Alignment of Footnote Tools with Reader Preferences

Determine to what extent available footnote-related tools align with what readers actually want from footnotes and annotations.

Background

The paper surveys existing augmented-reading, annotation, dictionary, citation, and intelligent-textbook tools and argues that these systems provide various forms of assistance for readers. However, the authors identify an unresolved empirical question concerning whether the capabilities and designs of currently available footnote-related tools correspond to readers’ actual preferences and needs. Resolving this question would help guide the design and evaluation of AI-generated footnotes.

References

It is also unclear to what extent available footnote-related tools align with what readers actually want.

— Stepping into the Margins: How Readers Want AI to Generate Footnotes  (2609.26673 - Vasicek et al., 22 Sep 2026) in Section 2, Related Work

We did not explore this avenue further, but it may be that individuals want an AI system that will not interfere with their personal moral code. Further research could investigate this and other areas of life where users are uncomfortable with AI intruding.

— Stepping into the Margins: How Readers Want AI to Generate Footnotes  (2609.26673 - Vasicek et al., 22 Sep 2026) in Section 7, Conclusion / Future Work