflist|group=lower-roman}}; similarly for the other variants.

    The following are some examples of correct use of these templates for nesting footnotes. Other permutations are possible and will yield similar results.

    Reference within note

    The reference appears within the main list of numbered references, and the reference marker is a simple numeral.

    Using {{refn}}

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Mary's possessions are on record.<ref>Book, 1949.</ref>}}  Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[2]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Using {{efn}}

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{efn|Mary's possessions are on record.<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{notelist}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[2]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Using {{r}}

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary{{r|r=Bloggs, 1981.}} had a little lamb.{{r|g=lower-alpha|r=Mary's possessions are on record.{{r|r=Book, 1949.}}}}  Its fleece was white as snow.{{r|r=Scroggs, 1983.}}

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[2]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Subnote within note

    (1) In same list

    A subnote may appear in the same list as the footnote in which it is nested, although the subnote will appear above the main note referring to it.

    Using {{refn}}
    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Mary's possessions are on record.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|They have been itemised by Book<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[b] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.
    2. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[a]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.
    Using {{r}}
    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary{{r|r=Bloggs, 1981.}} had a little lamb.{{r|g=lower-alpha|r=Mary's possessions are on record.{{r|g=lower-alpha|r=They have been itemised by Book{{r|r=Book, 1949.}} and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.{{r|r=Scroggs, 1983.}}

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[b] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.
    2. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[a]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    (2) In separate list: non-numeric marker

    The subnote appears in a separate list, above or below the list in which the main note appears. The subnote is given a non-numeric marker - e.g. [b] or [iv].

    If the main note is also indexed in the same way, to keep the lists separate the two sets of markers must be different, e.g. one set alphabetic with the other set roman numerals. The full range of possible markers can be seen here.

    Using {{refn}}

    Note the use of {{refn}} rather than <ref>...</ref> for both main note and subnote, so that the reference doubly nested within the subnote will display correctly.

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|Mary's possessions are on record.{{refn|group=lower-roman|They have been itemised by Book<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

''Subnotes''
{{reflist|group=lower-roman}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[i]

    Subnotes

    1. ↑ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.
    Using {{efn}}

    Note the use of {{efn}} rather than <ref>...</ref> for both main note and subnote, so that the reference doubly nested within the subnote will display correctly.

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{efn|Mary's possessions are on record.{{efn-lr|They have been itemised by Book<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Notes====
{{notelist}}

''Subnotes''
{{notelist-lr}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[i]

    Subnotes

    1. ↑ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.
    Using {{r}}

    Note the use of {{r}} rather than <ref>...</ref> for both main note and subnote, so that the reference doubly nested within the subnote will display correctly.

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary{{r|r=Bloggs, 1981.}} had a little lamb.{{r|g=lower-alpha|r=Mary's possessions are on record.{{r|g=lower-roman|r=They have been itemised by Book{{r|r=Book, 1949.}} and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.{{r|r=Scroggs, 1983.}}

====Notes====
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

''Subnotes''
{{reflist|group=lower-roman}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[a] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[i]

    Subnotes

    1. ↑ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    (3) In separate list: numeric marker with character string

    The subnote appears in a separate list, above or below the list in which the main note appears. The subnote is given a numeral preceded by a character string, e.g. [Subnote 3], [n 3] or [nb 3].

    Using {{refn}}

    If the main note is also indexed in the same way, to keep the lists separate the two character strings must be different. The main note and subnote both use {{refn}}.

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|group=main note|Mary's possessions are on record.{{refn|group=subnote|They have been itemised by Book<ref>Book, 1949.</ref> and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====Main notes====
{{reflist|group=main note}}

''Subnotes''
{{reflist|group=subnote}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[main note 1] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Main notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[subnote 1]

    Subnotes

    1. ↑ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.
    Using {{r}}

    If the main note is also indexed in the same way, to keep the lists separate the two character strings must be different. The main note and subnote both use {{r}}.

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary{{r|r=Bloggs, 1981.}} had a little lamb.{{r|g=main note|r=Mary's possessions are on record.{{r|g=subnote|r=They have been itemised by Book{{r|r=Book, 1949.}} and others.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.{{r|r=Scroggs, 1983.}}

====Main notes====
{{reflist|group=main note}}

''Subnotes''
{{reflist|group=subnote}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[main note 1] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    Main notes

    1. ↑ Mary's possessions are on record.[subnote 1]

    Subnotes

    1. ↑ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others.

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Subnote within reference

    (1) Non-numeric marker

    Using {{refn}}

    The subnote appears in a separate list, below the main References list. The subnote uses {{refn}} with a predefined or user-defined group. Be aware that because nesting fails within <ref></ref> tags, the reference bearing the subnote also has to use {{refn}} (without a group), not the more usual <ref></ref>.

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|Book, 1949.{{refn|group=lower-alpha|The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====References====
{{reflist}}

''Notes on the references''
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[2] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.[a]
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Notes on the references

    1. ↑ The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.
    Using {{r}}

    The subnote appears in a separate list, below the main References list. The subnote uses {{r}} with a predefined or user-defined group. Be aware that because nesting fails within <ref></ref> tags, the reference bearing the subnote also has to use {{r}} (without a group), not the more usual <ref></ref>.

    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary{{r|r=Bloggs, 1981.}} had a little lamb.{{r|r=Book, 1949.{{r|g=lower-alpha|r=The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.{{r|r=Scroggs, 1983.}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

''Notes on the references''
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[2] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.[a]
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Notes on the references

    1. ↑ The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.

    (2) Numeric marker with character string

    Using {{refn}}
    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary<ref>Bloggs, 1981.</ref> had a little lamb.{{refn|Book, 1949.{{refn|group=Note|The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.<ref>Scroggs, 1983.</ref>

====References====
{{reflist}}

''Notes on the references''
{{reflist|group=Note}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[2] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.[Note 1]
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Notes on the references

    1. ↑ The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.
    Using {{r}}
    MarkupRenders as 
    Mary{{r|r=Bloggs, 1981.}} had a little lamb.{{r|r=Book, 1949.{{r|g=Note|r=The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.}} }} Its fleece was white as snow.{{r|r=Scroggs, 1983.}}

====References====
{{reflist}}

''Notes on the references''
{{reflist|group=Note}}

    Mary[1] had a little lamb.[2] Its fleece was white as snow.[3]

    References

    1. ↑ Bloggs, 1981.
    2. ↑ Book, 1949.[Note 1]
    3. ↑ Scroggs, 1983.

    Notes on the references

    1. ↑ The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.

    Workarounds

    For cases that are too complex for Wikipedia's <ref>...</ref> syntax or templates like {{efn}} and {{refn}}, standard HTML anchors and links offer a workaround. You can create an anchor in one template using {{anchor}}, {{vanchor}}, or a citation template's |ref= parameter. Then you can create a section link to that anchor from another footnote (or anywhere on the page).

    In the example below, footnote "b" links back to footnote "a". This kind of unidirectional link doesn't create a link back to footnote b, unlike the bidirectional links generated by <ref> tags, or the {{efn}} template, but it doesn't have to.

    MarkupRenders as 
    The sun is big.{{efn|{{anchor|big}}It is soooo big.}} The sun is bright.{{efn|It is very, very bright. This is because it is so big. See [[#big|note "big"]].}}

===Notelist===
{{notelist}}

    The sun is big.[a] The sun is bright.[b]

    Notelist
    1. ↑ It is soooo big.
    2. ↑ It is very, very bright. This is because it is so big. See note "big".

    See also