"You should not have to recompile your document 2 or 3 times... References / bibliographies don't work the first time through..." If you think about it, you'll probably see why. Cross-references can't be set until you know what they refer to, which may be later on in the doc ("see section 8 below"), and setting such references (or citations) can change the page numbering. If the multiple passes (which are analogous to the multiple passes a compiler makes) bother you, then use a tool that hides them from your eyes, like arara. That's probably what Word does under the hood.