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When you're working on a long document in which you want to refer to other portions, you can use cross-references to help readers find the information they seek. Word lets you refer to a number of different elements in your document—including captions, headings, footnotes and endnotes, and bookmarks you've created.
Tip - Expand subdocuments before referencing
You can create cross-references only within the current document. You might create a reference in the beginning of a long report, for example, that points readers to a table in a later section that lists statistics related to a new study you're releasing. You can't create a cross-reference to refer to a table in another document, however.
If you're working with master and subdocuments, be sure to expand the master by clicking the Expand Subdocuments button on the Outlining toolbar. This makes all text accessible before you enter cross-references.
When you're ready to create a cross-reference, start by placing the insertion point where you want the cross-reference in your document. Then follow these steps:
Figure 28-6. Cross-references enable you to point readers to different elements in your document.
Tip - Create links for a Web page
If you plan to save your document as a Web page or make it available as an electronic file, you can have Word turn your cross-references into hyperlinks, so that visitors to your site can move from one page to another easily. To create links for cross-references, select the cross-reference you've created and display the Cross-Reference dialog box by choosing Insert, Reference, Cross-Reference. Select the Insert As Hyperlink check box, and click Insert. The inserted cross-reference is created as a link to the other location in the document.
You can edit and delete the text that introduces a cross-reference the same way you would modify any other text in your document. If you want to modify the item to which a reference refers, you need to make a different kind of change. Here are the steps:
Tip - Make a reference relative
You can have Word create a relative reference to a cross-reference you enter by selecting the Include Above/Below check box in the Cross-Reference dialog box. Create your cross-reference as usual, and then after selecting the item you want inserted in the Insert Reference To drop-down list, select the Include Above/Below check box. If the insertion point is on the same page as the section or item referenced, Word will insert "above" or "below," based on the position of the reference.
If you want to move a cross-reference, simply select the reference in your document and cut and paste it as you would normally. Once you have the reference in the location you want, press F9. Word updates the reference and makes the connection to the new location. If you want to update all references in a document, select the entire document before pressing F9.
Note
Cross-Referencing in My Document Produces an Error Message
If you go through the steps to create a cross-reference and instead of the reference you expect, you get an error message saying, "Error! Reference source not found," check to make sure that the information you're referring to hasn't been removed from your document. If the item is still in your document but the reference still displays an error message, try fixing the problem by selecting the cross-reference and pressing F9 to update the reference. If the problem is caused by a broken link or a moved reference, the item should now be displayed properly.