I didn't see your reply before I posted my own...

If carriage returns were added by pressing Enter at the beginning of paragraphs, that probably explains what went wrong with the cross-references. The reason is that cross-reference (REF) fields make use of hidden bookmarks that enclose each referenced item. If you add text, or carriage returns/paragraph marks, at the beginning of a cross-referenced paragraph, the added content will end up inside the bookmark.

To work around the problem, always add text at the end of the paragraph preceding a cross-referenced/bookmarked paragraph.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

Microsoft 365 apps for business
Windows 11 Professional