Add or change sources, citations, and bibliographies

Before you can add a citation, a works cited list, or a bibliography, you must add a source to your document. A works cited list is a list of sources, usually placed at the end of a document, that you referred to (or "cited") in the document. A works cited list is different from a bibliography, which is a list of sources that you consulted when you created the document. After you add sources, you can automatically generate a works cited list or a bibliography based on that source information. Each time that you create a new source, the source information is saved on your computer. You can use the Source Manager to find and reuse any source that you have created, even sources in other documents.

Citations are parenthetical references that are placed inline with the text. Citations are different from footnotes and endnotes, which are placed at the bottom of the page or end of the document. The source information stored in the Citations tool or Source Manager can be used to create citations, a works cited list, or a bibliography. However, you cannot use the information in the Citations tool or the Source Manager to create footnotes or endnotes.

For more information about templates for various styles, such as APA style, visit the Office for Mac templates web site.

Create a source

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

Choose a citation style

    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. For example, social sciences documents usually use the MLA or APA styles for citations and sources.

On the References tab, the citation styles are highlighted.

Create a citation source

  • Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite.
  • On the References tab, click Insert Citation.
  • In the Create Source dialog box, next to Type of Source, select the type of source you want to use (for example, a book section or a website).

    When you've completed these steps, the citation is added to the list of available citations. The next time you quote this reference, you don't have to type it all out again. You just add the citation (see the steps in the following procedure).

    Edit a source

    <a href=Citations pane with Edit Source highlighted." />

    1. If you need to edit a source, on the References tab, click Citations, and then click the settings button in the bottom right corner of the Citations pane.
    2. click Edit Source.

    Manage citation sources

    Make the changes you want to the source, and then click OK. To manage your list of sources, click Citation Source Manager, and then add, edit, or delete sources in the list.

    Add citations to your document

    On the References tab, Citations is highlighted.

    1. Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite, and then on the References tab, click Citations.

    <a href=Citations pane with list of citations." />

    In the Citations pane on the right, double-click the citation you want to add.

    Add custom citations to your document

    In addition to the citation options that are included in Word by default, you can add custom citation styles, such as Vancouver, to create the bibliographies and reference materials you want.

    The easiest approach is to download citation styles from sources such as BibWord.

    By working with XML code you can also create your own custom styles. For details, see Create Custom Bibliography Styles.

    Insert a works cited list or bibliography

    A works cited list is a list of all works you referred to (or "cited") in your document, and is typically used when you cite sources using the MLA style. A works cited list differs from a bibliography, which is a list of all works that you consulted when your researched and wrote your document.

    1. In your document, click where you want the works cited list or bibliography to appear (usually at the very end of the document, following a page break).
    2. On the References tab, click the arrow next to Bibliography, and then click Bibliography or Works Cited.
    Change a works cited list or bibliography style

    You can change the style of all the citations contained in a document's works cited list or bibliography without manually editing the style of the citations themselves. For example, you can change the citations from the APA style to the MLA style.

    1. On the View menu, click Draft or Print Layout.
    2. On the References tab, click Citations.
    3. In the Citations pane, on the Citation style list, select a style. All references in your document's bibliography change to the new style.