Legal professionals often need to organize citations by authority type such as cases, statutes, regulations, and secondary sources. Manually sorting and formatting these citations wastes time and risks errors. Word provides built-in tools to create authority tables that automatically categorize and format citations. This article explains how to set up and use Word’s Table of Authorities feature to manage multiple legal citation categories efficiently.
Key Takeaways: Building Multiple-Category Authority Tables in Word
- References > Table of Authorities > Mark Citation: Tags each legal citation with a category such as Cases, Statutes, or Regulations for automatic sorting.
- Mark All button in Mark Citation dialog: Finds and marks every occurrence of a citation in the document at once, saving time on repetitive documents.
- References > Table of Authorities > Insert Table of Authorities: Generates the final table with all marked citations grouped by category and formatted per Bluebook or local rules.
How Word’s Table of Authorities Feature Works for Legal Citations
Word’s Table of Authorities feature is designed to create a structured list of legal references grouped by citation category. The feature uses hidden field codes to mark each citation in the document body. When you mark a citation, you assign it to one of nine built-in categories: Cases, Statutes, Other Authorities, Regulations, Constitutional Provisions, Treaties, Rules, and two custom categories you can rename.
The prerequisite for using this feature is a completed legal document that contains citations in a consistent format. You do not need to restructure your citations before marking them. Word works with the text as it appears in the document. The marking process does not alter the visible text. It only adds hidden field codes that the Table of Authorities generator reads.
The Table of Authorities feature is available in Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and earlier versions. The menu path is identical across these versions. The feature is located on the References tab in the Table of Authorities group. You must mark every citation individually or use the Mark All option to automate the process for repeated citations.
Steps to Create an Authority Table with Multiple Citation Categories
- Open the document and select the first citation
Scroll to the first citation in your document. Highlight the entire citation text including the case name, volume, reporter, and page numbers. Do not include any punctuation after the citation. The selection defines what appears in the authority table. - Open the Mark Citation dialog
Click the References tab on the ribbon. In the Table of Authorities group, click Mark Citation. The Mark Citation dialog opens with the selected text already in the Selected text box. The Short citation box shows a shortened version of the citation. Edit the Short citation box to the abbreviated form you want Word to use when grouping duplicates. - Assign a citation category
In the Category drop-down list, select the appropriate category for this citation. For example, select Cases for a court decision, Statutes for a law, or Regulations for an administrative rule. If you need a custom category, click Category, select a numbered custom slot, type a new name, and click OK. - Mark the citation in the document
Click Mark to tag only the current selection. Click Mark All to have Word find every instance of the same short citation in the document and mark them all. Word inserts a hidden TA field code at each marked location. The dialog stays open so you can continue to the next citation. - Repeat for all citations in each category
Select the next citation in the document. The Mark Citation dialog remains open. Change the Short citation text if needed. Select the correct category. Click Mark All. Continue until every citation in every category is marked. - Insert the Table of Authorities
Place the cursor at the location where you want the table to appear. On the References tab, click Insert Table of Authorities. In the dialog, select the category you want to include from the Category list. To include all categories, select All. Choose a format from the Formats list such as Classic, Formal, or Bluebook. Click OK to insert the table. - Update the table after edits
If you add or change citations after inserting the table, mark the new citations using the same steps. Right-click the table and select Update Field. Choose Update entire table to refresh the content and formatting.
Renaming Custom Categories for Specific Citation Types
Word provides two custom category slots labeled Custom 1 and Custom 2. To rename a custom category, click Mark Citation, then click Category. Select Custom 1 or Custom 2 in the list. Type a new name such as Law Review Articles or Court Rules in the Replace with box. Click Replace, then OK. The new name now appears in the Category drop-down list for all future citations.
Using Mark All to Automate Repetitive Citations
The Mark All button is the most efficient way to handle citations that appear multiple times. When you click Mark All, Word searches the entire document for text that matches the Short citation box. It marks every occurrence with the same category. This method ensures consistency and reduces manual work. Verify that the Short citation text is unique enough to avoid false matches. For example, use Smith v. Jones as the short citation instead of just Smith.
Common Mistakes When Creating Authority Tables for Legal Documents
Citations Are Not Marked Before Inserting the Table
If the Table of Authorities appears empty or missing categories, the most likely cause is that citations were never marked. Open the Mark Citation dialog and verify that TA field codes exist in the document. To view field codes, press Alt+F9. Each marked citation shows as { TA \l “citation text” \s “short citation” \c 1 }. If no TA codes appear, you need to mark each citation again.
Wrong Category Assignment Causes Misgrouped Citations
Assigning a citation to the wrong category places it under the wrong heading in the table. For example, a statute marked as Cases appears under the Cases section. To fix this, locate the citation in the document, open the Mark Citation dialog, select the correct category, and click Mark. Then update the table to see the change.
Table Does Not Update After Adding New Marked Citations
The Table of Authorities does not update automatically. After marking new citations, right-click the table and select Update Field. Choose Update entire table. If the table still shows old content, press Ctrl+A to select the entire document, then press F9 to update all fields.
Custom Categories Disappear After Closing the Document
Custom category names are stored in the document template. If you close and reopen the document without saving the template, the custom names revert to Custom 1 and Custom 2. To preserve custom categories, save the document as a template or use the same document template for all similar projects. Open the developer tab, click Document Template, and ensure the template is attached and saved.
| Citation Category | Built-in Categories | Custom Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Seven predefined legal citation groups | Two user-defined groups for specialized sources |
| Examples | Cases, Statutes, Regulations, Treaties | Law Review Articles, Court Rules |
| Renaming method | Not applicable | Mark Citation > Category > Replace |
| Persistence | Always available | Only within the current document template |
You can now create a Table of Authorities that groups legal citations by any category your document requires. Start by marking each citation with the correct category. Use Mark All for repeated citations. Insert the table and update it after any changes. For advanced control, rename the two custom categories to match your firm’s citation style. This method eliminates manual sorting and ensures your authority table complies with Bluebook or local court rules.