How to Make Table of Contents Dissertation?
Date published September 16 2020 by Carolina James
A dissertation is made up of several chapters and components, one of which is the Table of Contents.
When you are writing a dissertation, you ensure to make a Table of Contents when you format your dissertation in the end. In this article, we will understand more about Table of Contents and the easy ways for making them.
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Table of Contents
What is the Table of Contents in General?
A Table of Contents, as the name suggests, is a list that helps you navigate through a written work. It is comprised of the main headings or titles of each chapter or section along with its page number.
You will find a Table of Contents in every written work you may come across, whether it is a research article, a novel, a dissertation proposal UK based, a school textbook or even a promotional profile of a company. If the text stretches beyond let us say five pages, having a Table of Contents (TOC) is helpful in reaching the pages and chapters earlier.
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Understanding a Table of Contents Dissertation
Adding a Table of Contents in your dissertation proves helpful for the reader as well as you, since navigating through the dissertation becomes easy. Considering that a dissertation is composed of 1,000 words at the very least, it is helpful for having a Table of Contents there.
Found at the beginning of the dissertation, the Table of Contents includes the titles of the main chapters, their important subheadings and page numbers.
What to include in your Table of Contents Dissertation?
Materials to include in your Table of Contents dissertation are:
- The Level One headings, such as Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Bibliography.
- The subheadings of the Level One headings, which are Level Two headings.
- Appendices
What NOT to include in your Table of Contents Dissertation?
Materials that you should NOT include in your Table of Contents Dissertation are:
- Acknowledgements
- Abstract
- The Table of Contents itself
The Acknowledgements and Abstract are not listed in the Table of Contents as they come before the Table of Contents.
How to Create a Table of Contents Using Microsoft Word?
One of the best parts about using Microsoft Word is that you can automatically create a Table of Contents by following a few steps. You will not even have to Google ‘Table of Contents Word’.
These steps are listed below:
- Apply your relevant heading styles to your headings.
- Add the title on your contents page, ensuring that you follow your university’s recommended citation style.
- In the ribbon, you will see various options. Look for the ‘References’ section in the ribbon.
- You will find the ‘Table of Contents’ option under the References section.
- Under the Table of Contents option, you will see various options including Automatic Table 1, Automatic Table 2, Manual Table etc. Look for the ‘Custom Table of Contents’ option.
- After selecting Custom Table of Contents, click on the ‘Modify’ button and make your manual adjustments to each level.
- Once all of your adjustments are done, click on ‘OK’ and voila! Your table will generate just before your eyes!
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Applying the Relevant Heading Styles
Applying heading styles helps to differentiate between the different kinds of headings. There are two steps to this:
- Set the style for each level of heading.
- Divide all the headings with the help of Word’s tools.
How can you create heading styles?
- Set a certain kind of formatting that you want for each heading. For example, if all of your Level One headings should be Times New Roman font and 12 point bold, then you can add this formatting for the Level One headings.
- You can set this type of formatting as automatic for your Level One headings by locating the Styles section under the Home tab.
- To apply the formatting to the Level One headings, place your cursor on the heading, highlight the heading and right-click Heading 1.
- During the formatting process, click on Update Heading 1 to Match Selection.
Why Should You Update the Table of Contents Repeatedly?
While you are working on your dissertation, your word count may increase or decrease, which may affect the total number of pages in your dissertation. As such, the headings will also vary.
When your headings and page numbers change, so does your Table of Contents. As such, it is necessary to update the table in accordance with the changes. However, this update should be done in the end, not during.
To update your Table of Contents, all you have to do is:
- Select ‘Update Table’ from the References tab.
- A dialog box will open, from which you can select ‘Update Entire Table’. This option will ensure that the table is updated on a whole and not just the page numbers. All additions made afterwards in the dissertation will also show up.
Would You Like to See a Dissertation Contents Page Example?
We can understand that creating a Dissertation Table of Contents may seem hectic the first time, but the process is not that difficult.
In fact, let us show you a Dissertation Contents Page Example. It really is simple, see for yourself!
An Easy Way is To Ask a Professional!
Many students often feel confused about formatting a dissertation overall. An easy way for them is to ask a dissertation service UK based, especially if you are studying in the United Kingdom.
If you do not want to hire the complete service and pay for the formatting, you can ask for free consultancy instead. They will definitely have some kind of PhD dissertation consultant who can help you out.
Some Frequently Asked Questions about Tables of Contents
It is okay to feel curious or even confused when you hear about a Table of Contents dissertation for the first time.
Here are a few of those questions, which are commonly asked by most students.
In your Table of Contents, you should include all of the Level One and Level Two headings, which refers to the titles of the chapters and the main sections within those chapters.
Your Table of Contents should have the appendices and lists of tables and figures as well. If possible, also include your reference list.
There is no need to include the Abstract or Acknowledgements section in the Table of Contents.
Depending on your academic level, you may have the following sections before Table of Contents in your dissertation:
- Title page
- Cover page
- Acknowledgements
- Abstract
You will place your Table of Contents after all of these sections. Ensure that the pages are accurately put.
Yes, you have to include the References in the Table of Contents. They are a part of the dissertation, just like all the other chapters and sections. You will include it similar to the other chapters, with the Title and its corresponding page number.
It is better to confirm with your institutional requirement if you have to include the Abstract and the Acknowledgements in the Table of Contents.
Microsoft Word comes with a simple option to automatically create a Table of Contents. It is available under the ‘References’ tab where you can click to select ‘Table of Contents’.
It is up to you if you wish to use the custom Table of Contents provided by the software or you can create one by yourself. A number of options are available ready-made and for modification as well.
The Tables of Contents consist of the following types of variations:
- Single level table of contents
- Subdivided table of contents
- Multi-level table of contents
- Academic table of contents
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