To add references in the desktop version of Microsoft Word, choose a citation style, insert a source at the sentence you are citing, and then generate a bibliography at the end of the document. Check the source details and the final formatting against your assignment or publisher’s style rules.
Add an in-text citation and source
- Place the cursor at the end of the sentence or passage that needs a citation.
- Open References > Style and choose the style your instructor or publisher requires, such as APA or MLA.
- Select References > Insert Citation > Add New Source.
- In Create Source, choose the correct source type, such as book, journal article, or website. Enter the author, title, date, and other available details, then select OK.
- Word inserts the citation where you placed the cursor. Read it to confirm the details and punctuation are right.
To cite the same source again, place the cursor at the new location and choose it from References > Insert Citation. If a quotation needs a page number, use the citation’s options to edit that citation rather than typing a page number into plain text.
Put the reference list at the end
- Place the cursor after the main text, where the list should appear. Add a page break first if the list needs its own page.
- Choose References > Bibliography, then select the bibliography or works-cited format your document needs.
- Review each entry. Word can format the sources you entered, but it cannot verify that the author names, dates, URLs, or style choice are correct.
If you add or edit citations later, click inside the bibliography and choose Update Citations and Bibliography. See our guide to updating a Word bibliography for that step.
Edit a source or change styles
Use References > Manage Sources to find and correct a source’s details. Changing the style in References > Style reformats Word’s generated citations and bibliography; check the result because built-in styles may not cover every rule in a current style manual. If a required style is missing, consult your institution’s instructions before submitting.
Choose the right source and fix a mistaken entry
In the Create Source dialog, set Type of Source before filling in the fields: a book, chapter, journal article, and website ask for different information. Copy names, title, publication date, and page or URL details from the source itself. If you do not know a field, do not invent it; check the source or the citation rules you must follow.
If you notice a typo after inserting a citation, correct the saved source through References > Manage Sources (or the Citations pane on Mac). Then check every use of that source and update the generated bibliography. To change only one citation, such as adding a page number for a quotation, select that citation and use Citation Options > Edit Citation. Editing the bibliography text by hand is fragile because Word can replace those manual changes when you update it.
Add a placeholder when you don’t have the source details yet
If you are still drafting and don’t have a source’s full details, you can mark the spot now and complete the source later. These steps are for Word for Windows.
- Place the cursor where the citation belongs.
- Select References > Insert Citation > Add New Placeholder.
- Type a short name for the placeholder, then select OK.
Word leaves placeholders out of the bibliography until you fill them in. Before you finish, open References > Manage Sources, select each placeholder (marked with a question mark), choose Edit, and enter the real source information.
Sources you create are also saved to Word’s master list, so you can reuse them in other documents. In Manage Sources, select a source in the Master List and choose Copy to add it to the current document.
Before you submit the document
- Check that every quoted or paraphrased passage has the citation required by your style guide.
- Compare each generated reference entry with the actual source, including author order, date, title, and URL or publisher details.
- Update the bibliography after the final citation changes and review the full list again.
Desktop, web, and footnote differences
These automatic citation and bibliography steps are for desktop Word on Windows and Mac. Word for the web preserves an existing bibliography, but Microsoft’s feature comparison lists creating citations and bibliographies as desktop features. Open the document in desktop Word when you need those tools.
An in-text citation is different from a footnote or endnote. Word’s citation source manager does not create footnotes or endnotes from source entries. Choose the method required by your style guide.
For the current controls, see Microsoft’s citation and bibliography instructions and desktop versus web feature comparison.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com