cross-reference – How to format an audit report – Part V

While we prepare the audit working papers/files, we include references in audit points to link the supporting details that refer the reader from one part to another part of the document. Example: See page number 23, point no: 5, See Annexure A or Refer the table A etc.,

But if a change is made in a file, assume if we insert few pages, this leads us to correct all the references made in whole audit file manually. Many a times we miss to correct the references.

Cross References

A cross-reference is just creating a link between two parts of the same document. 

If we want to insert cross-references in our document, we need to find the parts that are to be cross linked and do format (Text Formatting) those parts. Example if it is a heading, we need to format the text with heading styles or outline levels one, and then we insert the cross-reference.

Let’s understand this with an example, assume, we have following items in a Systems Audit Report (Refer Picture A)

Picture A

In this example, we have two Reference Types. One is Heading (marked in yellow) and the other one is Numbered Item (marked in green). If we call the Cross-reference dialog box (shortcut: Alt + S + RF) and select Numbered Item as Reference type, we can see ‘For which Number item:’ details as given in below image (Refer Picture B).

Picture B

Like Heading and Numbered Item, we have few other Reference types. The list of those reference types are given below (Refer Table A)

Reference Type	How to format the text
Bookmark	Bookmark is just a name of reference point or selection in the document. Step 1: Select the text or reference point Step 2: On the Insert tab, in the Links group, select Bookmark (Shortcut: Alt + N + X) Step 3: Give a Name (without space) and click Add
Footnote	A footnote is an explanatory comment or that appears at the bottom of a page. Step 1: Select the place where you want to insert Footnote Step 2: Press Ctrl + Alt + F
Endnote	Endnotes are similar to Footnote, except that the text of an endnote appears at the end of a section. If only one section is available in the whole document, it appears at the last page of the document. Step 1: Select the place where you want to insert Endnote Step 2: Press Ctrl + Alt + D
Equation, Figure, Picture and Table	These are the types of caption for your graphics and tables. Step 1: Select the graphic or table to insert caption Step 2: On the References tab, in the Captions group, click Insert Caption Step 3: Select the label type and give Caption text Step 4: Click OK

Insert a Cross Reference

Step 1: click the place where the cross reference should appear

Step 2: On References tab, in the Captions group, click Cross Reference (Shortcut: Alt + S + RF) to display the cross reference dialog box

Step 3: Select the References type (Explained in Table A)

Step 4: Select the Insert reference to. (Explained Table B)

Step 5: Select the For which numbered item.

Step 6: Click Insert

Word by default inserts cross-reference fields as hyperlinks, hence, just a Ctrl + Click leads us to reach the reference part.

Insert reference to

Insert reference to	Explanation
Heading Text	To display the heading, we have to use this. Actual text of the Heading will be inserted as Cross-Reference text (for example, Executive Summary)
Page Number	To display the page number of the reference item, we have to use this.
Heading Number	Heading number will be inserted as Cross-reference. For example, if the cross-reference to 1(c)(5) is inserted within 2(a)(i), the number used is (5).
Heading Number (No Context)	No context will be inserted. 1(c)(5) will always be inserted as (5)
Heading Number (Full Context)	To display full heading number, use this. (i.e. 1(c)(5)
Above/Below	The word above or below is inserted.  For example: See the Executive Summary, above.

Page Numbering – How to format an audit report – Part IV

If our report has multiple pages, we have to display the page number on each page that helps the reader to locate the information easily. Many a times, we need to quote the page numbers in our audit points to locate the supporting information, the same is called as inserting cross references.

In most documents, page numbers appear in either the header or in the footer of each page. MS Office Word has many pre-formatted page number designs so that we can quickly insert headers or footers to display the page number.

Insert Page Number

Step 1: Click anywhere in the report

Step 2: On the Insert tab, in the Header & Footer group, click Page Number, and then choose either Top of the page or Bottom of the page (Shortcut: Alt N + NU + T or B).

How to start page numbering only from page 2?

Generally, we used to keep the cover page as first page of the report document and the same need not to be numbered for indexing. We can skip the page for page numbering.

Remove the page number from the first page:

Following steps removes the page number from the first page only from the display; it will not skip the page for numbering. In other words, always the first page will be treated as first page only.

Step 3: Click anywhere in the report (hope you have already inserted page number in your document, if no, please follow step 1 and 2)

Step 4: on the Page Layout tab, click the Page Setup Dialog Box Launcher, and then click the Layout tab (shortcut: Alt + P + SP)

Step 5: Under Header and Footers, select the Different first Page check box

Picture A: Different First Page – Page Numbering

Step 4: Click OK

Number the second page as Page Number 1

Step 6: on the Insert tab, click the Header and Footer group, click Page Number, and then click Format Page Numbers. (Shortcut: Alt + N + NU + F)

Step 7: In the Start at box, type 0 and click OK (refer Picture B)

Picture B

Insert Chapter Numbers

Most of the standard text books have chapter wise numbers (i.e. 1-1, 2-20, etc.). You can simply insert the chapter number along with page numbers.

In the Page Number Format dialog box (refer Picture B), do the followings:

1.  Enable Include chapter number check box
2. Select chapter starts with style, and
3. Select Use Separators
4. Click OK

But this will not restart the page numbers for each chapter. If you want to restart the page number for each chapter, you have to insert Section Break from where you want to restart the page numbering. To know about section break, read post Breaks.

Once the section breaks are inserted, follow above mentioned steps 1, 2, 6 and 7.