Creating references in word

Create a bibliography, citations, and references

1. Put your cursor at the end of the text you want to cite.

2. Go to References >  Style, and choose a citation style.

   

3. Select Insert Citation.

   

4. Choose Add New Source and fill out the information about your source.

Once you’ve added a source to your list, you can cite it again:

1. Put your cursor at the end of the text you want to cite.

2. Go to References > Insert Citation, and choose the source you are citing.

   

3. To add details, like page numbers if you’re citing a book, select Citation Options, and then Edit Citation.

   

Create a bibliography

With cited sources in your document, you’re ready to create a bibliography.

1. Put your cursor where you want the bibliography.

2. Go to References > Bibliography, and choose a format.

Tip: If you cite a new source, add it to the bibliography by clicking anywhere in the bibliography and selecting Update Citations and Bibliography.

A Bibliography is a list of all the sources in the document. In the MLA format (Modern Language Association), the list of sources is called Works Cited, that is a type of bibliography, which can include sources other than books. In the APA format (American Psychological Association), it is called a References list.

Before you create the Bibliography, References, or Works Cited, make sure you have replaced all placeholders with a proper citation (for more details, see how to create a citation, how to create a multi-source citation). If you inserted a placeholder for a citation, the source would not appear in the bibliography. However, if you later replace the placeholder with source information, the bibliography will be automatically updated, and the new source will be added to the bibliography.

Create a Bibliography, References, and Works Cited

To create a bibliography, follow the next steps:

   1.   Place the cursor where you want to insert the bibliography:

• Press Ctrl+End to get to the end of the document.
• Press Ctrl+Enter to insert a page break.

   2.   On the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click the Bibliography button and then do one of the following:

• Choose one of the built-in styles in the drop-down menu.
• Select Insert Bibliography at the bottom of the list:

  

  Note: If you choose the Insert Bibliography option, you will need to add a heading such as Bibliography, References, or Works Cited.

Word creates the Bibliography, References, or the Works Cited based on the sources. For example, the Bibliography in the IEEE style (see more about styles below):

Note: The automatically created bibliography, it does not matter how you created it, contains all sources of the document, even if some were removed or added by mistake. See how to manage sources for the Bibliography, References, and Works Cited for more details.

Empty Bibliography, References, and Works Cited

After inserting a Bibliography, References, and Works Cited, Word can create a message “There are no sources in the current document.”:

The leading cause for this message is that Word could not find the citations created using the Citations & Bibliography functionality (see how to create a citation in a Word document). It is possible that there are placeholders in the document, but they are still empty.

To solve that problem, check the placeholders and citations. See how to manage sources for more details.

Don’t forget to update bibliography in a document!

Citation and bibliography formats

Depending on the selected style, the Bibliography, References, and Works Cited look quite different. For example, the Works Cited using the APA style:

To change the style, on the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, open the Style drop-down list:

Choose the format you need:

• The American Psychological Association (APA) style is used for academic documents such as scholarly journal articles and books and in many social sciences.
• The Chicago style is used in history and economics and some social sciences.
• The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is most often used in the arts and the humanities, especially in English studies, modern languages and kinds of literature, comparative literature, literary criticism, media studies, cultural studies, and related disciplines.
• The American Sociological Association (ASA) style is used for writing university research papers in the field of sociology.
• The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) style is used for writing research papers, commonly used in technical fields, particularly in computer science.
• Oxford, Harvard, and others.

The specified format for citations and a bibliography can be the requirement for some types of the document.

Note: You do not need to create a bibliography to see how it will look for selected style. After choosing the bibliography style, you can preview the format in the Bibliography list:

Update a Bibliography, References, and Works Cited

Microsoft Word inserts a Bibliography, References, and Works Cited as a field:

or , if the Bibliography is inserted by clicking the Insert Bibliography command.

See how to turn on or turn off highlighting of fields in a Word document to display all fields in a document with a gray background.

Word will not automatically update any type of Bibliography after adding, deleting, or modifying sources or placeholders. You need manually update it, to do so, click on the Bibliography and do one of the following:

• Right-click anywhere in the sources list and select Update Field from the popup menu:

  
• Click anywhere in the Bibliography to show the field options. At the top of the field borders, click the Update Citations and Bibliography… button:

  

See also how to lock and unlock updating for fields.

Modify a Bibliography, References, and Works Cited

Word offers very simple way to change Bibliography to Works Cited or to References, and vice versa. To do so, click on the Bibliography to show the field options. At the top of the field borders, click the Bibliographies button:

Choose the bibliography type you need: Bibliography, References, or Works Cited.

Word also proposed the commands:

• Convert bibliography to static text.

  You can use this command for the final version of the document to avoid any changes for sources, updates, or style changes.

• Filter Languages to show the sources of different languages (see how to create citations for more details).

  Note: If the source has the default language, it can be shown for any selected language.

Delete a Bibliography, References, and Works Cited

To delete a Bibliography, it isn’t enough to delete only visible information, it is necessary to delete all the field. To do so, do the following:

   1.   Select the total Bibliography lines, including the last, empty line right after the Bibliography entries.

Note: If possible, click inside to show the field options. At the top of the field borders, click the Field button to select all the bibliography lines:

   2.   Click the Delete key.

Note: All the citations and placeholders (source information) are still saved in the current document, as well as in Word’s Master list (see manage sources for more details).

See also this tip in French:
Comment créer une bibliographie.

Adding citations and references is essential for students for their academic projects. Failing to add relevant references can not only lead to a deduction of marks but might even result in the project being rejected by the teacher. Furthermore, it can be difficult to keep up with different types of referencing styles to meet the criteria set by your teachers. Fortunately, Microsoft Word makes it quite easy to add citations and references to your Word documents.

How to Create References in Microsoft Word

The References tab in MS Word provides a comprehensive set of features for adding citations and references. The below guide will help you to add references in your Word documents, using Microsoft Word and older versions.

Step 1: To create a reference, head over to the References tab in MS Word and select a referencing style. By default Microsoft Word provides a variety of referencing styles, including the most commonly used styles like the Chicago and Harvard style of referencing.

Step 2: To add a citation click Insert Citation and select Add New Source.

Step 3: This will open a dialog box where you can select a source type and add relevant details. The available source types include Book, Book Section, Journal Article, Article in a Periodical, Conference Proceedings, Report.

Step 4: Once your reference has been created, go to Insert Citation and select it to add it as an inline reference.

Editing Your Citations and References in Microsoft Word

You can edit your citation anytime by clicking on the inline citation. The available options in the drop down menu will allow you to edit the citation and source, convert the citation to static format, as well as to update citation and bibliography.

You can also manage your added references by going to Manage Sources in the References tab. This section can be used to edit and remove added sources, as well as to copy and add new sources.

Adding Bibliographies to MS Word

In the References section you can use the Bibliography menu to add a Bibliography to your Microsoft Word document.

Adding End Notes to Your Microsoft Word Document

You can add end notes to your MS Word documents via References –> Insert Endnote.

As we could see, adding citations in Microsoft Word is possible with these simple steps. These tips can be helpful for Academic research or when preparing business documents. If you need more help you can learn Microsoft Word and how to accomplish simple tasks to be more productive at work.

Add citations to your document Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite, and then on the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click Insert Citations. From the list of citations under Insert Citation, select the citation you want to use.

How do you add References manually?

Select “References” and then “New Reference”, or press “Ctrl+N” on your keyboard or click the “New Reference” button (a clipboard with a plus sign). Choose the appropriate reference type from the “Reference Type” drop-down menu.

Can I add a referencing style to Word?

In your Word document, click on the References tab in the Ribbon. In the Citations & Bibliography group, click the arrow next to Style. Click the style that you want to use for the citation and source. Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite.

How do I turn on References in Word?

Go to Add-In tab -> Reference Manager -> Instant Formatting. Click the Enable Instant Formatting box to toggle Instant Formatting. Click OK to save changes to the Instant Formatting settings. Click OK to format all citations and build the bibliography.

How do you add more references?

Put your cursor at the end of the text you want to cite. Go to References > Style, and choose a citation style. Select Insert Citation. Choose Add New Source and fill out the information about your source.

How do you do apa style referencing?

About APA Style
The APA referencing style is an “author-date” style, so the citation in the text consists of the author(s) and the year of publication given wholly or partly in round brackets. Use only the surname of the author(s) followed by a comma and the year of publication.

How do I add Oxford Referencing to Microsoft Word?

The Oxford referencing system
On any Microsoft Word document, simply click on the ‘Insert’ menu and select ‘Footnote’ (or ‘Reference’ and then choose ‘Footnote’ from the drop-down list).

How do I insert references in Word 2010?

1. On the References tab, in the Citation & Bibliography group, choose the style of citation you want to use.
2. Position the cursor where you want the citation to appear, and then click Insert Citation, Add New Source.
3. In the Create Source dialog box, select the type of source and then fill in the fields shown.

How do you put references in a research paper?

Book: online / electronic

1. Author/Editor (if it is an editor always put (ed.)
2. Title (this should be in italics)
3. Series title and number (if part of series)
4. Edition (if not the first edition)
5. [Online]
6. Place of publication (if there is more than one place listed, use the first named)
7. Publisher.
8. Year of publication.

Is APA the same as Harvard?

APA (American Psychological Association)
APA referencing is a variant on Harvard style. Many of the conventions are the same, with brief author-date citations in brackets in the body of the text and full citations in the reference list.

How do you write references?

References

1. author(s) name and initials.
2. title of the article (between single quotation marks)
3. title of journal (in italics)
4. any publication information (volume, number etc.)
5. page range.
6. accessed day month year (the date you accessed the article)
7. from name of database.
8. item number (if given).

How do I reference a website in APA?

When citing a web page or online article in APA Style, the in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019).

How do I install Oscola in Word?

To create a footnote in Microsoft Word, click your mouse on the place you want it to refer to. Click on ‘References’ at the top and then on ‘Insert Footnote‘. A number will appear in the text, and also at the bottom of the page, where you write your citation.

How do you reference in-text Harvard style?

An in-text citation should appear wherever you quote or paraphrase a source in your writing, pointing your reader to the full reference. In Harvard style, citations appear in brackets in the text. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author, the year of publication, and a page number if relevant.

How do you reference a website Harvard style?

To reference a website in Harvard style, include the name of the author or organization, the year of publication, the title of the page, the URL, and the date on which you accessed the website. Author surname, initial. (Year) Page Title. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

How do you copy and paste references in Word?

Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+C (CMD+C for Mac) to copy. Alternatively you can use the menu “Edit > Copy”. In your email, IM, Google Docs or any other text editing field, paste the content you just copied. Do so by pressing CTRL+V (CMD+V for Mac) or the menu “Edit > Paste”.

How do I insert a reference in Word 2016?

To add a citation to your document, first add the source you used.

1. On the References tab, click the arrow next to Bibliography Style, and click the style that you want to use for the citation and source.
2. Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite.
3. On the References tab, click Insert Citation.

How do you add references to a research paper in Word?

Add citations to your document

1. Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite, and then on the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click Insert Citations.
2. From the list of citations under Insert Citation, select the citation you want to use.

How do you incorporate references in an essay?

You must cite all information used in your paper, whenever and wherever you use it. When citing sources in the body of your paper, list the author’s last name only (no initials) and the year the information was published, like this: (Dodge, 2008). (Author, Date).

Which referencing style is the best?

How to do I choose a citation style?

• APA (American Psychological Association) is used by Education, Psychology, and Sciences.
• MLA (Modern Language Association) style is used by the Humanities.
• Chicago/Turabian style is generally used by Business, History, and the Fine Arts.

Is APA 6th Harvard?

The Harvard (APA 6th) system of referencing requires you to set this information out in a certain way, and the examples below will show you how to do this.

This article helps you to create a bibliography, citations, and references in Microsoft Word document and its use cases.

Citations credit the source of information by citing a book, article, or other materials it comes from in Microsoft Word document. Bibliography list all the sources you included in your Word document orderly.

Create Citations in Word

• To get started, bring the cursor where you want to create citations in your Word document.
• Now, go to the Reference tab in the ribbon.
• Click the Insert Citation button in the Citations and Bibliography group.
• Select the Add New Source option from the pop-down menu.

• Now, the Create Source dialogue box will appear on your screen as in the below image.

• Select the source type from the Types of Source drop-down list box.
• Here, we are choosing the website as our source type.
• Also, you can enter the Author, Name of the website, year, month, date, and so on of the source that you needed in your citations.

• Click the Ok button after filling the source details.

If you want to change the Style of the Citations, then pick a citation style from the drop-down list by clicking on the Style button in the citations and bibliography group.

• Here, we are selecting the MLA option.
• To edit the citations, click the down arrow on the Citation in your Word document and select the Edit Citations option from the drop-down list.

In the above image, you can able to see the created citation.

• Now, you can edit your citations by adding page numbers to it and also can suppress it with more options.
• Now, click the Ok button once you completed your editing.

How to Create Bibliography in Word document?

It is always good to create a Bibliography by adding page breaks or create it on a new page of your document. To get started, do the following steps:

• Bring the cursor to the beginning of the page, where you want to create a Bibliography.
• Now, go to the References tab in the ribbon.
• Click the down arrow in the Bibliography button in the Citations and Bibliography group.
• Now, select the build-in type bibliography from the drop-down list or click the Insert Bibliography option.

• We picked the Reference bibliography here.

In the above image, you can see the created bibliography in the Word document.

Is this article up to date?

MS-Word / General Formatting

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The first time you create a reference from a particular source, you can
create a citation and enter the source data so that Word remembers it for
future use. To create a citation for a new source, follow these steps:

1. Click at the location where you want to insert the citation.
   Usually, this location is at the end of the sentence that refers to the source.
2. Use the Style drop-down list in the Citations & Bibliography group of
   the References tab to select the bibliography format. (This control is shown in the margin.)
3. Click the Insert Citation button in the Citations & Bibliography group on the References tab (shown in the margin).
4. Choose Add New Source.
5. Use the Type of Source drop-down list to select the source type.
6. Enter the bibliographic information in the dialog box.
   You can select the Show All Bibliography Fields check box to expand
   the Create Source dialog box to include additional fields. For most
   bibliographies, the basic fields are sufficient, so you can safely ignore this check box.
7. Click OK.
   The source information is added to Word’s database of bibliographic
   sources, and a reference to the source is added to the document.

You’re done! At least for this source. If you have other references and
sources, repeat this procedure. And when you’re ready, you can create
the bibliography as described in the section «Creating a Bibliography,» later in this tutorial.

Tip: Here are a few additional pointers for creating references and sources:

• After you have created a source, that source appears on the drop-down
  menu for the Insert Citation button. To create another reference to the
  same source, just click the Insert Citation button and choose the source you want to cite.
• If you want to create a reference but you don’t yet know the details, click
  the Insert Citation button and choose Add New Placeholder. Enter a
  name for the placeholder and click OK. You can then enter the details, as
  described in the section «Managing Your Sources,» later in this tutorial.
• When you insert a citation, the citation itself becomes an object that you
  can select and edit. When you select (or click inside) a citation, an arrow
  appears next to the citation; you can click this arrow to reveal a menu
  that lets you edit the citation itself or edit the source information. On
  that same menu, you can convert the citation to static text and update
  the citation field. You can also delete the citation by selecting it and pressing Delete.