| This page in a nutshell:
Footnotes placed within footnotes may appear in the same list as the containing footnotes, or in a separate list. There are various choices in layout and formatting. In some cases, markup using <ref></ref> tags will cause an error message.
|
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.
Instructions on this page may not work with VisualEditor.
If you have
opted in
, you can use either
VisualEditor
or classic editing through
wiki markup
(wikitext) to edit most pages. The directions on this page, especially about what codes to type to produce formatting effects, are predominantly geared toward wikitext editing. For instructions on editing with VisualEditor, see
Wikipedia:VisualEditor/User guide
.
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.
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 nesting
|
Example
|
Reference within a note
|
Lorem ipsum dolor
[1]
sit amet.
[a]
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
[3]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
This has been disputed by later scholars.
[2]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Book 1, 1923.
- ^
Nested reference, 2003.
- ^
Book 2, 1968.
|
Note within a note
|
Lorem ipsum dolor
[1]
sit amet.
[a]
Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
[3]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
This has been disputed by later scholars
[i]
on the grounds of unsound evidence.
Subnotes
- ^
For example, writing in 2003, Nested argued strongly for rejecting the source as a forgery.
[2]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Book 1, 1923.
- ^
Nested reference, 2003.
- ^
Book 2, 1968.
|
Note on a reference
|
Lorem ipsum dolor
[1]
sit amet. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
[2]
References
[
edit
]
Notes on references
- ^
The 1952 paperback edition of Book 1 does not contain the relevant passage.
|
- 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?
- If the subnote is a reference, should it appear within the main numbered list of references, or in a separate list?
- If the subnote appears in a separate list, where should that list be placed among the different lists of footnotes?
- 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]
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
[
edit
]
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.
Cite error: A
<ref>
tag is missing the closing
</ref>
(see the
help page
).
This is the latter part of the main footnote.</ref> Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
[2]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Book 1, 1923.
- ^
Book 2, 1968.
|
2. Using a
{{
refn
}}
template within <ref>...</ref> tags
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
- ^
This has been disputed by later scholars.
Subnote inserted here
This is the latter part of the main footnote.
Cite error: A
list-defined reference
has a conflicting group attribute
""
(see the
help page
).
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Book 1, 1923.
- ^
Book 2, 1968.
|
3. Using a
{{
efn
}}
template within <ref>...</ref> tags
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
- ^
This has been disputed by later scholars.
Subnote inserted here
This is the latter part of the main footnote.
Cite error: A
list-defined reference
has a conflicting group attribute
"lower-alpha"
(see the
help page
).
Subnotes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Book 1, 1923.
- ^
Book 2, 1968.
|
4. Using a
{{
r
}}
template within <ref>...</ref> tags
[
edit
]
| This section is retained only for
historical
reference.
Reason:
The
{{
R
}}
template
has been deprecated by community RfC since 2010
(its use "suspended" unless three conditions were met, which were not met).
For a modern solution
to citing different pages in a single source, which can be used inside an existing
<
ref
>
for another source, see
{{
harvp
}}
.
|
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
[
edit
]
- ^
This has been disputed by later scholars.
Subnote inserted here
This is the latter part of the main footnote.
Cite error: A
list-defined reference
has a conflicting group attribute
""
(see the
help page
).
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Book 1, 1923.
- ^
Book 2, 1968.
|
5. List-defined references
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
|
A workaround is available via
{{
sfnlink
}}
.
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
[
edit
]
The reference appears within the main list of numbered references, and the reference marker is a simple numeral.
Using
{{
refn
}}
[
edit
]
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[2]
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Using
{{
efn
}}
[
edit
]
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[2]
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Using
{{
r
}}
[
edit
]
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[2]
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Subnote within note
[
edit
]
(1) In same list
[
edit
]
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
}}
[
edit
]
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
They have been itemised by Book
[2]
and others.
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[a]
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Using
{{
r
}}
[
edit
]
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
They have been itemised by Book
[2]
and others.
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[a]
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
(2) In separate list: non-numeric marker
[
edit
]
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
}}
[
edit
]
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.
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[i]
Subnotes
- ^
They have been itemised by Book
[2]
and others.
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Using
{{
efn
}}
[
edit
]
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.
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[i]
Subnotes
- ^
They have been itemised by Book
[2]
and others.
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Using
{{
r
}}
[
edit
]
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.
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Mary's possessions are on record.
[i]
Subnotes
- ^
They have been itemised by Book
[2]
and others.
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
(3) In separate list: numeric marker with character string
[
edit
]
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
}}
[
edit
]
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
}}
.
Markup
|
Renders 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
Subnotes
- ^
They have been itemised by Book
[2]
and others.
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Using
{{
r
}}
[
edit
]
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
}}
.
Markup
|
Renders 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
Subnotes
- ^
They have been itemised by Book
[2]
and others.
References
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
|
|
|
Subnote within reference
[
edit
]
(1) Non-numeric marker
[
edit
]
Using
{{
refn
}}
[
edit
]
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>.
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
[a]
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
Notes on the references
- ^
The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.
|
|
|
Using
{{
r
}}
[
edit
]
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>.
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
[a]
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
Notes on the references
- ^
The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.
|
|
|
(2) Numeric marker with character string
[
edit
]
Using
{{
refn
}}
[
edit
]
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
[Note 1]
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
Notes on the references
- ^
The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.
|
|
|
Using
{{
r
}}
[
edit
]
Markup
|
Renders 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
- ^
Bloggs, 1981.
- ^
Book, 1949.
[Note 1]
- ^
Scroggs, 1983.
Notes on the references
- ^
The relevant chapter does not appear in the paperback edition of 1955.
|
|
|