MS Word - References and Citations

Word offers great tools for citing sources, creating a bibliography, and managing the sources.  The first step to creating a reference list and citations in a document is to choose the appropriate style that you will be using for formatting the citations and references.

Style

To choose a publishing style:

• Click the References Tab on the Ribbon
• Click the drop down box next to Style in the Citations & Bibliography Group
• Choose the appropriate style

                       

Citations

To insert a citation in the text portion of your document:

• Click the References Tab on the Ribbon
• Click the Insert Citation Button on the Citations & Bibliography Group
• If this is a new source, click New Source
• If you have already created this source, it will in the drop down list and you can click on it

 

• If you are creating a New Source, choose the type of source (book, article, etc.)
• Complete the Create Source Form
• If you need additional fields, be sure to click the Show All Bibliography Fields check box
• Click OK

 

Placeholders

Placeholders can be utilized when there is a reference to be cited, but you do not have all of the information on the source.  To insert a Placeholder:

• Click Insert Citation
• Click Add New Placeholder

 

Manage Sources

Once you have completed a document you may need to add or delete sources, modify existing sources, or complete the information for the placeholders. To Manage Sources:

• Click the References Tab on the Ribbon
• Click the Manage Sources Button on the Citations & Bibliography Group
• From this menu you can Add, Delete, and Edit Sources (note, you can preview the source in the bottom pane of the window

 

Bibliography

To add a Bibliography to the document:

• Place the cursor in the document where you want the bibliography
• Click the References Tab on the Ribbon
• Click the Bibliography Button on the Citations & Bibliography Group
• Choose Insert Built-in Bibliography/Works Cited or Insert Bibliography

 

Insert Footnote

Some types of academic writing utilize footnotes.  To insert a footnote:

• Click the References Tab on the Ribbon
• Click Insert Footnote (or Insert Endnote depending on your needs)
• Begin typing the footnote