Situation guide
Table of Authorities in Google Docs or Pages: What to Do Instead
On this page5 sections
The short answer
neither Google Docs nor Apple Pages has a Table of Authorities (TOA) feature. Both can generate a table of contents from headings, but neither can mark citations or compile a list of authorities with page references. Your realistic options are to build the TOA by hand inside the document, to export the finished brief to PDF and build the TOA from that PDF, or to move the brief into Word on Windows, which has Mark Citation built in. Whichever you choose, finish the brief first: every edit after the TOA is built can move page numbers.
This page covers what each app offers, the workarounds people actually use, how to get proper dot leaders in each app, and the mistakes that most often end up in a filed brief.
What each editor can and cannot do
| Editor | TOA feature | Table of contents | Tab stops with dot leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word for Windows | Yes (Mark Citation, Insert Table of Authorities) | Yes | Yes |
| Word for Mac | Officially unsupported; some builds still show a legacy dialog | Yes | Yes |
| Word for the web | No (officially unsupported) | Yes | Limited |
| Google Docs | No | Yes | No native leader option |
| Apple Pages | No | Yes | Yes (Format › Layout › Tabs › Leader) |
The table of contents feature in Docs and Pages is built from heading styles. It is useful for the brief's table of contents, but it cannot be bent into a TOA: authorities are not headings, they appear many times, and a TOA needs every page for each one, grouped by category.
What people actually do
- Build it by hand in the document. Keep a running list of authorities while drafting, then search the final document for each one and type the pages. Works for a short brief; error-prone for a long one, because page numbers in a live document shift with every edit.
- Track authorities in a spreadsheet. A Google Sheets or Numbers file with one row per authority and a column for pages makes sorting and categorizing easier, but the page numbers still have to be checked against the final version.
- Look for an add-on. Search the Google Workspace Marketplace yourself and read each listing. We have not verified a Google Docs add-on that builds a TOA, so we do not name one here. Any add-on that does this must read the full text of your brief; check its permissions and privacy terms before using it on confidential work.
- Move the brief to Word on Windows. Download the Google Doc as .docx or export from Pages to Word, then use Word's Mark Citation workflow. Expect to clean up formatting after conversion, and budget time for marking every citation.
- Export to PDF and build the TOA from the PDF. The PDF has final, fixed pagination, so page references taken from it match what you file. This is the method we recommend for Docs and Pages users.
The export-to-PDF method, step by step
- Finish the brief. Content, formatting and front matter should be final. Leave a placeholder page (or pages) for the TOA of roughly the right length, so inserting it later does not push the body.
- Export. In Google Docs: File › Download › PDF Document (.pdf). In Pages: File › Export To › PDF.
- Note the page offset. The printed page numbers on the brief, not the PDF viewer's counter, are what the TOA uses. Roman-numeral front matter usually means the body's page 1 is several pages into the file.
- Index the PDF. Search it for every authority (Preview: ⌘F; Acrobat: Shift-⌘F for Advanced Search), including short forms, Id. and supra, and record printed pages. Or use a tool that reads the PDF page by page and lets you review the result.
- Put the TOA into the document. Paste or type it into the placeholder page in Docs or Pages and format it (see below).
- Export again and check. Make sure the TOA fits its placeholder and the body did not move. If it did, recheck the page references.
The detailed version of step 4, including OCR caveats and how roman numerals shift page numbers, is in our guide to building a table of authorities from a PDF.
Formatting a TOA with dot leaders
In Apple Pages
Pages supports real dot leaders. Apple's guide describes the steps: click the ruler to add a tab stop near the right margin, Control-click the tab-stop marker and choose right alignment, then open the Format sidebar, click Layout, open Tabs, and in the Leader column choose the dotted style. Type each entry as authority name, a tab, then the page numbers. Apply the setting to a paragraph style (for example, "TOA Entry") so every entry matches, and add a hanging indent for long case names that wrap.
In Google Docs
Google Docs lets you set left, center and right tab stops on the ruler, but its tab settings do not offer a leader character, so you cannot get automatic dots. The common workarounds, each with a cost:
| Workaround | How | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Right-aligned tab, no dots | Right tab stop at the margin; authority, tab, pages | Looks clean but lacks leaders; check whether your court or office expects them |
| Two-column borderless table | Authority in the left column, pages right-aligned in the right column | No dots; long names wrap inside the cell |
| Typed periods | Type dots between name and page | Breaks whenever font, margin or text changes; hard to line up |
| Finish in Word or Pages | Build the TOA page elsewhere with real leaders and merge PDFs | Extra step, and you must keep page numbering continuous |
Pitfalls that end up in filed briefs
- Using the PDF viewer's page number instead of the printed number. Off by the length of the front matter every time.
- Building the TOA before the last edit. A late paragraph on page 6 moves every authority after it.
- The TOA pushes the body. If the TOA ends up longer than its placeholder and the body is numbered continuously, pages shift. Use separate roman numbering for front matter or reserve enough space.
- *Missing short forms, Id.* and supra.** Searching the full citation finds the first appearance and not much else.
- Mixed categories. Statutes filed under cases, or rules under statutes. Use the headings your court expects.
- Conversion damage. A brief moved from Docs or Pages to Word can change fonts, spacing and page breaks, which changes page numbers. Rebuild or recheck after any conversion.
- *Inconsistent passim.* Choose a threshold and apply it to every entry.
Frequently asked
Does Google Docs have a table of authorities feature?
No. Google Docs can insert a table of contents built from headings, but it has no citation marking and no Table of Authorities. You need to build the TOA by hand, from an exported PDF, or in Word for Windows.
How do I make a table of authorities in Pages on a Mac?
Pages has no TOA feature, only a table of contents. Finish the brief, export it to PDF (File › Export To › PDF), find every authority and its printed page numbers in the PDF, then type the TOA into Pages using a right-aligned tab stop with a dot leader.
Is there a Google Docs add-on for a table of authorities?
We have not verified one, so we do not recommend any by name. If you find one in the Google Workspace Marketplace, read its listing, and remember it has to read your whole brief; check permissions and privacy terms before using it on confidential documents.
How do I add dot leaders in Google Docs?
Google Docs does not offer a leader option on its tab stops. Common workarounds are a right-aligned tab with no dots, a two-column borderless table, or typed periods. If your court or office expects dot leaders, build that page in Pages or Word.
Can I convert my Google Doc to Word to use Mark Citation?
Yes: File › Download › Microsoft Word (.docx), then open it in Word for Windows. Conversion can change fonts, spacing and page breaks, so fix formatting before marking citations, and recheck page numbers at the end.
Why do my TOA page numbers change after I paste in the table?
If the TOA is longer than the space you left and your page numbering is continuous, inserting it pushes the body later. Use separate roman-numeral numbering for front matter, reserve enough placeholder pages, and recheck after the final export.
Sources
- Microsoft Support — Create a table of authoritiessupport.microsoft.com
- Apple Support — Set tab stops in Pages on Macsupport.apple.com
- Apple Community — Table of Authorities in Pagesdiscussions.apple.com
- Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 28 (Cornell LII)law.cornell.edu
- Reddit r/paralegal — What do you use to create a table of authorities?reddit.com
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