A document creation platform provides a user interface for creating electronic documents. In response to a first user input, the platform creates an electronic document with a plurality of clauses. In response to a second user input in a first clause, the platform designates a user-specified sequence of words in the first clause as a defined term. The platform also opens an addendum section of the electronic document to receive a user-specified definition of the term. In response to a third user input, the platform inserts the term into the electronic document in a second clause. The platform identifies a fourth user action at a location of the term in the electronic document, and in response: determines that the term has an associated definition; retrieves a current version of the definition from the addendum section; and displays the retrieved current version of the definition in a separate window.