Sample Page

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efn}} template within <ref>…</ref> tags 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]

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1. ^ 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).

…_tags”>

…_tags”>

1. ^ Book 1, 1923.
2. ^ Book 2, 1968.

r}} template within <ref>…</ref> tags 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]

…_tags”>

1. ^ 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).

…_tags”>

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 ^ a b This is Reference 1, with Reference 3 inside it.[3] ^ This is Reference 2, with Reference 4 inside it.[4] ^ Reference 3 Cite error: A list-defined reference has no name (see the help page).

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}}

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}}

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}}

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

(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}}

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}}

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

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.

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}}

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}}

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

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}}.

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 ^ Mary’s possessions are on record.[subnote 1] Subnotes ^ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others. References ^ Bloggs, 1981. ^ Book, 1949. ^ 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}}.

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 ^ Mary’s possessions are on record.[subnote 1] Subnotes ^ They have been itemised by Book[2] and others. References ^ Bloggs, 1981. ^ Book, 1949. ^ 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>.

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}}

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

Using {{refn}}

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}}

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.

Workarounds

Unidirectional links

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.

Markup	Renders 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 ^ It is soooo big. ^ It is very, very bright. This is because it is so big. See note “big”.

See also

• Help:Shortened footnotes#Nested footnotes
• Template:Harvard citation#Using CITEREF directly and {{sfnref}} and {{citeref}}
• Wikipedia:Citing sources/Further considerations—a how-to article with some additional considerations for citing sources
• Wikipedia:Help desk—to ask questions about nesting footnotes in articles if you were not able to find the information you need on this help page.