How to indent citations on word online

When writing a research paper irrespective of the format it is important to include a bibliography or references. Along with citing all the sources used in the paper, it is also important to get the formatting right. This article takes you through how to indent citations on word online.

To add an indent to citation, first need to select the text. After selection Click on home > go to the paragraph section and click on paragraph options. You can now choose hanging indent or first-line indent from the indent section.

How to indent citations on word online

Adding citation to text is important, this reduces the risk of plagiarism. in word online you can format the paragraph by changing the indent in a few simple steps. Here is how it is done.

  • Start by opening your research paper or bibliography.
  • Now select the text you would like to add an indent to be sure to remove another numerical formatting.
how to indent citations on word online
  • After selecting the text go to the Home section on the top ribbon.
  • Click on the three dots on the right for a dropdown menu.
  • Select Paragraph Options

The paragraph option in word online is also available when you select the text and right-click on it.

How to indent citations on word online

Once you select Paragraph options you will have a popup menu with formatting options.

how to indent citations on word online
How to indent citations on word online
  • Go to the indentation section and under special choose Hanging.
  • Click OK to save the changes made.

Hanging indent means that the first line of the text in this case citation is further away from the rest of the text.

how to indent citations on word online

The other indentation option available is First line indentation. For this, you will have to select First line in the special section of the indentation menu.

In the First line indentation, the First line of the text in this case citation is pushed ahead as compared to the other text.

Your citation should be like something like this when you select the First Line indentation option.

Your citation should be like something like this when you select the hanging indentation option.

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How to indent citations on word online on an Android device?

We do so much on our phones, I am sure those minute edits and formatting are one of them. Here is how you can format your paper by adding an indentation to the citation.

  • Start by opening your paper on the android application. You will need to sign in to onedrive to access documents stored on the drive.
  • Once you have the paper. scroll down to the bibliography or reference section.
  • Now select the text that needs to be formatted.
How to indent citations on word online
  • Click on the formatting icon to open the menu at the bottom.
How to indent citations on word online
  • Once you click on the formatting option you will see a menu at the bottom of your screen.
  • The paragraph formatting options are under Home.
  • Scroll down to Paragraph Formatting
  • Tap on the arrow to see the options
How to indent citations on word online
  • Tap on Special indent for more options
How to indent citations on word online
  • Here you can either select Hanging or First Line depending on how you want your citation to look.

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How do I indent a reference in Word?

Most of us still use the desktop application of Word to write, edit and format research papers. When it comes to adding an indent to the citation here are the steps you can follow.

  • Start by opening your document.
  • Select the text that needs to be formatted
  • You will then need to click on Home as the paragraph formatting tools are under this section.
How to indent citations on word online
  • Click on the outward-facing arrow in the paragraph section. This will open a popup menu with formatting options.
  • Another way to open the popup menu is by selecting the text and right-clicking on it.
How to indent citations on word online
  • The paragraph is part of the right-click options. simply click on it for more formatting options.
How to indent citations on word online
  • Once you have the paragraph menu open go to the special section. here you can choose the type of indentation you would like to add. Both Hanging and First-line indent are part of this section.
  • After selecting the type of indent slick on OK this way your changes will be saved and you will be able to see the changes in the document.

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Frequently asked questions:

Why isn’t the indent citation showing in my document?

The one possible reason why hanging indent is not showing on your citation is that the text is already formatted using bullets or numbers. Here is what can be done.
Highlight the text > click on bullets & Numbering to remove existing formatting now Select the text again > go to the paragraph section > Select hanging indent > hit Enter or click OK

How to add an indent to citation on Mac devices?

On Mac devices, here is how you can add an intent to citations.
Start by selecting the text that needs to be indented. Click on the format option now from the dropdown menu select Paragraph. Here go to the indent and spacing section. Under the section titled special, you will find the hanging and First-line options. choose the one that fits your text and click on OK.

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In conclusion

You may call it references or bibliography but citations play an important role in writing and presenting academic papers. Hope you found this tutorial article helpful and interesting. It took you through

  • How to indent citations on word online
  • Tips on how to indent citations on word online on an Android device?
  • How do I indent a reference in Word?
  • Why isn’t the indent citation showing in my document?
  • How to add an indent to citation on Mac devices?

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