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: Reference to a Range of Endnotes.

Reference to a Range of Endnotes

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated April 30, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, Word in Microsoft 365, and 2021


1

Michael Smith is working with a client's document that uses endnotes extensively. At times there may be multiple endnote references at a given point in the document. These are shown in Word as, for example, (3,4,5,6). Michael's client would prefer that the references show as (3-6), showing the range of endnotes rather than an individual enumeration of each endnote.

It is not very common to have multiple endnote references at the same point in a document; therefore, it is not surprising that Word does not have an option to list endnote references by range. In fact, style guides take pains to point out that multiple note references at the same location should be "rigorously avoided" (Chicago Manual of Style, Fifteenth Edition, 16.34 and 16.37).

If the client still insists on having multiple endnote references at a single location, one solution is to select the intermediate references in the range, format them as hidden text, and then add a dash. For instance, you could select ",4,5," from the references "3,4,5,6", format the selection as hidden text, and then add a dash to provide the result of "3-6". If you have quite a few such operations to perform in your text, you can automate it slightly by using the following macro:

Sub RefListToRange()
    Selection.Font.Hidden = True
    Selection.Collapse (wdCollapseEnd)
    Selection.TypeText Text:="–"
End Sub

Select the portion you want to hide (such as ",4,5,") and the macro does the hiding and adds the dash. In order for the selected portion to actually be hidden, you'll need to adjust whether hidden text is displayed and/or printed.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13208) 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: Reference to a Range of Endnotes.

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

Preventing Styles from Changing

It is frustrating to spend a lot of time working on a document, getting your styles just right, and then have those ...

Discover More

Changing Cell Values while Printing

When printing mulitiple copies of the same worksheet, you may have a need to change something simple for each of the ...

Discover More

Getting a Change and Comment Count by Author

Track Changes can be a great tool when you have multiple editors working on a document. If you want to know the names of ...

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)

Accessing Footnote Numbers in a Macro

If you want to modify how footnote numbers look in your document, you can modify them manually. Of course, there are ...

Discover More

Copying and Moving Footnotes

Want to get your footnotes from one place to another in a document, or even from one document to another document? It's ...

Discover More

Using Cross-References in Footnotes

Need to make a cross-reference from one footnote to another footnote? You can do it if you throw bookmarks into the mix, ...

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 2 + 8?

2022-04-30 10:48:04

Malcolm Patterson

The most recent version of the Chicago Manual of Style, revision 17, places this guidance at 14.28.


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.