How to add Citations and References using Microsoft Word | Adding Citation and References by MS word, by Educational Hub on YouTube. 4 min 52 s.
- Video length
- 4 min 52 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Open your document in Word and click the References tab on the ribbon. This tab holds the tools for citations, footnotes and the reference list.
In the Citations & Bibliography group, open the Style drop-down and pick APA, MLA, Chicago or ISO. Choose this before adding sources so the entries are formatted correctly.
Click where the citation should appear in your text, then click Insert Citation and choose Add New Source.
In the Create Source box, set the Type of Source, such as Book, Journal Article or Website. Fill in author, title, year and publisher, then click OK.
Repeat Insert Citation for each source. Word stores every source in the current document and reuses it when you cite it again.
When you are ready for the bibliography, click at the end of the document and choose References, then Bibliography. Pick Insert Bibliography to place the list.
Check the entries against your style guide. Click a citation or the list and choose Update Citations and Bibliography after any edits.
To reuse sources in another paper, click Manage Sources, then Copy the entries into the new document's master list.
Tips and common mistakes
Add the source once with full details, then reuse it, so the reference list stays consistent.
Pick the citation style at the start; switching styles later can change how names and dates appear.
Word's built-in styles are a starting point, so check the final list against your school's APA or MLA rules.
Questions
Does Word create the reference list automatically?
Yes. After you add sources, choose Bibliography on the References tab and Word builds the list in your chosen style. Update it after adding more citations.
Can I change the citation style later?
Yes. Pick a different style in the Style drop-down and Word reformats the citations and bibliography. Check the result, since some details may need fixing.
Where are my sources saved?
Sources are stored in the document. Use Manage Sources to copy them to the master list so other documents can use them.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
