Footnoting Professor's Publications in Personal Statements?

[Deliberate]

Is it tacky or good form to footnote publications which I (either directly or indirectly) discuss in my personal statement?  For example, if I talk about why I'd like to work with Professor X given his work in Y, would it be appropriate to footnote Y with the actual publication I had in mind?

[sacklunch]

Don't do it. 

[comicline865]

Don't footnote it; include it in the actual body. Pointing out specific articles and books that are highly relevant to your studies and have proven useful in the writing of your thesis (for example) helps them understand what sort of scholarship you're looking to do with the department.

[Cottagecheeseman]

Don't footnote it; include it in the actual body. Pointing out specific articles and books that are highly relevant to your studies and have proven useful in the writing of your thesis (for example) helps them understand what sort of scholarship you're looking to do with the department.

This. If it's relevant enough to include in the actual text, include it, if it isn't, don't footnote it in a personal statement.

[objectivityofcontradiction]

No notes in a SOP. That is a sure fire way to annoy the committee members. 

[MatintaP]

I didn't use footnotes and wouldn't advise you to do it, mostly because I think it is kinda superfluous. After all, it's a statement of purpose and not a paper. Professors will not refer to the text you cited. Actually I don't think it is at all necessary to include any sort of in-text or footnote citations. Yes, you will briefly discuss or mention certain ideas and arguments in your statement, but I don't think it is a format in which you're required or strongly encouraged to use them. I do not think, however, that in-text citations will hurt your application in any way whatsoever. Though there's so little space allowed for personal statements that citations felt to me like a waste of characters.