Referencing: Tables of Contents, Captions, Footnotes and Cross-References
What you must understand
Referencing features keep navigation aids and citations accurate as a document changes. The core tools are headings and styles (the raw material for a table of contents), the table of contents (TOC) generated from those headings, captions for tables and figures, footnotes and endnotes for citations, cross-references to numbered items, and bookmarks/hyperlinks for internal navigation. A bibliography or source list may also be required.
Traps to expect
- TOC built from styles, not from typing. A TOC field collects paragraphs formatted with heading styles. Manually typed contents pages do not update.
- Updating fields. After editing headings or pagination, the TOC must be updated (update page numbers only, or the entire table). Questions frequently test that the TOC does not refresh by itself.
- Footnote vs endnote placement. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page; endnotes are collected at the end of the document or section.
- Cross-references are fields. If a figure is renumbered, the cross-reference text updates only after fields are refreshed.
- Caption numbering. Automatic numbering (Figure 1, Figure 2) is preferable to typed numbers because inserted figures renumber correctly.
Rule of thumb
Anything that points to content elsewhere - contents, cross-references, captions - should be generated automatically as a field, then updated after structural edits. Never type page numbers or figure numbers by hand.
Worked example
A report gains a new chapter. Correct sequence: apply Heading 1 to the new chapter title, then update the TOC to regenerate entries and page numbers, then update cross-references so any 'see page X' text reflects the new pagination.