You should not use sentences or even phrases from your research sources. Your ideas may come from your sources, but the words must be your own. How to write footnotes When you decide that a footnote is necessary, place a number at the end of the sentence that contains the information to be documented. Occasionally, you may want to footnote two different things in the same sentence. In this case, place each number right after the word or phrase you want to footnote.
Some writers place the number at the end of a paragraph rather than at the end of a sentence.
This is proper only if the footnote refers to the material in the paragraph as a whole. If you are footnoting specific facts or quotations, the number should appear right after the facts or quoted material. If you are footnoting a general idea or opinion, place the number at the end of the paragraph or paragraphs that discuss it. Here are examples of footnotes showing the different forms required for citing different kinds of sources. Unless your instructor tells you to use a different form, follow the examples below.