Getting Started with TOAgen
What you need before you begin
TOAgen is built for Microsoft Word for Windows and works with Word’s native Table of Authorities system. Before you get started, make sure you are using Microsoft Word for Windows and that your document includes a place for the Table of Authorities. If your document does not already include a TOA section, TOAgen can create one for you.
The core TOAgen workflow
The basic TOAgen workflow is straightforward:
- prepare a TOA section
- mark citations
- navigate to the TOA
- insert the Table of Authorities
- review and refine as needed
Everything after that, such as citation cleanup, formatting, unification, and advanced analysis, further improves the document but is not required to complete the basic process.
Step 1: Prepare your TOA section
Before marking citations, make sure your document has a designated place for the Table of Authorities. Many firms already include a TOA section in their templates or create one through internal automation. If your document does not already have a TOA section, use TOAgen’s Add TOA Section command to insert a properly formatted section ready to receive the Table of Authorities.
Step 2: Mark your citations
Once your document is ready, use Mark All Citations to scan the document, identify legal citations, and mark them using Word’s native TA fields. TOAgen first identifies long citations and then works through related short citations. This dramatically reduces the manual effort required to hunt through the document and mark citations by hand.
If your document already contains marked citations, TOAgen will ask whether you want to replace them, keep them, or stop the operation. It can also prompt you to review short citations before marking them, which improves accuracy and helps you avoid misleading short-cite matches.
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Step 3: Go to the TOA
After marking citations, use Goto TOA to jump directly to the Table of Authorities section in the document. This saves time and makes it easy to move directly from citation marking into TOA creation or review.
Step 4: Insert the Table of Authorities
Place your cursor where you want the TOA to appear, then use Insert TOA. TOAgen will generate the Table of Authorities based on the marked citations in the document. If you later add or modify citations, you can use Update TOA to refresh the TOA without needing to place your cursor inside it first.
Step 5: Review and refine
Once the TOA is inserted, you can review the citations and make refinements as needed. TOAgen includes tools to help users edit long citations, manage short cites, unify citations, remove or withhold citations, and improve the overall quality of the final TOA. These refinements are often useful, but they do not have to happen before you complete the initial TOA workflow.
A better way to work
Most legal teams wait until the end of the drafting process to start building the Table of Authorities. TOAgen supports a better workflow. Because it works with Word’s native TOA system, users can mark citations and build the TOA throughout the life of the document, not just at the end. This helps reduce last-minute pressure, surface citation issues earlier, and keep the TOA aligned with the document as it evolves.
Built-in help makes getting started easier
TOAgen includes built-in help directly inside the application. Users can access ribbon-button help, ribbon-group help, and keyboard shortcut guidance while they work. This makes it easier for new users to get productive quickly without stopping to search through a separate manual.
Tips for a smoother first experience
A few practical tips can make your first TOAgen session easier:
- start with a document that already has a clear TOA location, or use Add TOA Section
- review short-cite handling carefully if the document contains repeated names or generic fragments
- use Create TOA Draft if you want a separate list of citations for review
- use built-in help when you want command-level guidance inside the workflow
These small habits help users build confidence more quickly and improve TOA quality from the start.
Conclusion
Getting started with TOAgen is straightforward. Prepare the TOA section, mark citations, insert the Table of Authorities, and refine the result as needed. Because TOAgen works within Microsoft Word and supports a practical, draft-as-you-go workflow, it gives legal teams a faster, more manageable way to create Tables of Authorities with less friction and greater confidence.