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Is there supposed to be a space before a footnote reference mark? For example:

This is a sentence. 1

(let's say 1 is the footnote number) or there isn't supposed to be a space, so,

This is a sentence.1

Which is the preferred way?

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  • There is no universal standard; such concerns are largely a matter of style. Adhere to the discipline of your editor, publication, or organization, or in the absence of a house style, choose a style manual appropriate to your audience and tastes and be consistent in its application.
    – choster
    Commented Feb 15, 2018 at 15:32
  • What is a footnote reference mark?? Do you just mean a footnote number? Footnotes are generally numbered.
    – Lambie
    Commented Apr 16, 2018 at 19:57

1 Answer 1

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It depends on your referencing methods - APA, MLA, Oxford, Harvard, Chicago, etc.

Personally, I would omit the space.1

EDIT:

Purdue OWL is a good place to find information - and they, as well as Wikipedia, don't have spaces.


1 To get Superscript, use html formatting like the following <sup>1</sup>

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  • 2
    But what do the reference methods suggest?
    – foobar
    Commented Feb 15, 2018 at 14:18
  • 1
    For a superscript 1, use Unicode 00B9 (185): ¹
    – Andrew Leach
    Commented Feb 15, 2018 at 16:24
  • 3
    I have never seen a style guide that suggests leaving a space before a footnote marker. (There may be some, but in 30 years of editing I haven't come across one...) Commented Mar 17, 2018 at 19:13
  • @Kiloran_speaking Could you please try to answer this related question?
    – WilliamKF
    Commented Sep 29, 2020 at 15:37

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