In my experience, with most cuttings, the roots will emerge in the vicinity of a node, so it is a good idea to cut close enough such that one node will be well buried in the soil. They are best cut with a chamfer on two angles (45 and 60) to increase the surface area of cambium exposed as opposed to a straight uct. They also tend to plant at an angle to increase the apparent "depth" of the soil a little. Be sure to use sterile soil mix.
You'll see words like IAA (heteroauxin), IBA and IPA and NAA used in rooting hormone compounds and solutions. The strength varies depending on whether the age of the wood and the difficulty in rooting. I can't say much about the benefits of either. It would take a side-by-side comparison under similar conditions. Maybe someone else can comment.
1H-indole-3-acetic acid: (IAA) induces root growth in cuttings
1H-indole-3-butanoic acid: (IBA) similar to IAA.
1-napthalenacetic acid: (NAA) an auxin that promotes rooting
There is some useful information over at
bonsaiTALK Links under Propagation->Cuttings and also here:
http://www.rooting-hormones.com