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A bibliography is a listing of sources referred to in a document. Many scholarly documents crave one, and you probably had to create a few while in school. The list comprises citations, which include the title, writer, publisher, date of publication, and so on for each source. You'll utilise a bibliography to credit quotes and other facts to lend legitimacy to your document. The technical process in Microsoft Word is similar to footnote/endnotes or indexing and has three steps: Adding the sources as a citation, citing the citation, and then generating the bibliography. I'll show yous how unproblematic information technology is to add sources and generate a bibliography.

I'm using Function 365, but you lot tin can utilize earlier versions of Word. When using the .md format, y'all volition lose some features. You lot tin can piece of work with your own document or download the demonstration .docx and .doc files. Word's browser edition will brandish existing bibliographies, but you can't add or edit sources or generate a bibliography while in the browser.

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How to add a source in Microsoft Word

Sources tin can exist any kind of published work, from books to articles on the web. The data you include for a source will depend on you or the publisher. Word supports several styles, just the three most common are Mod Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA) and Chicago. These styles determine the information needed and how that information is formatted. Nosotros won't cover individual styles in this article–you will demand to do a little enquiry to determine what your publisher or recipient requires.

Starting time, you need a source, so allow's run through a quick example.

  1. After entering the quote or fact that requires verification, click the Reference tab.
  2. In the Citations & Bibliography group, cull the appropriate way. APA is the default and, for our purposes, we'll retain it.
  3. Click Insert Citation and choose Add together New Source from the dropdown list.
  4. In the resulting dialog, enter the fields required by your style (Figure A). Y'all can enter the name using first name lastname or lastname, first proper noun format. Split multiple authors with a semi-colon ( ; ).
  5. Click OK. As you can see in Figure B, Word adds a text reference to the commendation. (Don't worry if your results don't match mine.)

Figure A

Create the citation.

About of these fields (Figure A) are self-explanatory, though I desire to call your attention to two options:

  • Show All Bibliography Fields: When enabled, it shows a lot more fields. Most of us will never need those fields, but they're available.
  • Tag Name: This field is automated–it's comprised of the author's name and twelvemonth. Discussion uses this tag internally to identify each citation.

Figure B

Discussion inserts a reference to the source.

In one case the commendation exists, you don't accept to enter the data over again. When referencing that source again, click Inert Citation in the Citations & Bibliography grouping and choose it from the resulting dropdown (Figure C).

Figure C

Once a citation exists, you can quickly select information technology.

Note about the author proper name and tags: When entering author names, you should exist consistent considering of the tags. Discussion uses the first three characters of the start name yous enter: Susan Harkins 2001 is Sus01 but Harkins, Susan 2001 is Har01.

Before we go on, enter a few more than sources using the dissimilar types of sources (books, periodicals, etc.)–yous'll want more than ane citation when yous create the bibliography. Notice that the fields modify with dissimilar source types. Although this tool is flexible, it can't correct typos. Be careful with your case, spelling, and then on. Bibliographies are very difficult and ho-hum to proof after the fact.

How to add a bibliography in Microsoft Word

Later on you accept added all your sources and cited (marked) all your text references, you lot're ready to create the bibliography. It'south like to adding an index or table of contents—Give-and-take does most of the work for you. To add the bibliography, follow these steps.

  1. Click where you want to insert the bibliography—ordinarily at the end of the document.
  2. Click the Reference tab. Then, click Bibliography in the Citations & Bibliography group.
  3. From the resulting dropdown list, choose a bibliography. There are several, and I propose you explore the options at another time.

That's it! Everything you need is already in the document. Word will pull everything together for yous. Figure D shows the results of choosing the first item in the dropdown list.

Figure D

Add the bibliography to your certificate.

If you had chosen a mode other than APA, the list would be formatted a bit differently, simply Word knows where to put all the commas, periods, what needs to be italicized or in quotes, then on.

Understanding sources

If you lot don't get all the items you expected, you might demand to take one more than pace. In the Citations & Bibliography group, click Manage Sources. If there are citations in the left list (which is the master list) that aren't in the electric current list to the right but should be in the electric current document's bibliography, copy them to the current list (Effigy E). You can also see a preview of the APA style. Then, endeavor again. This isn't a bug–you control which citations go in the document and which don't. Once you add a source, it'southward available to other documents.

Figure E

The Current List on the right should comprise all of the citations you desire in the electric current document.

The Source Manager gives you access to all sources. You can search for a championship or sort by author. You can edit a source. Sources are stored separately from the document, so yous tin cite a source that you created for one document in another. The chief and current lists represent all sources and sources for the current document, respectively.

You tin can edit a source without using the Manage Sources dialog. You tin can practise a lot from the citation at the document level because these "text" references are actually field codes. Simply click it and so click the dropdown arrow to brandish the bachelor options shown in Figure F.

Figure F

Edit a commendation at the certificate level.

How to fix a known bug with the APA style

In that location is a known bug with the APA style (6th), and fortunately, it has an easy set. If you end up with multiple citations from the same author, Word might make full in the title when it isn't supposed to. If this happens, endeavor this quick fix.

  1. Click the citation (code)—the one in the document that follows the in-text reference.
  2. Click the dropdown pointer and cull Edit Citation.
  3. Click Title checkbox and click OK.

Share your experiences of creating a bibliography in Discussion

Creating a bibliography in Discussion is piece of cake. You lot can create a custom style if necessary, simply doing and so requires specialized knowledge in .xml development. If you lot've had trouble with a circuitous certificate and worked through information technology, share your experience in the comments section below.

Transport me your Microsoft Office question

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