Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Creating a Bibliography from Footnotes.
Renata is typing a dissertation with over 450 footnotes. She's inserted them in the regular manner for creating footnotes, and wonders if there is a way to easily generate a bibliography, in the proper order, from the footnote information.
Unfortunately, there is no way to do this within Word. It is possible that a macro could be created that would do the compilation for you, but it would be quite involved and very specific to the way in which you are creating your footnotes. (Different style guides call for different specifications for both footnotes and bibliographies.)
Another option is to look for third-party software that may fit the bill, but a quick search turned up nothing that sounded promising in this area.
This means that you are left with approaching the task manually. To make the job a bit easier, try these general steps:
That's it; you now have your bibliography, manually created. It may not be easy, but it is easier than cutting and pasting the text from each of your footnotes individually. It is also less prone to errors in missing something during the compilation.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (514) 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: Creating a Bibliography from Footnotes.
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Ever want to change the formatting of your footnotes? This tip explains what you can and can't do in Word.
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2019-08-15 23:16:03
Eithan green
I get dozen of notes with same "1" number, and can't use "find and replace" to get rid of it. Any ideas please? Thank you!
2019-03-06 19:43:03
Dori
Thanks for this tip!
Another quick way to copy and paste all your footnotes in a list.
Place your cursor in the footnote area. Select the "Select all" tool. All the footnotes will be selected (but not the rest of the document). Copy and paste into the appropriate location.
Hope this helps someone!
2019-03-06 18:22:04
Dori
Thanks for this tip!
Another quick way to copy and paste all your footnotes in a list.
Place your cursor in the footnote area. Select the "Select all" tool. All the footnotes will be selected (but not the rest of the document). Copy and paste into the appropriate location.
Hope this helps someone!
2018-02-16 02:57:54
Ken Endacott
Removing the number at the start of each entry is straight forward with Find & Replace.
Switching first and last names is a little more difficult and requires multiple passes. The command strings depend on the format of names and is easier if there one or two initials rather than a full first name. Thus if the names are in the form A Smith or AB Smith then three passes are required to convert to Smith AB or Smith A. “Use Wildcards” in the extended menu must be turned on. The commands strings are:
Pass 1:
<([A-Z])([A-Z])([A-Z]) ([A-Z])([a-z^45]@),([^32^13])
\4\5 \1\2\3,\6
Pass 2:
<([A-Z])([A-Z]) ([A-Z])([a-z^45]@),([^32^13])
\3\4 \1\2,\5
Pass 3:
<([A-Z]) ([A-Z])([a-z^45]@),([^32^13])
\2\3 \1,\4
It is best to copy/paste these command strings into Find & Replace as getting one character wrong will produce incorrect results. Make sure that there are no space characters before or after the strings.
2018-02-15 02:43:28
Eli Rezaei
Thanks, but still two things need to be explained:
First, when you copy/paste the notes into a new document, all of the notes are started with '1' at the beginning! how to get rid of those '1' ?
Second, how to reverse first and last names?
2017-03-06 17:44:02
Bob
Live saver, you are my hero! Thank you VERY VERY much :-)
2016-12-11 23:14:35
Jayakumar R, Singapore
Well written and it works!
Thanks.
I have already subscribed to your WORD and EXCEL tips. Only I need more time
to master your tips.
Have a good day!
2016-06-30 20:26:46
Stratos
Thank you a lot! I just saved 30 minutes from my life!
2016-05-06 13:22:05
Alan
You omit directions on how to reverse first and last names. THAT is the tough part.
2016-01-27 11:06:08
eira
The instructions were very helpful. Thanks
2015-05-05 11:16:20
Denys
Thank you very much!
2012-11-05 00:08:36
Cristi
That's an idea, but things can be simpler. Just click anywhere inside a footnote text and hit Ctrl+A. That will select all footnotes, then you can proceed to copy-paste the text in a new document.
2012-07-26 13:23:35
Andrew Szabo
Good answer. I've often wondered if this could be done. The right tool for me would prompt at the footnote stage for all the American Language Association data needed (author, title, publisher, city, date, page, etc.) and then produce footnotes and (dynamically) a bibliography in that format. There would have to be variants for other fields, such as law.
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Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: 
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