QIs there a way to make a list of all in-text citations without using a macro?
AYes, with a wildcard search!
Great question. Many editing checks could be done with such a list, and creating one is easy:
- Open Advanced Find and Replace
- Expand the dialog then select Wildcards (red arrow on the picture at right)
- In the Find field, type \(*\)
- Select the Highlight all items found in: option (green arrow on the picture at right)
- Click Find All
- Close that F&R window and return to the document but don’t click anywhere!
- Press the keyboard shortcut for copy (crtl or cmd, plus C)
- Open a new document and paste the content in it
That will give you a list of everything between brackets in the source document. You may have to delete some parenthetical asides (such as things starting with i.e. or e.g.), but the rest should be citations. See the uses below!
Uses of this citations list
- Click the AZ button on the Home ribbon to sort it alphabetically. Then you can skim the list for inconsistent spellings or other errors.
- Compare it to the list of references to ensure each one is there.
What other uses can you think of? Drop us a line or share your ideas on social media. You can tag us everywhere as @SciEditor.
Got a gnarly Word problem? Submit your problem and we’ll try to answer it in the Q&A thread.
Learn with us! Join a course today.
© This blog and all materials in it are copyright Adrienne Montgomerie on the date of publication. All rights reserved. No portion may be stored or distributed without express written permission. Asking is easy!