I am creating a report that includes an appendix with multiple numbered entries.

Appendix entries to be referenced.png

The appendix entries are automatically renumbered as they are edited, and I use these numbers as references within the body of the report.

referencing entries in body of report.png

I need to refer to specific appendix entries in the body of the report, but since the appendix evolves (i.e., entries are added/deleted/edited) as I work on the report, the ref. numbers I manually enter in the beginning are often WRONG by the time the report is done, so I have to waste time going through to check every number and entry to make sure they match up correctly (awful process!!).

• the reference is usually made at the end of a bulleted note to direct the reader to the full entry in the appendix
• many of the readers are old school and will read a paper copy of the report, so the solution needs to work on paper (i.e., hyperlinks won't work)

Is there a way I can do this so the number/point of reference in the body of the report automatically updates when/if the entries are changed in the appendix?



Thanks in advance for your help!

[sorry to have posted the same question twice!]

Please see the following:

• How to create numbered headings or outline numbering in Ribbon Versions of Word by Shauna Kelly and
• How to number headings and figures in Appendixes in Microsoft Word by Shauna Kelly
• Insert Cross-References

You can add cross-references to numbered items that have been numbered using these schemes. They semi-automatically change to update. However,

1. Cross-references are REF fields, they do not update instantly nor automatically. See Dealing with Fields in Microsoft Word
2. When you add a cross-reference to a numbered item it actually links to a hidden bookmark created by Word. If you need to add something before an item you have cross-referenced, go to the preceding paragraph and press Enter. Do not go to the start of an already-referenced spot and press Enter to have room. This will confuse the referencing and give very strange results.

Thanks for the reply, Charles

I did read those Shauna Kelly posts before I posted (as well as a number of other similar questions others have asked/answered on the forum + a black-hole-of-a Google search), but I couldn't see a way to do it that would remove the problem of having to manually verify/update each reference made within the report.

- I will wade through cross referencing information and see if that will do it, but the report document I'm working on is shared, and it looks easy to mess up

Isn't this what Endnotes are supposed to do? Is there a reason you aren't using the Endnote feature?

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

Hi Guessed, thanks for the tip

I don't want to list the same information twice, which is how I understood Endnotes would work (though I haven't used it before), so I thought it would be best to refer the reader directly to the full visit/chart note in the appendix.

- the appendix is a lengthy chronological record of notes from medical visits etc., and while many of the notes aren't referred to in the body of the report, they are important for someone reviewing the client's complete history

- each appendix entry also includes information such as the appointment date, the clinic, and the provider, so I don't have to repeat those pieces when I reference specific visits in the report if I can refer the reader to the original visit note

*I think cross-referencing will work once I sort out all the editing etc. it seems you have to do to make it work properly?

With Endnotes, if you need to refer to the same Endnote a second time, you just insert a Cross-Reference to that Endnote.

That way you still get to use your cross-referencing but it is only required on rare occasions and you don't have to worry about keeping a logical flow for the numbering.

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia

You can add a numbered list of references (at the end of the document or wherever you want them) and then insert cross-references to these items in the body of the document, using Word's Cross-reference facility.

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Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

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