fol.

Writing & Everyday abbreviation · Citation and Bibliography

fol.
Stands forFolio
CategoriesWriting & Everyday

fol. stands for Folio, a citation and bibliography abbreviation.

Designates a leaf of a manuscript or early printed book, numbered on one side only, in citations of manuscripts and archives. Each folio has a front (recto) and a back (verso).

Example: The marginal note appears on fol. 23v of the manuscript, written in a later hand.

Usage notes

Citations add r or v to indicate recto or verso, as in "fol. 23r." The plural is fols. or ff. "Folio" also names a large book format made from sheets folded once, as in Shakespeare's First Folio of 1623.

More citation and bibliography abbreviations

  • eds. – Editors
  • enl. – Enlarged
  • f. – And the following (page)
  • ff. – And the following (pages)
  • fig. – Figure
  • fn. – Footnote
  • illus. – Illustrator or illustrated by
  • intro. – Introduction
  • ISBN – International Standard Book Number
  • ISSN – International Standard Serial Number
  • l. – Line
  • LCCN – Library of Congress Control Number

See all 58 citation and bibliography abbreviations →