Q. In a footnote that starts with a superscript note number, is there a space between the number and the text of the note? Thanks!
A. There is if you let Microsoft Word or Google Docs do its thing. And if you’re smart enough to do that—in other words, if you already know to take advantage of the automated notes feature in your word processor—you might as well not interfere, particularly as there’s no apparent option to change this default behavior in either application. Consider also that such spaces may help readers identify footnotes more easily (which is why we use them at CMOS Shop Talk). But either choice, space or no space, is acceptable in a manuscript. Publishers who follow Chicago style will have no trouble adapting either one to a regular number (not a superscript) followed by a period and a space (see CMOS 14.24).