Current list in word

This article is based on legacy software.

Word's Source Manager allows you to enter bibliographic information, which can be saved and used later to generate bibliographies and citations. After a source is added, you can also edit it, add it to a new document, or delete it from your saved list.

Considerations and Terminology

When you add information for a bibliographic source, Word can save the information in two places: the Master List or the Current List.

Master List
This list will save bibliographic information from all of your documents, so you don't have to re-type the information if you use a source in several documents. The information in your Master List is saved on the local computer on which you create the reference, and will not transfer if you save the document to another source [e.g., a CD-R or your H: drive]. However, all sources that you add to any document on that computer will be available from the Master List.

Current List
This list contains bibliographic information that you intend to use in the document you are working with. Each document will have a separate Current List. References in this list can be used for in-text citations and will be included in your bibliography. The information in this list is saved with your document, and will transfer if you save your document to another source [e.g., a CD-R or your H: drive].

When you are ready to add your in-text citations and your bibliography to your document, all the sources you would like to cite will need to be in the Current List for that document. To do this, you can either add new sources or sources from your Master List to your Current List.

Adding a New Source Using the Source Manager

References added with the Source Manager can be used by Word's automatic reference features [i.e., citations and bibliographies]. When you add a new reference with the Source Manager, it will be saved in both that computer's Master List and the current document's Current List.

1. From the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click MANAGE SOURCES

   
   The Source Manager dialog box appears.

2. Click NEW...
   The Create Source dialog box appears.
   

3. From the Type of Source pull-down list, select the type of source
   NOTE: Word provides seventeen source templates, including one for Miscellaneous.

4. In the Bibliography Fields section, enter the relevant information

5. OPTIONAL: If you do not see a space for the information you need to enter, select Show All Bibliography Fields
   More information fields are displayed.

6. OPTIONAL: To allow Word to format the author's name or to enter multiple author names,
   1. Click EDIT
      The Edit Name dialog box appears.
   2. Type all relevant author information
   3. Click ADD
   4. To add more authors, repeat steps ac

   5. To exit the Edit Name dialog box and save the author's names, click OK
      To exit the Edit Name dialog box without saving, click CANCEL

7. To save your changes in the master list of references for all documents and the current list of references for your current document, click OK
   To exit without saving your changes, click CANCEL
   The Create Source dialog box closes.

8. To return to your document, in the Source Manager dialog box, click CLOSE

Adding a Saved Source to the Current List

Once you have saved a source in the Master List, it can be added to other documents' Current Lists so that you will not have to retype the information

1. From the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click MANAGE SOURCES

   
   The Source Manager dialog box appears.
   

2. From the Master List scroll list, select the reference that you want to add to this document's reference list

3. Click COPY->
   The reference appears in the Current List scroll list and will be available for citations in your document.

4. Click CLOSE
   The Source Manager dialog box is closed.

Editing Source Information

Source information can be changed after a reference is added to the list.

1. From the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click MANAGE SOURCES

   
   The Source Manager dialog box appears.
   

2. From the Master List or the Current List scroll box, select the source you would like to edit

3. Click EDIT...
   The Edit Source dialog box appears, containing the original source information.

4. In the Edit Source dialog box, make the appropriate changes

5. Click OK
   If the source appears in both the Master List and the Current List, a dialog box appears asking if you would like to update the source information in both lists.

6. To update the information in both lists, click OK
   To update only the selected list, click NO
   To close the dialog box without making the changes to the reference, click CANCEL

7. Click CLOSE
   You are returned to your document.

Deleting Sources

The Master List can quickly get extremely long, making it difficult to find the sources you would like to reuse. The Current List displays only sources that you add to the current document, but you may change your mind about using a particular source. If you would like to shorten your list of references, you can delete sources from either list.

Considerations

If you have used the Source Manager to keep track of your references for some time, your Master List may be cluttered and confusing. Once your documents have their bibliographies, citations, and Current Lists in their final form, you can delete the sources from your Master List to reduce confusion. If you would later like to use a reference for another paper, you can copy the source from the original paper's Current List to your Master List, where it would again be available for other documents.

Deleting a Source

WARNING: If the source you are deleting is not saved in another document's Current List, this may delete your reference from the Source Manager entirely.

1. From the References tab, in the Citations & Bibliography group, click MANAGE SOURCES

   
   The Source Manager dialog box appears.
   

2. From the Master List or the Current List scroll box, select the source you would like to delete from the list

3. Click DELETE
   The source is removed from that list.
   NOTE: If a source appears in both the Master List and the Current List, it will only be deleted from the list in which you select it.

4. Click CLOSE
   The Source Manager dialog box is closed.