alaviite

Alaviite is a note placed at the bottom of a page or at the end of a document that provides supplementary information or cites sources. In Finnish academic writing, the term refers to citations or commentary linked to a marker in the main text, usually a superscript number. Footnotes help readers locate sources without interrupting the flow of the main text; they differ from in-text parenthetical citations by appearing at the bottom of the page. The alternative endnotes, or loppiviitteet in Finnish, appear at the end of a chapter or document rather than on each page.

Footnotes can contain full bibliographic details in the first occurrence and shortened forms in subsequent notes, depending on the citation style (for example Chicago, MLA, or APA). They may also host ancillary information, such as clarifications, translations, or comments that are tangential to the main argument. The numbering is typically sequential within a document, restarting per page in some styles or continuing across the entire work in others.

In word processing and publishing, inserting an alaviite is a common feature that automatically manages numbering and formatting. Editors may set stylistic rules for font size, punctuation, and the treatment of short titles.

Historically, footnotes emerged in early modern printing as a way to provide sources and commentary. Today they are widely used in humanities and legal writing, though digital and open-access formats increasingly rely on hyperlinks and endnotes or inline citations.

See also loppiviite, lähdeviite, viite.