First Boot — Week 2A
Word Advanced
Styles, references, mail merge, and collaboration — the features that turn Word into a production tool.
13 slides ~16 minutes CGS1000C · Forge
By the end of this lesson, you will use heading styles to drive a Table of Contents, manage citations and bibliographies, run a mail merge, and collaborate with Track Changes.
Slide 2 of 13
Styles — Format Once
A style bundles formatting (font + size + color + spacing) under a name. Apply the name and every detail follows.
Without Styles
You hand-format every heading: bold, 14 pt, blue, 12 pt space below. Multiply by 30 headings. Then your professor says "make all headings green." You edit 30 headings.
With Styles
You apply Heading 1 to each heading. Change the Heading 1 style once — all 30 headings update. Plus: Word now knows they are headings, which powers the navigation pane, TOC, and screen readers.
How to apply: Click into a paragraph → Home tab → click a style in the gallery. Or use shortcuts: Ctrl+Alt+1 for Heading 1, Ctrl+Alt+2 for Heading 2.
Slide 3 of 13
Heading Styles & Navigation
Heading 1 / Heading 2 / Heading 3 form the document outline. Word turns the outline into a clickable side panel.
Open it
View tab → check Navigation Pane. Or Ctrl+F → click the Headings tab.
Click to jump
Click any heading in the pane → the document scrolls to it. Drag headings to reorder entire sections.
Why it matters
Same outline drives the Table of Contents and lets screen readers announce structure to blind users.
Slide 4 of 13
Table of Contents
Once your document uses heading styles, Word can build a TOC for you in two clicks — and update it whenever you change a heading.
1Apply heading styles to your section titles (Heading 1 for top level, Heading 2 for subsections).
2Click where you want the TOC (usually right after the title page).
3Go to References → Table of Contents → pick a built-in style (Automatic Table 1 / 2).
4Word inserts the TOC automatically with page numbers and clickable links.
5When you edit headings or add pages, click the TOC → Update Table → "Update entire table" to refresh.
Slide 5 of 13
Section Breaks & Columns
A section break lets one part of the document have different layout from the rest — different margins, columns, headers, or orientation.
Section Break Types
Next Page: ends section, starts next on a new page.
Continuous: ends section, no page break (used for switching to columns mid-page).
Even/Odd: next section starts on even or odd-numbered page.
Insert via Layout → Breaks.
Multi-Column Layout
Layout → Columns → pick One / Two / Three / Left / Right. Inserts a continuous section break and reformats the selected text as columns. Newsletters, brochures, programs.
Show formatting marks: Click the ¶ button on the Home tab to see invisible characters — section breaks appear as a double-dotted line labeled "Section Break (Continuous)" so you can spot them.
Slide 6 of 13
Citations & Bibliography
Word manages your sources, formats them in any style (APA, MLA, Chicago), and builds the bibliography from your in-text citations.
1Pick a style: References → Style dropdown → APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, etc.
2Add a source: References → Insert Citation → Add New Source → choose type (Book, Journal Article, Website) → fill in author, title, year.
3Insert in-text: place cursor at quote → Insert Citation → pick the source. Word inserts (Smith, 2024) in the chosen style.
4Generate bibliography: place cursor at end of paper → References → Bibliography → pick a layout. Word lists every cited source.
5Update later: add more citations, then click the bibliography → Update Citations and Bibliography.
Manage Sources: References → Manage Sources opens a master list (across all your documents) and a current list (this document). Edit, delete, copy sources between projects.
Slide 7 of 13
Footnotes & Endnotes
Side notes that link to a number in the text. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page; endnotes appear at the end of the document.
Insert Footnote
References → Insert Footnote (or Alt+Ctrl+F). Word inserts a superscript number, jumps to the bottom of the page, and waits for you to type.
Insert Endnote
References → Insert Endnote (or Alt+Ctrl+D). Same idea but the note lands at the end of the document, not the page.
Slide 8 of 13
Captions & Cross-References
Number your figures, tables, and equations. Then point to them in the text by their number, and let Word keep the numbers in sync.
Insert a Caption
Click the figure or table → References → Insert Caption → pick label (Figure / Table / Equation) → type the description. Word numbers it automatically.
Cross-Reference
References → Cross-reference → pick the type (Figure) and choose what to insert (just the label and number, or the full caption). Inserts as a clickable link.
Update fields: If you insert a new figure between Figure 1 and Figure 2, the numbers do not auto-renumber until you select all (Ctrl+A) and press F9. Always update fields before printing.
Table of Figures: References → Insert Table of Figures — lists every captioned figure with page numbers, just like a TOC.
Slide 9 of 13
Mail Merge
One Word document + one list of recipients = personalized letters, envelopes, or labels for each person.
1Mailings → Start Mail Merge → pick Letters (or Envelopes / Labels / Email).
2Select Recipients → Use an Existing List → pick your Excel file or address book.
3Insert Merge Field at each placeholder spot in your letter (FirstName, Address, Balance...).
4Preview Results → click forward arrows to see one letter per recipient.
5Finish & Merge → Edit Individual Documents (one big file) or Print Documents.
Slide 10 of 13
Track Changes & Comments
Collaboration features. Track Changes records every edit. Comments add side notes. Both let multiple reviewers work on a document without losing each other's input.
Track Changes
Review → Track Changes (toggle on). Every insertion, deletion, format change is colored and attributed to the person who made it. Reviewers can later Accept or Reject each change.
Comments
Select text → Review → New Comment. A balloon appears in the margin. Useful for "Should this be in the next chapter?" without changing the text. Resolve when addressed.
Co-authoring: If the document is on OneDrive or SharePoint, multiple people can edit at the same time — you see their cursors live. No need to email versions back and forth.
Slide 11 of 13
Templates & Building Blocks
A template is a pre-built document with styles, layout, and placeholder text. Save your team's standard format as a template; everyone starts from the same baseline.
Built-in Templates
File → New → choose from gallery: résumés, letters, reports, fliers, cards. Each opens as a fresh document — you fill in the placeholders.
Custom Template
Build a document with your styles and headers, then File → Save As → choose .dotx (Word Template). Reuse it whenever you need that format.
Building Blocks
Reusable snippets — cover pages, headers, watermarks. Insert → Quick Parts. Save your own selection as a Quick Part for easy reuse.
Where templates live: Personal templates save to Documents\Custom Office Templates by default. File → New → Personal tab to find them later.
Slide 12 of 13
Protect & Export
Keep your document from being changed. Export to other formats so anyone can read it.
Restrict Editing
Review → Restrict Editing → allow only Comments / only Track Changes / only forms. Optionally set a password. Useful when sending out a survey or contract for review.
Mark as Final
File → Info → Protect Document → Mark as Final. Document opens read-only with a banner. Reviewers must click "Edit Anyway" to change it — a soft lock that signals "this is the final version."
Encrypt with Password
File → Info → Protect Document → Encrypt with Password. Anyone opening the file must type the password. Lose the password — lose the document.
Export to PDF
File → Export → Create PDF/XPS. Locked layout that looks the same on every device. Standard for final delivery: résumés, papers, contracts.
Encrypted files cannot be recovered: If you forget the password, Microsoft cannot help you. Save passwords in a password manager, never on a sticky note.
Slide 13 of 13
Week 2A Summary
Word Advanced — the production features that turn a typed page into a managed document.
1Styles bundle formatting under a name. Apply Heading 1 → Word knows it is a heading. Change the style once → every heading updates.
2Heading styles drive the Navigation Pane (View → Navigation Pane) for click-to-jump and drag-to-reorder.
3Table of Contents: References → Table of Contents. Auto-built from heading styles. Update on every change.
4Section breaks let parts of one document have different layout (margins, columns, orientation, headers).
5Citations: References → Style (APA/MLA/Chicago) → Insert Citation → Bibliography. Word manages sources and formats them.
6Footnotes at bottom of page; endnotes at end of document. References tab.
7Captions + cross-references auto-number figures and tables. Press Ctrl+A → F9 to update fields.
8Mail merge: Word + Excel list = one personalized letter per recipient. Mailings tab.
9Track Changes & Comments (Review tab) for collaboration. Accept / Reject changes one by one.
10Protect: Restrict Editing / Mark as Final / Encrypt with Password. Export → PDF for locked delivery.
Next up: Week 2B — Excel Basics. Cells, rows, columns, formulas, and the start of working with data.