Make Your Editor Cry: (LATIN) cf.
The abbreviation “cf.” stands for the Latin word “confer” which means “compare.” Not to be confused with English meanings of confer in a sense of to bestow or to give, but with the primary intransitive verb meaning: to compare views.
The abbreviation “cf.” is primarily used in endnotes or footnotes to point readers to works that the author recommends referencing in comparison with the work at hand. Therefore, it might be more useful to read “cf.” as “but compare this to.”
It is generally preceded by citations of works that are sources for the author’s argument and then followed by one or two examples of works that somehow differ from or depart from the argument. Although it is not strictly necessary to explain how these works are different, you might find it useful to include a short phrase for the benefit of your reader.
Example:
3. Dewey 2002 AD, Cheatum 2003 AD; cf. on methodology Howe 2012 AD.
Gregg Bridgeman is the Editor-in-Chief at Olivia Kimbrell Press. He is husband to best-selling Christian author Hallee Bridgeman and parent to three. He continues to proudly serve in the US Armed Forces and has done so in either an active or reserve capacity for more than twenty years as an airborne and air assault qualified paratrooper, earning a Bronze Star for his service. Most importantly, he was ordained in October of 2001 after surrendering his life to Christ decades earlier.