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![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(44.800000000000004, 55.00000000000001%, 14%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EF1%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Hi! I’m trying to add references to a text in Word using the references tab and the literature list.
I’d like the text to look like that:
This is my text[3] (Imagine the number and brackets being written in superscript form. This forum doesn’t seem to support that.)
But Word always inserts a blank space between the text and my reference number which makes it look like that:
This is my text [3]
The space seems to be part of the reference and cannot be deleted. However, it is not part of the .XSL code. If I manually add a blank space and then add the citation, there is no additional space added. Unfortunately, if I delete that space and update my literature list, it appears again.
Is there a way to prevent Word from adding that space?
I’m using Office 365 pro plus on Windows 11.
Could you re-upload the pictures here? So that I can get more accurate solutions to this problem. I’m glad to help and follow up your reply.
Yes, of course. Here you can see the described space between the text and the reference number.
When I click on it, it looks like that. As you can see, it is part of the automatic citation and cannot be deleted.
Ah, that’s a very interesting finding! Thanks for your contribution! So what would I have to do to remove the space?
Ah, that’s a very interesting finding! Thanks for your contribution! So what would I have to do to remove the space?
I suspect that there isn't much you can do about it, since the content controls are added by the Citations & Bibliography feature. Which specific format are you using for citations?
Ah, you mean it’s part of the .XSL code? I don’t think so. I’ve modified the AMA.XSL file to be able to print out the numbers in square brackets and some other minor things. But the code seems to start with the opening bracket. I couldn’t find the space there.
As I mentioned in my very first post, the space is not created, if I place the cursor behind a manual space. I can then add the citation and delete the manual space. Then it looks just like desired.
Unfortunately, if I update my references (see picture below), the automatic space is created again.
So it seems, this is done by word and not by the .XSL code.
Good test, thanks for sharing.
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(284.8, 46%, 37%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3EFK%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
is there any further update to this? i have the same problem when inserting citations within brackets. a space appears after the first open bracket and before the citation
eg ( AECoW, 2023). in the image below, you can see the space is part of the field code
Hi Fiona!
Hm, I think, that is a different problem. Which is a good thing by the way. If the space is behind the open bracket, it should be part of the .XSL code. I’m pretty sure, you could search it there and remove it. You can find the code under:
\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Bibliography\Style
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a solution for the problem I described. So, I switched to Zotero. Actually, I’m really happy with that so far. It’s also a huge improvement in adding new sources from the internet.
Hi @Felix-1430 ,
Just checking in to see if the information was helpful. Please let us know if you would like further assistance.
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Hi @Emi Zhang-MSFT ,
Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately both suggested methods didn’t work. I’m not sure, but it seems, that you are using footnotes or endnotes? This is not what I am doing. I’m using the literature list. When I want to add a new reference to the list, I place the cursor in the text and then go to the tab “references” and click add new reference like in the picture below.
When you click on the number in the text, you can see this box around it, which also indicates, that you cannot remove the blank space manually.
Which citation style do you use? Because with the standard styles it’s not possible, to add numbers in brackets in superscript form. I had to customize the .XSL code for that. But the blank space we’re talking about is also present in all other styles, so it’s not a problem of the .XSL code. (You can try that yourself.)
![](data:image/svg+xml, %3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' height='64' class='font-weight-bold' style='font: 600 30.11764705882353px "SegoeUI", Arial' width='64'%3E%3Ccircle fill='hsl(214.4, 50%, 30%)' cx='32' cy='32' r='32' /%3E%3Ctext x='50%25' y='55%25' dominant-baseline='middle' text-anchor='middle' fill='%23FFF' %3ES%3C/text%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It is full justification which pulls the reference number away from its text.
Hi @Felix-1430 ,
I tested your method, it seems the by default behavior in Word.
I use the Cross-reference by Numbered Item type:
If you think this method can also help you get the result, you can try it as a workaround.
Or you can try to give a feedback to Microsoft about the behavior for space when insert citation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f-4dd2-9ff4-23cf144cfb11
Microsoft values your opinion. Your feedback goes directly to our engineers and helps us shape the future of Microsoft products and services for all our users.
Any unclearly please feel free to let me know and I'm glad to help you.
If the response is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.
Hi @Felix-1430 ,
I tested your method, it seems the by default behavior in Word.
I use the Cross-reference by Numbered Item type:
If you think this method can also help you get the result, you can try it as a workaround.
Or you can try to give a feedback to Microsoft about the behavior for space when insert citation:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/how-do-i-give-feedback-on-microsoft-office-2b102d44-b43f-4dd2-9ff4-23cf144cfb11
Microsoft values your opinion. Your feedback goes directly to our engineers and helps us shape the future of Microsoft products and services for all our users.
Any unclearly please feel free to let me know and I'm glad to help you.
If the response is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.
Yes, it seems to be the default behavior. That’s okay, if you add the references as text in brackets, but not for numbered references like in the AMA style.
Unfortunately, the workaround doesn’t seem to be a good solution for me, because I already added a lot of references to my text in the correct way as a literature list. And I think a cross reference could also not help me to create/manage a literature list?
Another workaround would be to convert the citations to normal text:
This might be a solution for the moment, but as soon, as I add a new reference to a long text with many references, this will end in a disaster.
Nevertheless, thanks for your help. I hope, there will be a better solution in the future.
:D It's glad to help you.
The space is probably added by the content controls that are inserted by the bibliography & citations feature.