Edit a source or a placeholder

To edit source or a placeholder, select it, then click to the down arrow and choose EditSource from the drop-down menu (in this example, the citation is shown in the IEEEformat, see more about formats below):

Click at the end of the sentence or phrase that you want to cite, and then on the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click Insert Citations. From the list of citations under Insert Citation, select the citation you want to use. The video will show you how to add numbering in Bibliography while using MS-Word. I have used MS-word 2016, however, the procedure is same for all other vers.

In the Edit Source dialog box, change or add information you need:

To open all fields for the selected source type, select the Show All Bibliography Fields option:

Cite different pages of one source

Quite often, when using one source, you need to specify pages for different citations. This is easilydone by pointing out directly in the source description. But what to do if, in various citations, it isnecessary to indicate different pages of the same source? Word allows you to create one source forfurther use in the Bibliography or Works Cited, and to specify specific pages in differentcitations to this source.

To add pages to the source in the citation, do the following:

1. Add a citation to the source you have created:

On the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click the InsertCitation button and choose the source from the list:

2. Select the citation, click to the down arrow, and choose EditCitation in the drop-down menu (in this example, the citation is shown in APA format, seemore about formats below):

3. In the Edit Citation dialog box, enter the page numbers youneed:

For example, in one place of the document, the citation looks like , in another place, it looks like .

Change the citations look

Citations are inserted into the document as regular fields and displayed in the text, enclosed inbrackets. You can change the display of these fields using one of the methods:

  • Change the brackets for thecitations.
  • Exclude showing the Author, Year, or Title of the citation (depending on theselected style, these fields can be shown differently):
    • Select the citation, click to the down arrow, and choose Edit Citation in thedrop-down menu.
    • In the Edit Citation dialog box, select the appropriate checkbox to exclude thisfield for the citation.

    For example, the citation in APA style: .

    Without the title, can look like: .


Citation and bibliography formats

  • The American Psychological Association (APA) style is used for academic documents suchas scholarly journal articles and books and in many social sciences.
  • The Chicago style is used in history and economics and some social sciences.
  • The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is most often used in the arts and thehumanities, especially in English studies, modern languages and kinds of literature, comparativeliterature, literary criticism, media studies, cultural studies, and related disciplines.
  • The American Sociological Association (ASA) style is used for writing universityresearch papers in the field of sociology.
  • The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) style is used for writingresearch papers, commonly used in technical fields, particularly in computer science.
  • Oxford, Harvard, and others.

Some types of documents may require a specific format of citations and bibliography.

See also this tip in French:Comment modifier une citation dans un document.

Citation formats for scholarly writing can take many forms, like author-date, author-page, footnotes, numeric, etc. This time, we decided to shine a light on the most frequently used citation formats with superscript numbers. We compiled a list of the main numeric citation styles using superscript numbers to help you get started with your paper. Each style includes an explanation of its system, just like reference examples.

#1 AMA

The American Medical Association is a numeric citation style used in many journals. This style indicates in-text references with superscript numbers, which are then listed in full at the end of a paper.

Check out these AMA style resources

🌐 Official AMA style guidelines

πŸ—‚ AMA style guide

πŸ“ AMA citation generator

AMA style examples

An in-text citation in AMA style:

The rising hospitalizations and deaths across New York City boroughs ΒΉ.

A reference list entry in AMA style:

1. Wadhera RK, Wadhera P, Gaba P, et al. Variation in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths across New York City boroughs. JAMA. 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.7197

#2 Vancouver

The Vancouver style is a numeric citation system used in biomedical, health and other science publications. This style consists of in-text citations indicated with either superscript or bracketed numbers. The same number is used throughout the paper to refer to the same source and given in full in a reference list at the end of the paper. This list is ordered sequentially, not alphabetically.

Check out these Vancouver style resources

🌐 Official Vancouver style guidelines

πŸ“ Vancouver citation generator

Vancouver style examples

An in-text citation in Vancouver style:

A similar study was carried out in 2015ΒΉ.

A reference list entry in Vancouver style:

1. Aprile A, Gulino A, Storto M, Villa I, Beretta S, Merelli I, et al. Hematopoietic stem cell function in Ξ²-thalassemia is impaired and is rescued by targeting the bone marrow niche. Blood [Internet]. 2020; Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.2019002721

#3 Nature

Nature is one of the most renowned science journals in the world, therefore they created their own numeric referencing style. Its system requires in-text citations with numbers in superscript, which are later referenced in full in a sequential list at the end of the paper.

Check out these Nature style resources

🌐 Official Nature style guidelines

πŸ—‚ Nature style guide

Nature style examples

An in-text citation in Nature style:

A great revelation in the genomes fieldΒΉ.

A reference list entry in Nature style:

1. Skov, L. et al. The nature of Neanderthal introgression revealed by 27,566 Icelandic genomes. Nature (2020) doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2225-9.

#4 CSE

CSE (Council of Science Editors) style is is the standard format used in the physical and life sciences. This style offers three types of citation systems: citation-sequence, name-year, and citation-name.

β€’ Name-Year: In-text citation of the author’s last name and the year of publication in brackets, and a bibliography at the end listing all references in full.

β€’ Citation-Sequence: Every source is assigned a superscript number that is used as an in-text reference. The bibliography at the end lists all numbers with their reference in the order in which they appeared in the text.

β€’ Citation-Name: The reference list is organized alphabetically by authors last names; each name is assigned a number which can be placed in superscript as an in-text reference.

Check out these CSE style resources

🌐 Official CSE style guidelines

πŸ“ CSE citation generator

CSE style examples

An in-text citation in CSE citation-sequence style:

Therefore, the translocation of wild plants was tracked ΒΉ.

A bibliography entry in CSE citation-sequence style:

1. Hofman CA, Rick TC. 2018. Ancient Biological Invasions and Island Ecosystems: Tracking Translocations of Wild Plants and Animals. J. Archaeol. [accessed 2019 Mar 11]; 26(1): 65–11. doi.org/10.1007/s10814-017-9105-3.

#5 ACS

ACS (American Chemical Society) style is the standard citation style for chemistry. This style uses both numeric and author-date citations systems. The numbered in-text citations can have either a superscript or a number in italics, while the author-date uses the author's last name and date of publication. Both systems reference to a list of sources at the end.

Check out these ACS style resources

🌐 Official ACS style guidelines

πŸ—‚ ACS style guide

πŸ“ ACS citation generator

ACS style examples

An in-text citation in ACS numeric style:

The source contradicted the hypothesis ΒΉ.

A reference list entry in ACS numeric style:

1. Brown, T.E.; LeMay H.E.; Bursten, B.E.; Murphy, C.; Woodward, P.; Stoltzfus M.E. Chemistry: The Central Science in SI Units. Pearson: New York, 2017.

#6 The Lancet

The Lancet is an international medical journal. This style uses a numeric citation system, in which in-text references are indicated with a superscript number. These numbers are later listed sequentially in a reference list.

Check out these Lancet style resources

🌐 Official The Lancet style guidelines

πŸ—‚ The Lancet style guide

Lancet style examples

An in-text citation in Lancet style:

For instance, the experiences of health-care providers in China ΒΉ.

A reference list entry in Lancet style:

1. Liu Q, Luo D, Haase JE, et al. The experiences of health-care providers during the COVID-19 crisis in China: a qualitative study. Lancet Glob Health 2020. DOI:10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30204-7.

Frequently Asked Questions about citation styles with superscript numbers

🌟 What is the most notorious citation style with superscript numbers?

Create A Numbered Bibliography In Word Document

The most popular citation style with superscript numbers is AMA style. The American Medical Association is a numeric citation style that indicates in-text references with superscript numbers, which are then listed in full at the end of a paper. Take a look at our AMA citation generator.

πŸ“ What are the rules to follow when using superscript numbers in a paper?

These are the general rules for implementing superscript numbers properly in your text:

  • Use superscript Arabic numerals to cite sources.
  • Insert the superscript number next to the statement, fact or quotation being cited.
  • If citing more than one source at the same time, separate the numbers with commas.

For further details, make sure to consult the citation style of your choosing.

πŸ’ Are superscript numbers added both in-text, and in the reference list?

No. After you a add superscript number as an in-text citation, you add the same number in the reference list in normal size, including the source's information in full. Take a look at the example of AMA style above.

🧼 How can I create an error-free reference list?Create A Numbered Bibliography In Word

You can easily create an error-free reference list with the BibGuru citation generator. This generator creates the fastest and most accurate citations possible, which will save you time and worries. The best part is, it is completely free!

πŸ€” Why do people use superscript numbers in citation styles?

How To Number Bibliography In Word

Superscript numbers are not only found in mathematical or scientific formulas, but in plenty of citation styles as well. These numbers are set slightly above the line of text and they are always smaller than a normal font. Superscript numbers save space, and are easy to find in a text. Therefore, they are the perfect element to use in citation styles given its practicality.