Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 20, 2020)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
Word includes a feature that allows you to add footnotes and endnotes to your documents. This can come in real handy for some type of scholarly or scientific documents. In some instances, however, you may have a need for a single footnote to have multiple references within a document. For example, some scientific journals require that footnotes not be repeated, but that the same footnote reference be repeated within the main text, and that the references go to a single footnote. Thus, the document may have many occurrences of the same footnote reference.
Normally, Word allows only a one-to-one relationship between footnote references and footnotes. If you have a need for multiple references to the same footnote, this doesn't help you. Instead, you should follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Cross-reference dialog box.
{ NOTEREF _Ref477318004 \h }
{ NOTEREF _Ref477318004 \h \f}
One other thing you might want to keep in mind: If you add new footnotes after following the above steps, the footnote references are automatically updated, but the cross-reference fields are not. To update those you'll need to update the cross-reference fields. The easiest way to do this is to press Ctrl+A (which selects the entire document) and then press F9 (which updates all the fields in the document).
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (70) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Using Multiple References to the Same Footnote.
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!
Want to get your footnotes from one place to another in a document, or even from one document to another document? It's ...
Discover MoreWhen you are done typing a footnote or endnote in your document, you may want a way to return to the main document text ...
Discover MoreWord allows you to add footnotes to a document, but they are rather straightforward and simple in their application. If ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2023-09-28 09:51:19
David H
Very clear explanation. Didn’t know about the “\f” option to get the formatting correct.
Is there a good reason that Word does not automatically update Cross-references?
2022-06-02 14:25:18
katnight
That very helpful. Thanks.
2020-06-25 10:35:58
hussain
Page number are not correct
The page number start correct, then fter three pages, turn to Serial no, 1 again
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments