Cross-referencing to an Automatic Number

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 20, 2023)

Jennifer wonders if there is a way to cross reference only the number portion of a field-based number. For example, she wants to cross reference to a paragraph numbered 'Section 1.1', but have the cross reference display only the 1.1, not the word 'Section.'

This can be done by modifying the way you insert your cross-reference. Follow these general steps:

Position the insertion pointer where you want the cross-reference to appear.
Choose Cross-reference from the Insert menu. Word displays the Cross-reference dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Cross-reference dialog box.

Using the Reference Type drop-down list, choose Heading. (This assumes that your sections in your document are actually numbered headings.) Word displays a list of heading styles in the dialog box.
Select the footnote you want used for this reference.
Using the Insert Reference To drop-down list, choose Heading Number (no context).
Click Insert. The cross-reference is inserted, and it includes only the number.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6931) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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