Buzz
Today, Mytour will show you how to create an index page in Microsoft Word to help locate key terms discussed within your document and the pages where they are mentioned.
Steps
Mark the terms
Open your Microsoft Word document. MS Word allows you to add an index to any document, no matter its length, style, or subject matter.
Click on the References tab. This button is located on the MS Word toolbar at the top of the screen, next to other tabs like Home, Insert, and Review. The References tab will appear at the top of the Word window.
Click the Mark Entry button. This button has an icon of a blank page with a green arrow and a red line inside. It can be found between the Insert Caption and Mark Citation options on the References toolbar in the top-right corner of the screen. Clicking it opens the Mark Index Entry dialog box, where you can select important terms and phrases for the index.
Select the word or phrase for the index. Double-click on the word using your mouse, or use your keyboard to highlight the text you want to select.
Click on the Mark Index Entry dialog box. The term you just selected in the document will appear in the text field next to the Main entry title.
- Additionally, you can enter a subentry in the subentry field or a cross-reference in the cross-reference field to add to the main index. Subentries and cross-references will be listed under their corresponding main entry in the index.
- You can also add a third-level entry by entering the subentry text, followed by a colon (:), and then adding the third-level entry text.
Format page numbers in the index. Under the Page number format title, select the appropriate box if you want the page numbers in the index to appear in bold or italic.
Format the text for an index entry. Select text within the Main entry or Subentry field, right-click, and then click Font. A dialog box will appear, allowing you to customize font style, size, color, and text effects, as well as advanced options like character spacing, line spacing, and position.
- You can explore more online about how to format text in Word, different fonts, and character options that can be applied to any Word document.
Click on Mark (Highlight). This button will highlight the selected term and add it to the index along with its corresponding page number.
Click on Mark All (Mark all instances). This button will search through the entire document for the index term and highlight every occurrence where the term is mentioned.
Select another word or phrase to mark. Highlight another term in the document and click the Mark Index Entry checkbox. The new term will appear in the Main entry field. You can customize all subentries, cross-references, page numbers, and font formatting options for index entries in the Mark Index Entry dialog box.
Insert index page
Scroll down and click at the bottom of the last page.
Click on the Insert button. This button is located in the MS Word toolbar at the top of the screen.
Click on the Page Break button in the Insert toolbar. This button features an icon of a half page above the other half of a page. This action ends the previous page and starts a new one.
Click on the References tab. This option is found in the MS Word toolbar at the top of the screen.
Click on the Insert Index button. This button is located next to the Mark Entry button in the References toolbar. The Index dialog box will open.
Select the type of index. You will choose between Indented and Run-in. The indented index makes it easier for the reader to navigate, while the run-in index saves space on the page.
- You will be able to preview different types and formats in the Preview box while customizing the index.
Select the index design under the Formats section. You can customize your index by choosing a design from pre-set format templates.
- You can also create your own design by selecting From template and clicking on the Modify button. Afterward, you can customize the font, spacing, and style for both the main entry and subentries to create a personalized design format.
- You can preview various design formats in the Preview box before making your decision.
Adjust the number of columns. You can increase the number of columns in the Columns box to minimize space or set the column count to Auto.
Click on OK. The index page will be generated with all the items marked and the corresponding page numbers. You can use this index to look up pages where key terms and concepts are mentioned throughout the document.
Warning
- When you mark index items, the option Show all nonprinting characters will be automatically enabled. You can disable this option at any time by clicking on the paragraph icon located in the Home tab.
