Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Generating a Table of Authorities.

Generating a Table of Authorities

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 12, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021


1

Adding a table of authorities to your document is a two-step process. First you need to mark all the citations within your document, and then you need to actually compile or generate the table. Once you have marked all the citations, you can generate the table of authorities by following these steps:

  1. Position the insertion point where you want the table of authorities inserted.
  2. Display the References tab of the ribbon.
  3. Click the Insert Table of Authorities tool in the Table of Authorities group. Word displays the Table of Authorities dialog box. (The Table of Authorities tab should be selected automatically.) (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Table of Authorities tab of the Table of Authorities dialog box.

  5. Pick a style in the Formats list. (If you pick the From Template choice, only the table of authorities main head is affected. It relies on the TOA Heading style.)
  6. Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6105) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Generating a Table of Authorities.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Default Picture Settings

Place enough pictures, and sooner or later you start wondering if there is a way to set up some default settings for ...

Discover More

Using Custom Add-Ins

Once you've created your custom add-in, you need to know how you or other people can use it. Here are the simple steps to ...

Discover More

Sending Single Worksheets via E-mail

Got a single worksheet that you want to e-mail to someone, but don't want them to see the rest of the worksheets in the ...

Discover More

The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Getting Rid of All TA Fields

The first step in creating a table of authorities is to mark citations throughout your document. If you want to get rid ...

Discover More

Ensuring Proper Page Numbers for a Table of Authorities

Automatically create a Table of Authorities entry in your document, and Word might place the necessary field at the wrong ...

Discover More

Creating a Table of Authorities

In legal documents a table of authorities is a common element. Creating the table is easy to do if you apply the ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is seven minus 7?

2016-06-13 03:53:57

Richard

What is a Table of Authorities used for?


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.