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How to create a table of contents in Word (step-by-step)

• Post last modified: November 10, 2023

In this article, you’ll learn how to make a Table of Contents in Word, as well as how to update and manage it inside your document.

There are 3 types of Table of Contents you can create in Microsoft Word (all with a number of different options and features):

• Automatic Table  (based on your saved formatting)
• Custom Table of Contents  that is 100% customizable
• Manual Table  that requires you to do all of the heavy lifting

Below are examples of 3 of the many styles of Table of Contents you can quickly create in Word.

The most important thing to know about creating an automatic Table of Contents in Word is that you first need to format your document using the  Heading Styles .

That’s because it’s the  Heading  Styles   formatting (as you can see pictured below) that feeds your Table of Contents. This step is explained in detail below.

If you don’t want to use the Heading Styles, you can use a  Manual Table to create your Table of Contents, as discussed below.

Note:  Throughout this article, the words  Table of Contents  and  TOC  are used interchangeably. On the top, of all examples below were created using the Microsoft Office 365 subscription, which you can learn about on Microsoft’s website here .

How to create a table of contents in Word

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The first critical step to creating an automatic updating TOC in Word is properly formatting the sections of your document using the :

• Heading 1 style
• Heading 2 style
• Heading 3  s tyle

If you have already formatted your document this way, you can skip to the next section.

Note:  You are not limited to the default  Heading  Styles   formatting. Below I’ll show you how you can not only change your  Styles  formatting, but also how you can create your own.

1. Applying Heading Style Formatting

To properly format your Word document using the  Heading  Styles , simply:

• Select  the section Headings of your document
• Navigate to the  Home  tab
• Select the  Heading 1 ,  Heading 2  or  Heading 3  style, as appropriate

By default, only the Heading 1 through Heading 3 Styles will automatically populate into your Table of Contents.

You can still use the Heading 4 through Heading 9 styles in a Table of Contents, but you’ll have to do so with a Custom Table of Contents, as discussed below.

• Select  your section heading text
• Navigate to the  References  tab
• Open the  Add Text  dropdown menu
• Select your  Heading  style

2. Heading Style Shortcuts

If you have a large Word document, you can speed up the formatting process by using Heading Style shortcuts.

Shortcuts like these are the fastest way to double your productivity.

To set up a basic Table of Contents in Word, the 3 Heading Styles shortcuts you’ll need to remember are:

• Heading Style 1 shortcut:  Alt + Shift + 1
• Heading Style 2 shortcut:  Alt + Shift + 2
• Heading Style 3 shortcut:  Alt + Shift + 3

You can apply the  Normal  style to any text in your document that you don’t want to show in your TOC.

Normal Style Shortcut:  Ctrl + Shift + N

When making an automatic Table of Contents in Word, only content that is properly formatted using these Heading Styles will appear in your TOC.

Furthermore, this formatting is critical if you later want to convert Word to PowerPoint .

3. Changing Your Heading Style Formatting

If you don’t like the way the default Heading Styles look, you can change them. To do that, simply:

• Navigate to the  Design  tab
• Choose a different  Document Formatting

If you click the downward facing arrow, you will see more options, as pictured above.

Note:  The  Document Formatting  styles change all of the formatting styles within your Word document. Therefore, you’ll want to review your entire Word document to make sure you are okay with whatever new Document Formatting you select.

4. Creating Your Own Heading Style Formatting

If you don’t like the  Document Formatting  options for your Heading Styles, you can create your own. To do that, simply:

• Format  your Heading Style however you want it to look
• Right-Click  the Heading Style you want to change
• Select  Update Heading to Match Selection

Doing so will change the Heading Style to match the formatting you’d applied to that text. In addition, it will automatically update all the existing Headings of that level in your Word document.

How to Insert a Table of Contents

Once you’ve properly formatted your document using the different  Heading  Styles , creating your Table of Contents is pretty straightforward.

1. Insert a Table of Contents

Once your Word document is properly formatted with the Heading Styles, to make your Table of Contents, simply:

• Click  into your document where you want your TOC
• Navigate to the  References  tab
• Open the  Table of Contents  dropdown menu
• Choose  Automatic Table 1  or  Automatic Table 2

Choosing either option inserts a TOC based on your Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3 Styles.

Your TOC might look different than the one pictured above depending on whether you previously inserted and saved your TOC style.

• Insert at Current Document position
• Insert at Beginning of Document
• Insert at End of Document
• Insert at Beginning of Section
• Insert at End of Section

That’s the difference between the Automatic Table 1 and Automatic Table 2 styles?

Not much. The main difference is the title – table of contents vs. contents – which you can just click into and change. If you need more formatting options beyond the Automatic Table styles, you can create your own Custom Table of Contents.

If you want more than just 3 levels in your Table of Contents, you’ll need to insert a Custom Table.

2. Format Your Table of Contents

To format your Table of Contents in Word, simply:

• Hover  your mouse to the left of your TOC (your arrow will look like a diagonal arrow)
• Select  the Heading Style you want to change
• Format  it however you wish

Sometimes this takes a few attempts to select your Heading Styles so they all properly update. If it doesn’t work the first time, just try it again.

Note:  Formatting the Heading Styles of your TOC only affects the formatting styles inside your TOC. None of your document level formatting is affected.

3. How to Save Your Table of Contents formatting

After formatting the different levels of your TOC, you are given the option to save that formatting when you exit out of Microsoft Word.

If you select  Save , your manual formatting adjustments are saved to Word. That means that the next time you make a Table of Contents, all of your manual adjustments will show up by default.

Once you reformat the different elements of your new Table of Contents, you will be given the option to save them again when you exit Word.

4. Updating a Table of Contents

Table of Contents in Microsoft Word DO NOT automatically update themselves.

As you add and remove content to your document, you need to manually click the  Update  button to have your TOC update itself.

Your TOC is just a snapshot in time of when you either inserted it or last updated it. So, don’t forget to update it when you are done making changes to your document.

To update a Table of Contents in Word, simply:

• Click  Update Table
• Choose  Update p age numbers o nly  or  Update e ntire table

If you are using one of the  Automatic Table  layouts, can also select the  Update Table  button at the top of your table, as pictured below.

The two update options are:

• Page numbers only  updates the page numbers of your TOC. It does not update the structure of your TOC based on any sections you’ve added or removed. It also does not update any of the text in your Headings, or the Heading Styles.
• Entire table  updates everything in your TOC including page numbers, sections added and sections removed.

If you have made many changes to your Word document, or are unsure of what you’ve changed, I recommend updating the entire table. That ensures that everything within your document is accurately reflected in your TOC.

5. Table of Contents Navigational Shortcuts

The cool thing about making an automatic Table of Contents in Word, is that you can use it to quickly jump around your document.

That’s because each of the lines of your TOC is a hyperlink to that section within your document. All you need to do is hold down the Ctrl key and click the section of your TOC

An alternative way you can quickly navigate the sections of your Table of Contents is with the Navigation Pane . In it, you can see all the different sections of your document.

To open the  Navigation Pane  to see your Headings in Word, simply:

• Navigate to the  View  tab
• Click ​on  Navigation Pane

Within the  Navigation Pane , you can see, expand, collapse and navigate all the sections within your document.

This is another benefit of using the  Heading Styles  to properly format your Word document.

Removing a Table of Contents

To remove a Table of Contents from a Word document, simply:

• Open the  Table of Contents  dropown menu
• Select  Remove Table of Contents

If you are using one of the Automatic Table styles, you can also use the dropdown menu at the top of your table, as pictured below.

Creating a Custom Table of Contents

If you need more formatting options than the automatic table styles provide, you can create your own Custom Table of Contents.

To create a Custom Table of Contents in Word, simply:

• Open the  Table of Content s  dropdown menu
• Choose  Custom Table of Contents
• Customize the elements of your TOC (see details below)

Don’t worry about getting your custom TOC right the first time through. There are a lot of options to choose from and you can always go back and make different selections

Note:  A Custom Table of Contents is still based on the  Heading Styles  you use to format your Word document. That means that if you do not properly format your document, your TOC will be blank.

On top of that, as you add and remove content to your document, you will need to use the  Update Table  command to update your custom TOC.

If you do not want an automatic updating TOC, insert a  Manual Table .

1. Show Page Numbers Options

Selecting or de-selecting the  Show page numbers  box adds or removes the page numbers from your TOC, as you can see in the picture above.

My recommendation is to always select  Show page numbers , as that makes it easier to understand and navigate your document. That’s usually the point of creating a TOC in the first place

2. Right Align Page Numbers Options

Right align page numbers  determines whether your page numbers are aligned on the right side of your document, or if they are just stacked up after your section Headings.

My recommendation is to always use the  Right align  option. This not only makes your TOC easier to read, it also also opens up all of the  Tab leader  options (discussed next).

3. Tab Leader Options

There are four different  Tab leader  options you can use to format your TOC, as pictured above.

The  Tab leader  dropdown menu is only available when you are using the  Right align page numbers option. If you don’t like these styles of Tab leaders, you can use a Manual Table and create your own.

My recommendation is to always use a Tab leader as it makes it easier to find the section page numbers within your Word document.

4. Format Template Options

There are a variety of different  Format  templates  you can use to change the look and feel of your TOC. For each one, you can make a number of adjustments and customizations. Here are the default formatting options for each one, as pictured above:

• Distinctive

You also have the  From Template  option which opens up the more manual formatting options for you if you know what you are doing (see the  Options  and  Modify  commands below).

All of these formats can be tweaked using the other formatting options in the Custom TOC dialog box. So feel free to try different combinations to find the custom TOC formatting that works best for you.

5. Show Levels Options

The  Show levels  setting determines how many of the Heading Style levels are included in your Table of Contents.

Just remember that to feed more content into your TOC, you first need to use the Heading Styles formatting throughout your document.

This is another example of when properly formatting your Word document can be a real lifesaver.

6. Options & Modify

If you use the  From Template  option to format your TOC, you can apply advanced formatting using the  Options  and  Modify  commands.

These are for advanced users and go above and beyond the scope of this tutorial (and what you’ll probably need to do). So, I’m not going into detail about these options here. But feel free to explore them if you need additional formatting options for your Table of Contents.

Creating a Manual Table of Contents

If you don’t want to use the Automatic TOC styles, you can instead use the Manual Table  option.

Warning:  Just so we are crystal clear before you go this route. Inserting a  Manual Table  means that you will be responsible for manually updating anything and everything within the table.

A Manual Table will not track or update itself based on any content you add or remove to your Word document. Therefore, if you make a lot of changes in your document, updating your TOC could take you a long time.

If you ever get tired of updating a table like this, you can insert an Automatic Updating TOC.

To insert a  Manual Table  for your TOC in Word, simply:

• Click  into your document where you want your TOC
• Select  Manual Table

Selecting  Manual Table , you get a default Table of Contents that in no way reflects the content of your document.

Whether you have 1 page or 100 pages in your document, the Manual Table will come pre-loaded with two level 1, level 2 and level 3 placeholders

That means that anything you want done to your TOC, you’ll need to do yourself. There is no way to automatically update a Manual Table.

Below you’ll find some formatting tips for how to best update and edit your  Manual Table .

• Navigate to the  Insert  tab
• Open the  Table  dropdown menu
• Select how many  Rows  and  Columns  you want in your table

1. Add a New Section Row

To add a new section to a  Manual table , first add a new blank row. The fastest way to do that is to put your cursor at the end of your page number and hit Enter.

To add a new row of formatting to your  Manual Table , simply:

• Select  a section row that you want to copy
• Hit  Ctrl + C  to copy the row
• Click into your blank row
• Hit  Ctrl + V  to paste your row

Once you’ve pasted in your new row, you can then type in whatever text you want for it.

Thankfully, the  Tab leader  dots automatically adjust as you type in your section Headings. You don’t have to add them in yourself.

2. Edit Your Page Numbers

To edit the page numbers of your  Manual Table , you’ll need to:

• Click and drag  to select the page number
• Type  and/or  format  your page number

Remember:  When you use a  Manual Table , you are responsible for manually adding and formatting everything within it (which can be really annoying).

So that’s how to make a Table of Contents in Word, along with all the formatting, navigation and updating options.

The most important thing to remember about your TOC is to use the Heading Styles when formatting your Word document. Doing so will make inserting and editing a TOC super easy and stress-free.

If you enjoyed this tutorial and want to learn more about our training courses and other resources,  visit us here .

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• Dissertation
• Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples

Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples

Published on 15 May 2022 by Tegan George .

The table of contents is where you list the chapters and major sections of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, alongside their page numbers. A clear and well-formatted table of contents is essential, as it demonstrates to your reader that a quality paper will follow.

The table of contents (TOC) should be placed between the abstract and the introduction. The maximum length should be two pages. Depending on the nature of your thesis, dissertation, or paper, there are a few formatting options you can choose from.

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Table of contents

What to include in your table of contents, what not to include in your table of contents, creating a table of contents in microsoft word, table of contents examples, updating a table of contents in microsoft word, other lists in your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, frequently asked questions about the table of contents.

Depending on the length of your document, you can choose between a single-level, subdivided, or multi-level table of contents.

• A single-level table of contents only includes ‘level 1’ headings, or chapters. This is the simplest option, but it may be too broad for a long document like a dissertation.
• A subdivided table of contents includes chapters as well as ‘level 2’ headings, or sections. These show your reader what each chapter contains.
• A multi-level table of contents also further divides sections into ‘level 3’ headings. This option can get messy quickly, so proceed with caution. Remember your table of contents should not be longer than 2 pages. A multi-level table is often a good choice for a shorter document like a research paper.

Examples of level 1 headings are Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, and Bibliography. Subsections of each of these would be level 2 headings, further describing the contents of each chapter or large section. Any further subsections would be level 3.

In these introductory sections, less is often more. As you decide which sections to include, narrow it down to only the most essential.

Including appendices and tables

You should include all appendices in your table of contents. Whether or not you include tables and figures depends largely on how many there are in your document.

If there are more than three figures and tables, you might consider listing them on a separate page. Otherwise, you can include each one in the table of contents.

• Theses and dissertations often have a separate list of figures and tables.
• Research papers generally don’t have a separate list of figures and tables.

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All level 1 and level 2 headings should be included in your table of contents, with level 3 headings used very sparingly.

The following things should never be included in a table of contents:

• Your acknowledgements page
• Your abstract
• The table of contents itself

The acknowledgements and abstract always precede the table of contents, so there’s no need to include them. This goes for any sections that precede the table of contents.

To automatically insert a table of contents in Microsoft Word, be sure to first apply the correct heading styles throughout the document, as shown below.

• Choose which headings are heading 1 and which are heading 2 (or 3!
• For example, if all level 1 headings should be Times New Roman, 12-point font, and bold, add this formatting to the first level 1 heading.
• Highlight the level 1 heading.
• Right-click the style that says ‘Heading 1’.
• Select ‘Update Heading 1 to Match Selection’.
• Allocate the formatting for each heading throughout your document by highlighting the heading in question and clicking the style you wish to apply.

Once that’s all set, follow these steps:

• Add a title to your table of contents. Be sure to check if your citation style or university has guidelines for this.
• Place your cursor where you would like your table of contents to go.
• In the ‘References’ section at the top, locate the Table of Contents group.
• Here, you can select which levels of headings you would like to include. You can also make manual adjustments to each level by clicking the Modify button.
• When you are ready to insert the table of contents, click ‘OK’ and it will be automatically generated, as shown below.

The key features of a table of contents are:

• Clear headings and subheadings
• Corresponding page numbers

Check with your educational institution to see if they have any specific formatting or design requirements.

Write yourself a reminder to update your table of contents as one of your final tasks before submitting your dissertation or paper. It’s normal for your text to shift a bit as you input your final edits, and it’s crucial that your page numbers correspond correctly.

It’s easy to update your page numbers automatically in Microsoft Word. Simply right-click the table of contents and select ‘Update Field’. You can choose either to update page numbers only or to update all information in your table of contents.

In addition to a table of contents, you might also want to include a list of figures and tables, a list of abbreviations and a glossary in your thesis or dissertation. You can use the following guides to do so:

• List of figures and tables
• List of abbreviations

It is less common to include these lists in a research paper.

All level 1 and 2 headings should be included in your table of contents . That means the titles of your chapters and the main sections within them.

The contents should also include all appendices and the lists of tables and figures, if applicable, as well as your reference list .

Do not include the acknowledgements or abstract   in the table of contents.

To automatically insert a table of contents in Microsoft Word, follow these steps:

• Apply heading styles throughout the document.
• In the references section in the ribbon, locate the Table of Contents group.
• Click the arrow next to the Table of Contents icon and select Custom Table of Contents.
• Select which levels of headings you would like to include in the table of contents.

Make sure to update your table of contents if you move text or change headings. To update, simply right click and select Update Field.

The table of contents in a thesis or dissertation always goes between your abstract and your introduction.

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George, T. (2022, May 15). Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 24 June 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/contents-page/

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Microsoft Word for Dissertations

• Table of Contents
• Introduction, Template, & Resources
• Formatting for All Readers
• Applying a Style
• Modifying a Style
• Setting up a Heading 1 Example
• Images, Charts, Other Objects
• Footnotes, Endnotes, & Citations
• Cross-References
• Appendix Figures & Tables
• List of Figures/Tables
• Chapter and Section Numbering
• Page Numbers
• Landscape Pages
• Combining Chapter Files
• Commenting and Reviewing
• Tips & Tricks
• The Two-inch Top Margin
• Troubleshooting
• Finalizing Without Styles
• Preparing Your Final Document

Automatic Table of Contents

An automatic Table of Contents relies on Styles to keep track of page numbers and section titles for you automatically. Microsoft Word can scan your document and find everything in the Heading 1 style and put that on the first level of your table of contents, put any Heading 2’s on the second level of your table of contents, and so on.

If you want an automatic table of contents you need to apply the Heading 1 style to all of your chapter titles and front matter headings (like “Dedication” and “Acknowledgements”).  All section headings within your chapters should use the Heading 2  style.  All sub-section headings should use  Heading 3 , etc....

If you have used Heading styles in your document, creating an automatic table of contents is easy.

• Place your cursor where you want your table of contents to be.
• On the References Ribbon, in the Table of Contents Group , click on the arrow next to the Table of Contents icon, and select  Custom Table of Contents .
• We suggest that you set each level (Chapters, sections, sub-sections, aka TOC 1, TOC 2, TOC 3) to be single-spaced, with 12 points of space afterwards.  This makes each item in your ToC clump together if they're long enough to wrap to a second line, with the equivalent of a double space between each item, and makes the ToC easier to read and understand than if every line were double-spaced. See the video below for details.
• If you want to change which headings appear in your Table of Contents, you can do so by changing the number in the Show levels: field. Select "1" to just include the major sections (Acknowledgements, List of Figures, Chapters, etc...).  Select "4" to include Chapters, sections, sub-sections, and sub-sub-sections.
• Click OK to insert your table of contents.  

The table of contents is a snapshot of the headings and page numbers in your document, and does not automatically update itself as you make changes. At any time, you can update it by right-clicking on it and selecting Update field .  Notice that once the table of contents is in your document, it will turn gray if you click on it. This just reminds you that it is a special field managed by Word, and is getting information from somewhere else.

Modifying the format of your Table of Contents

The video below shows how to make your Table of Contents a little easier to read by formatting the spacing between items in your Table of Contents. You may recognize the "Modify Style" window that appears, which can serve as a reminder that you can use this window to modify more than just paragraph settings. You can modify the indent distance, or font, or tab settings for your ToC, just the same as you may have modified it for Styles. 

By default, the Table of Contents tool creates the ToC by pulling in Headings 1 through 3. If you'd like to modify that -- to only show H1's, or to show Headings 1 through 4 -- then go to the References tab and select Custom Table of Contents .  In the window that appears, set Show Levels to "1" to only show Heading 1's in the Table of Contents, or set it to "4" to show Headings 1 through 4.

Bonus tip for updating fields like the Table of Contents

You'll quickly realize that all of the automatic Lists and Tables need to be updated occasionally to reflect any changes you've made elsewhere in the document -- they do not dynamically update by themselves. Normally, this means going to each field, right-clicking on it and selecting "Update Field". 

Alternatively, to update all fields throughout your document (Figure/Table numbers & Lists, cross-references, Table of Contents, etc...), just select "Print". This will cause Word to update everything in anticipation of printing. Once the print preview window appears, just cancel.

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Insert a table of contents

A table of contents in Word is based on the headings in your document.

Create the table of contents

Put your cursor where you want to add the table of contents.

Go to References > Table of Contents . and choose an automatic style.

If you make changes to your document that affect the table of contents, update the table of contents by right-clicking the table of contents and choosing Update Field .

To update your table of contents manually, see Update a table of contents .

If you have missing entries

Missing entries often happen because headings aren't formatted as headings.

For each heading that you want in the table of contents, select the heading text.

Go to Home > Styles , and then choose Heading 1 .

Update your table of contents.

Word uses the headings in your document to build an automatic table of contents that can be updated when you change the heading text, sequence, or level.

Click where you want to insert the table of contents – usually near the beginning of a document.

Click References > Table of Contents and then choose an Automatic Table of Contents style from the list.

Note:  If you use a Manual Table of Contents style, Word won't use your headings to create a table of contents and won't be able to update it automatically. Instead, Word will use placeholder text to create the look of a table of contents so you can manually type each entry into the table of contents. To update your manual table of contents, see Update a table of contents .

If you want to Format or customize your table of contents , you can. For example, you can change the font, the number of heading levels, and whether to show dotted lines between entries and page numbers.

Click where you want to insert the table of contents—usually near the beginning of the document.

On the toolbar ribbon, select References . 

Near the left end, select Insert Table of Contents . (Or select Table of Contents > Insert Table of Contents . 

The table of contents is inserted, showing the headings and page numbering in your document.

If you make changes to your document that affect the table of contents, you can update it by right-clicking the table and selecting  Update Table of Contents .

Get the learning guide

For a hands-on guide that steps you through the process of creating a table of contents, download our Table of Contents tutorial . Or, in desktop Word, go to File > New , and search for table of contents .

Update a table of contents  

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Using a table of contents in your document makes it easier for the reader to navigate. You can insert a table of contents in Word from the headings used in your document, and then you can update it after making changes to the document. Here's how to do it.

Regardless of the size of your document, using a table of contents can direct the reader to exactly where they need to be. In addition to making the document more reader-friendly, a table of contents also makes it easier for the author to go back and add or remove content if necessary.

By default, Word generates a table of contents using the first three built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3). To apply heading styles, select the particular style from the "Home" tab. If you're not happy with the types of heading styles available, you can change the default heading style .

You can manage this in two different ways. You can either apply the heading styles to each section after you've finished the document, or you can add them as you go.

Once you've applied your heading styles, it's time to insert your table of contents. The first thing you need to do is put the cursor where you want the table of contents to appear. Once ready, head over to the "References" tab and select "Table of Contents."

A drop-down menu will appear. Here, you can choose between the three different built-in tables.

The only difference between Automatic Table 1 and 2 is the title, which is "Contents" and "Table of Contents," respectively. Selecting either Automatic Table 1 or 2 will create the table of contents using the names of the headings.

If you chose the "Manual Table" option from the "Table of Contents" drop-down menu, then it will insert a template for you that you will need to edit yourself.

You may notice in this table of contents that there are sub-levels. Each level represents a heading style in your document. So if you use the automatic table and you want sub-levels in your ToC, you will need to use heading 1 for level 1, heading 2 for level 2, and heading 3 for level 3.

If you want your table of contents to go deeper than the top three heading styles, you can do that, too. On the dropdown menu when you click the "Table of Contents" button, choose the "Custom Table of Contents" option.

In the Table of Contents window that opens, click the "Options" button.

In the Table of Contents Options window, next to each available style you want to use (these are Word's built-in styles starting with Heading 4), type the TOC level you wish to use. Click "OK" when you're done.

If you ever need to add or remove a section from your document, you can easily update the table of contents to reflect those changes. To update your table of contents, select it, click "Update Table" on the pop-up menu that appears, and then choose whether you want to update only the page numbers or the entire table. Click "OK" to apply the changes.

Your table of contents will now be updated. This is very useful when you want to add or remove a heading from the table of contents.

Removing the table of contents is simple. All you need to do is select it and then click the arrow on the menu that appears.

At the bottom of the drop-down menu, select "Remove Table of Contents."

Your table of contents will now be removed from your document.

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How to create a table of contents for a dissertation (apa), published by steve tippins on june 20, 2022 june 20, 2022.

Last Updated on: 7th June 2024, 05:08 am

APA Dissertation Table of Contents Format Guidelines

• The table of contents should be double spaced with one-inch margins on all sides. 
• It should be written in the same font and size as the rest of your dissertation.  
• At the top of the page, write Table of Contents , centered and in bold.
• Although in the body of the paper you can use up to five levels of headings, up to three levels are usually provided in the Table of Contents. Including lower-level headings is optional. 
• Indent each subheading five spaces. 
• Write all text in title case. In title case, the first letter of major words is capitalized.
• Provide the page number where the main headings and subheadings begin, and provide dotted lines between the heading and the page number.
• Page numbers for the Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface should be in lower case Roman Numbers (i, v, x, l, c, d and m.). The page numbers for the rest of the text should be in Arabic numerals (1,2, 3, 4, etc.).

How to Write a Dissertation Table of Contents in APA Using Microsoft Word

Step 1. Instead of manually trying to write and format the table of contents, you can create a generated one using Microsoft Word. To do this, first go to the Home tab. This is where you will choose the styles for the table of contents. 

Step 2. The top-level headings will be your chapter titles, so on the right side of the tab, apply the Heading 1 style. 

Step 3. The second-level headings will be your subheadings, so apply the Heading 2 style. This will place your subheadings underneath your main headings.

Step 4. You will now produce page links to your document. In the top ribbon, click on the References tab and select Table of Contents . 

Step 5. If the style does not indicate APA, such as the one below, use the drop down arrow to select APA. 

Step 6. Next, choose the number of levels that you want. In this case, you want to be able to have up to three levels, so choose Automatic Table 2 , which has the appropriate heading for a dissertation. 

Step 7. Click ok , and you are all set. Microsoft word will automatically generate your dissertation’s table of contents as you write it.

List of Tables and Figures

Your list of tables and figures will be written at the end of the list of information in the body of your paper. You will create these lists the same way that you created the main table of contents. 

However, the headings will be different. 

Instead of the heading “Table of Contents,” the headings will be “List of Tables” and “List of Figures.” (An example is provided in the table of contents example below.)

Sample of a Dissertation Table of Contents

In the example below, there are three level headings. The list of tables and figures are provided at the bottom of the other contents. The sections in your table of contents may be different depending on your college’s requirements. 

Updating the Dissertation Table of Contents

As you continue working on your dissertation, you will need to update the page numbers because they may change. 

To update the page numbers, right-click on the table of contents in your document and select the Update field . Then, the Update Table of Contents box will appear. 

You can choose to Update page numbers only or all the information in the table of contents by clicking on Update entire table . 

Note: For more information, refer to the APA Manual 7 th edition , sections 2.2-2.27.

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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​​It is rare for student papers to utilize a table of contents or list of tables/figures. However, documents that follow the  Saybrook Handbook of Format and Style (2020)  will need to include a table of contents and, in some cases, may also require a list of tables and/or figures.

Creating a Table of Contents

To generate a table of contents in Microsoft Word, use the following instructions.

• Make sure all headings that should appear in the table of contents are tagged with the appropriate style. For instructions, see our page  The Styles Pane ​.
• Place the cursor on the page where the table of contents should be.
• Click the References tab.
• Click the “Table of Contents" button. On the drop-down menu, select “Custom Table of Contents."
• Make sure the number of levels to be displayed is correct, according to how many heading levels are present in the document.
• Click “Modify." The new dialogue box lists each table of contents (TOC) level. TOC 1 corresponds to Heading 1, and so forth. Make sure each TOC level matches APA or  Saybrook Handbook of Format & Style  requirements by clicking TOC 1 so that it is blue, clicking “Modify," and adjusting the preset formatting rules as needed. Click “Okay." Repeat this process for each TOC level needed. When all formatting has been adjusted, click “Okay." The table of contents should be generated wherever the cursor is.

Anything that is tagged with a Heading style will be pulled into the table of contents and formatted there according to the TOC formatting input.

If a video walkthrough is beneficial, check out Microsoft 365's video “ How to add a table of contents in Microsoft Word ." This video presents the basic instructions for generating a table of contents. Additionally, check out Microsoft's webpage “ Format or customize a table of contents " for more details on how to make modifications to the table.

Updating the Entire Table of Contents: During the writing and revision process, headings may be added, deleted, or edited in the body of the paper. Rather than typing in new headings or editing headings in the table of contents manually, the table of contents can be automatically updated to match the document.

• Right-click anywhere over the table of contents.
• Select “Update Field."
• Select “Update entire table," then click “Okay."

Updating Page Numbers in the Table of Contents: Headings may shift to different pages during revision. The page numbers of a table of contents generated in Microsoft Word can be automatically updated.

• Right-click over the page numbers.
• Select “Update page numbers only," then click “Okay." 

Creating A List of Tables/Figures

Some longer works (e.g., dissertations) that use tables and/or figures must have a corresponding list of tables and/or figures. See ​ Formatting Tables & Figures ​ for more information about what lists of tables and/or figures are, what documents require them, and how they should be formatted.

The video  How to Insert a List of Tables or Figures in Word  from the Research Masterminds YouTube channel provides a thorough explanation of how to insert a list of tables or figures into your Word document. Watch the video or use the following instructions to insert a list of tables/figures.

• Highlight the name of the first table or figure (such as “Table 1").
• On the References tab, select “Insert Caption."
• In the window that pops up, make sure the Label is set to the correct type, either “Table" or “Figure." Click “Okay." This usually changes the font of the table/figure name so that it is formatted incorrectly.
• Edit the font of the table/figure name so that it is formatted correctly.
• Then, highlight the corrected font, go to the Home tab, and in “Styles," find the S​​tyle box marked “Caption."
• Right-click “Caption" and select “Update Caption to Match Selection." This will keep Microsoft Word from changing the font formatting of any other table/figure names that still need to be captioned.
• Proceed with captioning the rest of the tables/figures in order, following the steps given, with the exception of steps 4, 5, and 6, as there should be no need to edit font formatting.

Once all tables/figures are captioned, the list is ready to be generated.

• Put the cursor in the spot where the list of tables/figures should appear.
• Open the References tab and click “Insert Table of Figures."
• Under, “General," make sure the proper Caption label is selected, “Tables" or “Figures" depending on which list is being generated.
• The layout of the list can be modified by selecting “Modify," “Modify," and then updating formatting settings as needed.
• Click “Okay" to generate the list of tables/figures.
• If a second list is needed, insert a page break and follow the same instructions to generate the next list. ​
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How to Create the Best Table of Contents for a Dissertation

Published by Owen Ingram at August 12th, 2021 , Revised On September 20, 2023

“A table of contents is an essential part of any article, book, proceedings, essay , and paper with plenty of information. It requires providing the reader’s guidance about the position of the content.”

When preparing a  dissertation , you may cram as much information into it as appropriate. The dissertation may be an extremely well-written one with a lot of valuable information to offer. Still, all that information could become perplexing if the reader cannot easily find the information.

The length of dissertations usually varies from a few pages to a few hundred pages, making it very difficult to find information that you may be after.

Instead of skimming through every page of the dissertation, there is a need for a guideline that directs the reader to the correct section of the dissertation and, more importantly, the correct page in the section.

Also read:   The List of Figures and Tables in the Dissertation .

What is the Table of Contents in the Dissertation?

The table of contents is the section of a dissertation that guides each section of the dissertation paper’s contents.

Depending on the detail level in a table of contents, the most useful headings are listed to provide the reader concerning which page the said information may be found.

The table of contents is essentially a list found at the beginning of a  dissertation , which contains names of the chapters, section titles and/or very brief descriptions, and page numbers indicated for each.

This allows the reader to look at the table of contents to locate the information needed from the dissertation. Having an effective table of contents is key to providing a seamless reading experience to the reader.

Here in this article, we will uncover every piece of information you need to know to write the dissertation’s abstract.

This article helps the readers on how to create the best table of contents for the dissertation. An important thing to note is that this guide discusses creating a table of contents in Microsoft Word.

Looking for dissertation help?

Researchprospect to the rescue then.

We have expert writers on our team who are skilled at helping students with dissertations across a variety of disciplines. Guaranteeing 100% satisfaction!

Styles for Dissertation Table of Contents

Making an effective table of contents starts with identifying headings and designating styles to those headings.

Using heading styles to format your headings can save a lot of time by automatically converting their formatting to the defined style and serves as a tool to identify the heading and its level, used later when creating a thesis table of contents .

Each heading style already has predefined sizes, fonts, colours, spacing, etc. but can be changed as per the user’s requirements. This also helps once all headings have been created and you intend to change the style of a certain type of heading.

All that is needed to change the style of a type of heading is automatically reflected on all headings that use the style.

Below is how the styles menu looks like;

To allocate a style to a heading, first select a heading and then click on one of the styles in the ‘Styles’ menu. Doing so converts the selected heading to the style that is selected in the Styles menu.

You can style a similar heading level in the same style by selecting each heading and then clicking on the style in the Style menu.

It is important to note that it greatly helps and saves time if you allocate styles systematically, i.e., you allocate the style as you write.

The styles are not limited to headings only but can be used for paragraphs and by selecting the whole paragraph and applying a style to it.

Changing Appearance of Pre-Defined Styles

To change the appearance of a style to one that suits you,

• You would need to right-click on one of the styles to open a drop-down menu.

• Select ‘Modify’ from the menu. This would display a window with various formatting and appearance options. You can select the most appropriate ones and click ‘OK.’ The change that you made to the style reflects on all headings or paragraphs that use this style.

Further changes can be made to headings, but using styles is an important step for creating the table of contents for the thesis. Once this step is completed, you can continue to create a thesis table of contents.

Also Read:  What is Appendix in Dissertation?

Things to Consider when Making APA Style Table of Contents

• The pages before the body of the dissertation, known as the ‘Prefatory Pages,’ should not have page numbers on them but should be numbered in the Roman Numerals instead as (i, ii, iii…).
• Table of Contents and the Abstract pages are not to contain any numbers.
• The remaining pages would carry the standard page numbers (1,2,3…).
• The section titles and page numbers in the dissertation table of contents should have dotted lines between them.
• All the Prefatory pages, Sections, Chapter Titles, Headings, Sub Headings, Reference Sections, and Appendices should be listed in the contents’ thesis table. If there are a limited number of Tables or Figures, they may be listed in the dissertation’s table contents.
• If there are many figures, tables, symbols, or abbreviations, a List of Tables, List of Figures , List of Symbols, and List of Abbreviations should be made for easy navigation. These lists, however, should not be listed in the thesis table of contents.
• The thesis/dissertation must be divided into sections even if it is not divided into chapters, with all sections being listed in the table of contents for the thesis.

Generating Dissertation Table of Contents

First, to generate the Table of Contents, start by entering a blank page after the pages you need the table of contents to follow.

• To do so, click on the bottom of the page you want before the Table of Contents.
• Open the ‘Insert’ tab and select ‘Page Break’.
• This will create a page between the top and bottom sections of the Table of Contents area.

By the time you reach this section, you would have given each heading or sub-heading a dedicated style, distinguishing between different types of headings. Microsoft Word can automatically generate a Table of Contents, but the document, particularly the headings, needs to be formatted according to styles for this feature to work. You can assign different headings levels, different styles for Microsoft Word to recognize the level of heading.

How to Insert Table of Contents

• Place the cursor where you want to place the Table of Contents on the page you added earlier.
• On the ‘References’ tab, open the Table of Contents group. This would open a list of different Table of Contents designs and a  table of contents sample.

• You can select an option from the available Table of Contents or make a Custom Table of Contents. Although the available Table of Contents samples is appropriate, you may use a custom table of contents if it is more suitable to your needs. This allows you to modify different formatting options for the Table of Contents to satisfy your own

Updating the Table of Contents

As you proceed with editing your dissertation, the changes cause the page numbers and headings to vary. Often, people fail to incorporate those changes into the Table of Contents, which then effectively serves as an incorrect table and causes confusion.

It is thus important to update the changes into the table of contents as the final step once you have made all the necessary changes in the dissertation and are ready to print it.

These changes may alter the length of the  thesis table of contents , which may also cause the dissertation’s formatting to be altered a little, so it is best to reformat it after updating the table of contents.

To update the table of contents,

• Select ‘Update Table’ in the References tab.
• This would open a dialogue box. Select ‘Update Entire Table’ to ensure that all changes are reflected in the contents table and not just the page numbers. This would display all changes and additions you have made to the document (Anon., 2017).

Using this guide, you should understand how to create the best table of contents for the dissertation. The use of a Table of Contents, while being important for most written work, is even more critical for dissertations, especially when the proper methodology of creating the table of contents is followed.

This includes the guidelines that must be considered to correctly format the table of contents so that it may be shaped so that it follows the norms and is effective at helping the reader navigate through the content of the dissertation.

The use of Microsoft Word’s Table of Contents generation feature has greatly helped people worldwide create, edit, and update the table of contents of their dissertations with ease.

Here in this article, we will uncover every piece of information you need to know  how to write the dissertation’s abstract .

Are you in need of help with dissertation writing? At ResearchProspect, we have hundreds of Master’s and PhD qualified writers for all academic subjects, so you can get help with any aspect of your dissertation project. You can place your order for a proposal ,  full dissertation paper , or  individual chapters .

Is it essential to add a table of content to the dissertation?

Yes, it is important to add a table of content in a dissertation .

How to make an effective table of contents for the dissertation?

Using heading styles to format your headings can save a lot of time by automatically converting their formatting to the defined style and serves as a tool to identify the heading and its level, used later when creating a thesis table of contents.

How do I update the table of contents?

You may also like.

Learn how to write a good declaration page for your thesis with the help of our step-by-step comprehensive guide. Read now.

Anyone who supports you in your research should be acknowledged in dissertation acknowledgments. Learn more on how to write dissertation acknowledgements.

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Lists of tables and figures

Just like the table of contents, Microsoft Word can be used to automatically generate both a list of tables and a list of figures. Automatic generation of these lists has the same advantages as automatically generating the table of contents:

• You don't have to manually type the list of tables or the list of figures
• You don't have to go back and edit the lists if any of the figures or tables changes pages. A couple of clicks and Word will automatically update the list of tables or the list of figures for you.

Below is a tutorial demonstrating how to create the list of tables and the list of figures.

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Setting the Normal Style

Set the "normal" style of font.

Before we can set up headings, we'll need to define the format of the text that  isn't  a heading. The "styles" in word set some default formatting for text. Setting up the "Normal" style will create a default font setting to keep the text uniform throughout the document. The Styles pane is located under the HOME tab.

Right click on the "Normal" style to open the Modify option.

This will open a Modify Style Dialog Box. Start by changing the Paragraph formatting. This is located by selecting the Format drop down in the bottom left of the Dialog Box.

There are two things that should be set under the Paragraph settings. Under the INDENTS AND SPACING tab, check to turn on "Don't add space between paragraphs of the same style." Under the LINE AND PAGE BREAKS tab, check to turn on the "Widow/Orphan Control."

Once both of those have been set and you click "okay," you'll be returned to the Modify Style Dialog Box. Now we can set the font formatting. Select the font you wish to use throughout the document, change the font size to 12 point, ensure the line spacing is double spaced, and select the option to remove space between paragraphs (this is indicated by two lines pointing towards each other).

Adding Headings & Subheadings

Inserting headings and subheadings.

Using the same technique we can create a standard for the various types of headings and subheadings used across the thesis. The Thesis & Dissertation Manual generally follows APA style for heading levels. In order to keep headings consistently correct and link the Table of Contents, the Styles function in Word is used. This is going to show you some examples of the formatting required for the headings and how to use the various heading levels. We'll also see how to use styles and update your Table of Contents. 

Modifying Heading Levels to Match Required Formatting

Level 1 headings.

Chapters will be linked to Heading Level 1. If you choose not to have chapters, you will use level 1 for your major headings (typically: Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, etc.). They should be typed in title case, center aligned, and bold. The number of the chapter can be in Arabic or Roman numerals or spelled out so long as it is consistently done throughout the document. The heading should be on one line, so if you are using chapters, it should look something like this:

Chapter 1: Introduction

Once you have formatted a chapter heading, select the text of the chapter heading then right click on Heading 1 in the Styles pane and select "Update Heading 1 to Match Selection." 

Adding More Level 1 Headings

Once you have formatted the first heading and updated the style, you simply need to type the new level 1 heading in title case and then, with your cursor in line with the heading, click on the heading 1 button in the styles pane to format it and link it for your table of contents. Make sure to use this feature every time to ensure all headings are properly linked to your table of contents.

Level 2 Headings

Subsections of your major headings should be the next level down. Level 2 headings will be left aligned, bold, and title case. They should look like this:

Level 2 Heading

Once you have formatted a level 2 heading, select the text of the heading then right click on Heading 2 in the Styles pane and select "Update Heading 2 to Match Selection." 

Adding More Level 2 Headings

Once you have formatted the first heading and updated the style, you simply need to type the new level 2 heading in title case and then, with your cursor in line with the heading, click on the heading 2 button in the styles pane to format it and link it for your table of contents. Make sure to use this feature every time to ensure all headings are properly linked to your table of contents.

Level 3 Headings

If you wish to further subsection your paper, you will use level 3 headings. Level 3 headings will be bold italic, left aligned, and title case. They should look like this:

Level Three Heading

Once you have formatted a level 3 heading, select the text of the heading then right click on Heading 3 in the Styles pane and select "Update Heading 3 to Match Selection." 

Adding More Level 3 Headings

Once you have formatted the first heading and updated the style, you simply need to type the new level 3 heading in title case and then, with your cursor in line with the heading, click on the heading 3 button in the styles pane to format it and link it for your table of contents. Make sure to use this feature every time to ensure all headings are properly linked to your table of contents.

Level 4 & 5 Headings (and beyond)

It is common to find the first 3 heading levels in papers that are as long as a thesis or dissertation. Occasionally, you may find the need to go beyond those levels. It is important to note that for the thesis and dissertation, only the first 3 headings should be included in the table of contents. It is also recommended that you only use the styles function for the first 3 headings because they stand alone on their own line of text. The next heading levels will begin on the same line as the paragraph that starts that section which means that the style function will not work properly. If you were to link the heading, the entire paragraph will appear in your table of contents.

This means that you will need to, carefully, ensure you are formatting the headings manually. Each level should be consistently formatted the same way. APA has standards for levels 4 & 5 which are described here. For heading levels beyond level 5, you should pick a consistent formatting that clearly indicates they are a subsection of the level 5 heading. It is also recommended that you carefully evaluate if this level of heading is truly necessary for your writing.

Level 4 Heading

Level 4 headings will begin on the same line of the paragraph that makes up the section. It will be indented 0.5", much like a normal paragraph indent. The heading will be in title case and bold font with a period at the end of the heading:

            Level Four Heading Here.  Start the first sentence of the paragraph that follows the heading on the same line and continue typing. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc at pellentesque massa. Sed nec urna nec est efficitur iaculis. Etiam efficitur velit id dignissim eleifend. Duis euismod, nisi sed cursus sodales, sem nisi porttitor ante, eu dignissim justo tortor nec mauris.

Level 5 Heading

Level 5 headings will begin on the same line of the paragraph that makes up the section. It will be indented 0.5", much like a normal paragraph indent. The heading will be in title case and bold italic font with a period at the end of the heading:

            Level Five Heading Here.   Start the first sentence of the paragraph that follows the heading on the same line and continue typing. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc at pellentesque massa. Sed nec urna nec est efficitur iaculis. Etiam efficitur velit id dignissim eleifend. Duis euismod, nisi sed cursus sodales, sem nisi porttitor ante, eu dignissim justo tortor nec mauris.

Table of Contents

Once you have added headings and used the styles feature, you will be able to use the word function to "generate" a table of contents. You will need to type "Table of Contents" in bold font, centered at the top of the page you will be inserting your table of contents onto. Then, place your cursor on the next line

From the References tab, click on Table of Contents and select Custom Table of Contents...

From the pop up window, you will want to change the tab leaders to (none) rather than the default. The rest of the default settings will be fine, so click ok once you've done so.

This will populate your table of contents.

From here, you will need to open the style pane to modify some of the formatting of the table of contents.

You will need to locate TOC 1 and click on it, and select "modify" from the drop down list.

TOC 1 style should be bold. If you've properly set up your "normal style" of font (see above), this should be the only modification to your TOC styles that you need to make. If the text is not properly set up and you need to further format it, you can do so from this window.

If set up correctly, your table of contents should look like the image below.

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How to Create a Table of Contents for Dissertation, Thesis or Paper & Examples

Table of contents

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A dissertation table of contents is a list of the chapters and sections included in a dissertation or thesis, along with their page numbers. It helps to navigate the document easily and locate specific information. Each chapter or section should be listed with its corresponding page number. The table of contents should be formatted according to the guidelines of the specific style guide being used, such as APA or MLA.

We would guess that students usually start working on the table of contents at the last minute. It is quite apparent and makes sense, as this is the list of chapters and sections with page locations. Do you think it's easy? 

From our experience, it can be quite tricky to organize everything according to APA, Chicago, or any other academic writing style. In this blog, we will discuss how to write a table of contents for a research paper , thesis or dissertation in Microsoft Word. We will create it together to guide students through the process. 

Also, here you will find examples of table of contents created by thesis writers at StudyCrumb . Let’s go!

What Is a Table of Contents: Definition

It is obvious that the table of contents (TOC) is an essential manuscript part you can’t skip. If you are dealing with a dissertation, thesis or research paper, you need to know how to build it in accordance with academic guidance. This is a detailed roadmap for your work and outlined structure you can follow for a research presentation. 

In case you are working on an essay or report, you may not include the table of contents, as it is a short academic text. But for the research paper, thesis or dissertation, table of contents is essential and required. It is possible to say the same about any Master’s project. It should be located between the dissertation abstract and introduction chapter. In most cases, it is about 2-3 pages long. 

Our expert dissertation writing service prepared a great template that can be used for your work. Make your research formatting easy with ready solutions!

Types of Table of Contents

How to choose which table of contents will fit your research paper, thesis, dissertation, or report best? Make a decision based on your work length. Some academic writing styles, such as APA paper format or MLA style , have specific formatting for this list. 

However, we will outline the most commonly used typology:

• Single-level table of contents. At this type, we use only chapters. For instance, you will have an Introduction, Literature Review, methodology, and other chapters with page numbers. It can be used for shorter research work. For long writing forms like manuscripts, it can be too broad, and you will need to go into details.
• Subdivided table of contents. The most frequently used form to organize the contents table. It will include not only chapters but also sections — a level 2 subheading for each part. It will help to be more specific about what to expect in each part of your research work.
• Table of contents with multiple levels. This is a more divided structure, including subheadings with a level 3 for each section. Quite often, those subheadings can be rewritten or deleted during the last editing. It is essential to keep them in the right order.

Before you decide which type will work best for you, let us share with you some examples of each formatting style.

Example of Table of Contents With a Single Level

Introduction: The Misinformation Roots ………..…… 3 Literature Review .....................................….....………… 10 Research Methodology and Design ……................. 24 Results.............................................................................. 28 Discussion ....................................................................... 32

Sometimes, you will need to put an extra emphasis on subsections. Check this layout to see how your subheadings can be organized.

Example of Table of Contents Page with Subdivided Levels

Introduction: Information War ............……………….. 3       Background…………………………………….………..…… 4       Current State ……………………………………...…...…… 5       Defining Research Questions………………………. 9 Literature Review………………………...……………..……... 11       The Roots of Information Warfare ………....… 11        Information Wars …………………………….………..… 14        Cyber Wars Research ........................................ 17

If you are working on a lengthy, complex paper, this outline will suit your project most. It will help readers navigate through your document by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable sections.

Multi-Level Table of Contents Page Example

Introduction……………………………………………….......……….… 3       Emergence of Climate Change ………..……....….….. 3       Key Activist Groups in Climate Change .............. 5              Greenpeace International ………..…………......... 9              European Climate Foundation …….……………. 10              WWF ……………………………………….……….............. 11        Significant Movements ……………….………....……… 13 Literature Review ……………………………………......…………. 15

What Sections Should Be Included in a Table of Contents?

To start with, the scientific table of contents should include all chapters and its subheading. It is important to choose the formatting that will give your readers a full overview of your work from the very beginning. However, there are other chapters that you may miss constructing the 2-pager table. So, let's look at all you need to include:

• Dissertation introduction
• Literature review
• Research methodology
• Results section
• Dissertation discussion
• Conclusion of a thesis
• Reference list. Mention a number of a page where you start listing your sources.
• Appendices. For instance, if you have a data set, table or figure, include it in your research appendix .

This is how the ideal structured dissertation or research paper table of contents will look like. Remember that it still should take 2 pages. You need to choose the best formatting style to manage its length.

Tables, Figures, and Appendices in TOC

While creating a table of contents in a research paper, thesis or dissertation, you will need to include appendices in each case you have them. However, the formatting and adding tables and figures can vary based on the number and citation style. If you have more than 3 tables or figures, you may decide to have all of them at the end of your project. So, add them to the table of contents. 

Figures, graphics, and diagrams in research papers, dissertations and theses should be numbered. If you use them from another source, ensure that you make a proper citation based on the chosen style guide.

Appendix in Table of Contents Example

Appendix A. Row Data Set…………………………………… 41 Appendix B. IBR Data………………………………………….… 43 Appendix C. SPSS Data………………………………………… 44

What Shouldn't Be Included in a Table of Contents?

When creating a dissertation table of contents, students want to include everything they have in a document. However, some components should not be on this page. Here is what we are talking about:

• Thesis acknowledgement
• Paper abstract
• The content list itself

Acknowledgement and abstract should be located before the content list, so there is no need to add them. You need to present a clear structure that will help your readers to navigate through the work and quickly find any requested information.

How to Create a Table of Contents for a Research Paper or Dissertation In Word?

It may look like working with this list can take a long. But we have one proposal for our users. Instead of writing a table of contents manually, create it automatically in Microsoft Word. You do not need any specific tech knowledge to do this. Let’s go through this process step-by-step and explain how to make a table of contents for a research paper or dissertation in a few clicks.

• Open Home tab and choose the style for your table of contents (ToC next).
• Apply heading 1 to your chapters, heading 2 to the subheading, and if needed heading 3 to the level 3 heading.
• Next, you are going to create a research paper or PhD dissertation table of contents. Open References and choose ToC.
• Choose the citation style for your work. For example, let’s choose APL for now. Meeting all style requirements (bold font, title formatting, numbers) is essential.
• Define the number of levels for your dissertation or thesis table of contents. In case you want to have 3 levels, choose Automatic Table 2.
• You are done! Click ok, and here is your page with listed chapters!

You see how easy it can be! Every time you make changes to your text or headings, it will be automatic.

Updating Your Table of Contents in MS Word

Table of contents of a research paper or dissertation is created, and you continue to edit your work until submission. It is common practice, and with MS Word, you can automate all the updates. 

Let’s outline this process in our step-by-step guide!

• Right-click on your ToC in a document.
• Update field section is next.
• Choose “update ToC."
• Here, you can update your entire ToC — choose an option that works the best for you!

As you may see, working with automated solutions is much easier when you write a dissertation which has manifold subsections. That is why it is better to learn how to work on MS Word with the content list meaning be able to manage it effectively.

Table of Contents Examples

From our experience, students used to think that the content list was quite a complicated part of the work. Even with automated solutions, you must be clear about what to include and how to organize formatting. To solve the problem and answer all your questions, use our research paper or dissertation contents page example. Our paper writers designed a sample table of contents to illustrate the best practices and various styles in formatting the work. 

Check our samples to find advanced options for organizing your own list.

Example of Table of Contents in Research Paper

As you can see, this contents page includes sections with different levels.

Thesis/Dissertation Table of Contents Example

Have a question about your specific case? Check samples first, as we are sure you can get almost all the answers in our guides and sample sets. 

>> Read more: APA Format Table of Contents

Tips on Creating a Table of Contents

To finalize all that we shared on creating the table of contents page, let’s go through our tips list. We outline the best advice to help you with a dissertation table of contents.

• Use automated solutions for creating a list of chapters for your report, research papers, or dissertations — it will save you time in the future.
• Be clear with the formatting style you use for the research.
• Choose the best level type of list based on the paper length.
• Update a list after making changes to the text.
• Check the page list before submitting the work.

Bottom Line on Making Table of Contents for Dissertations/ Papers

To summarize, working with a research paper, thesis or dissertation table of contents can be challenging. This article outlines how to create a table of contents in Word and how to update it appropriately. You can learn what to include in the content list, how long it can be, and where to locate it. Write your work using more than one table of contents sample we prepared for students. It is often easy to check how the same list was made for other dissertations before finalizing yours. We encourage you to learn how to create a list with pages automatically and update it. It will definitely make your academic life easier.

Not sure if your work 's quality level is enough for getting a top-notch result? We’ve got you covered! Our team of skilled academic writers is always ready to help once you ask “ write my dissertation for me !" Just select your writer, send them your requirements and get a custom study tailored to your instructions.

Joe Eckel is an expert on Dissertations writing. He makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.

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What’s Included: The Dissertation Template

If you’re preparing to write your dissertation, thesis or research project, our free dissertation template is the perfect starting point. In the template, we cover every section step by step, with clear, straightforward explanations and examples .

The template’s structure is based on the tried and trusted best-practice format for formal academic research projects such as dissertations and theses. The template structure reflects the overall research process, ensuring your dissertation or thesis will have a smooth, logical flow from chapter to chapter.

The dissertation template covers the following core sections:

• The title page/cover page
• Abstract (sometimes also called the executive summary)
• Table of contents
• List of figures /list of tables
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (also available: in-depth introduction template )
• Chapter 2: Literature review  (also available: in-depth LR template )
• Chapter 3: Methodology (also available: in-depth methodology template )
• Chapter 4: Research findings /results (also available: results template )
• Chapter 5: Discussion /analysis of findings (also available: discussion template )
• Chapter 6: Conclusion (also available: in-depth conclusion template )
• Reference list

Each section is explained in plain, straightforward language , followed by an overview of the key elements that you need to cover within each section. We’ve also included practical examples to help you understand exactly what’s required in each section.

The cleanly-formatted Google Doc can be downloaded as a fully editable MS Word Document (DOCX format), so you can use it as-is or convert it to LaTeX.

FAQs: Dissertation Template

What format is the template (doc, pdf, ppt, etc.).

The dissertation template is provided as a Google Doc. You can download it in MS Word format or make a copy to your Google Drive. You’re also welcome to convert it to whatever format works best for you, such as LaTeX or PDF.

What types of dissertations/theses can this template be used for?

The template follows the standard best-practice structure for formal academic research projects such as dissertations or theses, so it is suitable for the vast majority of degrees, particularly those within the sciences.

Some universities may have some additional requirements, but these are typically minor, with the core structure remaining the same. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to double-check your university’s requirements before you finalise your structure.

Will this work for a research paper?

A research paper follows a similar format, but there are a few differences. You can find our research paper template here .

Is this template for an undergrad, Masters or PhD-level thesis?

This template can be used for a dissertation, thesis or research project at any level of study. It may be slight overkill for an undergraduate-level study, but it certainly won’t be missing anything.

How long should my dissertation/thesis be?

This depends entirely on your university’s specific requirements, so it’s best to check with them. As a general ballpark, Masters-level projects are usually 15,000 – 20,000 words in length, while Doctoral-level projects are often in excess of 60,000 words.

What about the research proposal?

If you’re still working on your research proposal, we’ve got a template for that here .

We’ve also got loads of proposal-related guides and videos over on the Grad Coach blog .

How do I write a literature review?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack how to write a literature review from scratch. You can check out the literature review section of the blog here.

How do I create a research methodology?

We have a wealth of free resources on the Grad Coach Blog that unpack research methodology, both qualitative and quantitative. You can check out the methodology section of the blog here.

Can I share this dissertation template with my friends/colleagues?

Yes, you’re welcome to share this template. If you want to post about it on your blog or social media, all we ask is that you reference this page as your source.

Can Grad Coach help me with my dissertation/thesis?

Within the template, you’ll find plain-language explanations of each section, which should give you a fair amount of guidance. However, you’re also welcome to consider our dissertation and thesis coaching services .

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• Knowledge Base

Tables in your dissertation

Published on November 2, 2016 by Kirsten Dingemanse . Revised on January 31, 2020.

Dissertations and theses often include tables. One advantage of tables is that they allow you to present data in a clear and concise manner without having to provide a lengthy explanation in the text. This is particularly helpful in sections such as your results chapter.

Table of contents

Step 1. decide where to insert a table, step 2. create your table, example of a table in apa style, step 3. assign your table a number and title, step 4. clarify your table with a note (optional), step 5. cite the table within the text, where should you add a table.

Tables are often included in the main body of a dissertation, so that readers can view them straight away. In this case, place the table immediately above or below the paragraph in which you introduce or refer to it.

If you are not allowed to include tables within your main text or your tables are very long, you can instead put them in an appendix to your dissertation. However, bear in mind that doing so might make your text less readable, as readers will always have to turn to an appendix . It’s thus better to include at least key tables in the main document.

Be careful. Never directly import tables from a statistical analysis program such as SPSS, as these tables provide too much detailed information. For instance, if you just want to report the results of a t-test from SPSS, your table likely does not need to include figures related to the standard mean error.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

All word processing programs include an option to create a table. For example, in Word’s top menu bar you can either click on the “Table” tab or select Insert -> Table -> New.

To keep your tables consistent, it’s important that you use the same formatting throughout your dissertation. For example, make sure that you always use the same line spacing (e.g., single vs. double), that the data is aligned the same way (namely center, left or right) and that your column and row headings always reflect the same style same (for example, bold).

If you are using Word, you can also opt to use one of the program’s pre-set table styles. Doing so will ensure that all of the tables throughout your dissertation have the same formatting. You can apply one of these styles by selecting the table and then selecting one of the preformatted “Table Styles.”

For examples of tables in MLA format , check our guide here .

Once you have decided where to incorporate a table, assign it a number (which should then be noted at the top of the table). Different numbering schemes can be used, but the easiest is to just use Table 1, Table 2 and so forth. Numbers will allow you to easily refer to the correct table within the text.

You can also set a table up so that Word automatically assigns it a number. We recommend that you do this, as it will ensure that your table numbers are always correct. For instance, if you add a new table in the middle of your dissertation, Word will automatically adjust the table numbers throughout the rest of the document. Using this Word feature also makes it easy to generate a list of tables .

Automatically numbering tables

To use automatic numbering, click on the tab ‘Reference’ and select ‘Insert Caption’.

Titling tables

It is important that you always give each table a title. If you use automatic table numbering, a table’s title will automatically be noted after its number.

A table title should be clear and comprehensive enough that it does not need to be explained in the text. Readers should be able to understand what a table contains solely on the basis of its title.

Make sure you also follow any title specifications that either your academic program or the citation style you are using dictates. For instance, in APA Style it is customary to put a table’s title under its number.

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A note can be used for information that helps to clarify the data in a table. For example, you can specify p-values, define abbreviations or explain further details related to a particular row or column. If you don’t have anything special to convey (and the table is your own creation), you don’t need to include a note.

Table from another source

If you have taken a table from another source, it’s mandatory that you explain this in a note. However, how this should be done varies by citation style . Below we explain how you should handle a table from another source according to the APA Style .

The APA Style specifies that you should write “Reprinted from” or “Adapted from” followed by the title and complete source information of the book or article that you have taken the table from.

It is important that you always refer to your table in the text. This helps readers to understand why the table is included and ensures that you don’t have any “free-floating” tables in your dissertation. All tables should have a clear function.

When citing a table in your running text, mention the table’s number instead of using phrases such as “the table below” (which can create confusion for your readers).

A numbered table in the main document

The table below shows that…

Table 1 shows that…

When referring to a table in an appendix, include both the table number and the appendix number.

A numbered table in the appendix

Table 2 (see Appendix 1) shows that…

There is evidence that… (see Table 2, Appendix 1)

Cross-references

If you automate the numbering of your tables, you can choose to apply cross-references. This feature creates links in your text that lead directly to the corresponding table when clicked. The advantage of this is that the numbering is always correct.

In Word, cross-referencing can be activated by selecting Insert ->  Cross-Reference from the top menu bar. From there set the “Reference type” to “Table” and “Insert reference to” to whatever you wish to include (for example, the entire caption or only the table’s name and number). Then select the table to which you want to link and click “Insert”.

Checklist: Tables

Each table has a number.

Each table has a clear, descriptive title.

All tables are consistently formatted according to my style guide or department’s requirements.

The content of each table is clearly understandable in its own right.

I have referred to each table in the main text.

I have correctly cited the source of any tables reproduced or adapted from other authors.

Your tables look great! Use the other checklists to improve your thesis or dissertation.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Dingemanse, K. (2020, January 31). Tables in your dissertation. Scribbr. Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/tips/tables-in-your-dissertation/

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Make WordPress Core

The WordPress core Core Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. development team builds WordPress! Follow this site for general updates, status reports, and the occasional code debate. There’s lots of ways to contribute:

• Found a bug bug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. ? Create a ticket in the bug tracker.
• Want to contribute? Get started quickly with tickets marked as good first bugs for new contributors or join a bug scrub . There’s more on the reports page , like patches needing testing , and on feature projects page .
• Other questions? Here is a detailed handbook for contributors , complete with tutorials.

Communication

Core uses Slack  for real-time communication. Contributors live all over the world, so there are discussions happening at all hours of the day.

Core development meetings are every Wednesday at 20:00 UTC in the #core channel on Slack . Anyone can join and participate or listen in!

Updates to the HTML API in 6.6

WordPress 6.6 includes a helpful maintenance release to the HTML HTML HyperText Markup Language. The semantic scripting language primarily used for outputting content in web browsers. API API An API or Application Programming Interface is a software intermediary that allows programs to interact with each other and share data in limited, clearly defined ways. . Included in this work are a few new features and a major improvement to the usability of the HTML Processor. This continues paced development since WordPress 6.5 .

Table of Contents

An idealized view of an html document., an optimized class for looking up string tokens and their associated mappings., a spec-compliant text decoder..

This may be surprising, but PHP PHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher leaves us hanging if we want to properly read the text content of an HTML document. The html_entity_decode() and htmlspecialchars_decode() functions work somewhat well for pure XML documents, but HTML contains more complicated rules for decoding, rules which change depending on whether the text is found inside an attribute value or normal text. These functions default to XML and HTML4 parsing rules and require manually setting the ENT_HTML5 flag on every invocation (for example, HTML5 redefined two of HTML4’s character references ), but are still wrong in many cases.

Luckily you shouldn’t need to know about or call the new decoder, developed in Core-61072 . It fits into get_modified_text() , further improving the HTML API’s implementation without requiring you to change any of your existing code. With WordPress 6.6 your existing code becomes more reliable for free.

One part of this change you might want to know about is WP_HTML_Decoder::attribute_starts_with() . This new method takes a plaintext prefix and a raw attribute value and indicates if the decoded value starts with the given prefix. This can be invaluable for efficiently detecting strings at the start of an attribute, as some attributes can be extremely large, and if not careful, naive parsers can overlook content hidden behind long slides of zeros.

In the case of extremely long attribute values (for example, when pasting content from cloud document editors which send images as data URIs), the attribute_starts_with() can avoid megabytes of memory overhead and return much quicker than when calling functions which entirely decode the attribute value.

The new text decoder will mostly help ensure that the HTML API remains safe and reliable. There are complicated rules in parsing HTML, so as always, it’s best to leave the low-level work to the HTML API, preferring to call functions like get_attribute() and get_modified_text() directly instead of parsing raw text segments.

The Tag Processor was initially designed to jump from tag tag A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses tags to store a single snapshot of a version (3.6, 3.6.1, etc.), the common convention of tags in version control systems. (Not to be confused with post tags.) to tag, then it was refactored to allow scanning every kind of syntax token in an HTML document. Likewise, the HTML Processor was initially designed to jump from tag to tag, all the while also acknowledging the complex HTML parsing rules. These rules largely exist in the form of a stack machine that tracks which elements are currently open. While the HTML Processor has always maintained this stack, it has never exposed it to calling code.

In WordPress 6.6 the HTML Processor underwent a major internal refactor to report those stack events (when an element opens and when an element closes) rather than when it finds raw text that represents things like tag openers and tag closers. This is a really big change for calling code! Previously, the HTML Processor would track all elements, but only return when a tag or token appeared in an HTML document. For instance, it always knew that <p><p> represents two sibling P elements, but it only presented each opening P tag to calling code. Now, the HTML processor is going to present not only the tags and tokens that exist in the raw HTML text, but also the “virtual nodes” that are implied but not textually present.

Let’s compare the output in WordPress 6.5 against the output in WordPress 6.6.

HTML Processor in WordPress 6.5

HTML Processor in WordPress 6.6

With the HTML API in WordPress 6.6, it’s possible to treat an HTML document in the idealized way we often think about it: where every tag has an appropriate corresponding closing tag in the right place, and no tags overlap. In WordPress 6.5, only the opening tags which appeared in the document return from next_tag() , and the </h3> closing tag appears as an H3 closing tag, even though the HTML specification indicates that it closes the already-open H1 element. In WordPress 6.6, every opening tag gets its closer, and the </h3> appears as if it were an </h1> . This is because the HTML Processor is exposing the document structure instead of the raw text.

Two new methods make working with HTML even easier:

• WP_HTML_Processor->get_current_depth() returns the depth into the HTML structure where the current node is found.
• WP_HTML_Processor->expects_closer() indicates if the opened node expects a closing tag or if it will close automatically when proceeding to the next token in the document. For example, text nodes and HTML comments and void elements never expect a closer.

With the help of these methods it’s possible to trivially detect when an element opens and closes, because the HTML Processor guarantees a “perfect” view of the structure.

As part of the text decoder work the WP_Token_Map was introduced. This is a handy and efficient utility class for mapping between keys or tokens and their replacements. It’s also handy for efficient set membership; for example, to determine if a given username is found within a set of known usernames.

Read more in the Token Map announcement .

• The HTML Processor will now return the depth of the current node in the stack of open elements with get_current_depth() . [ 58191 ]
• The HTML Processor now includes expects_closer() to indicate the currently-matched node expect a closing token. For example, no HTML void element expects a closer, no text node expects a closer, and none of the elements treated specially in the HTML API as atomic elements (such as SCRIPT , STYLE , TITLE , or TEXTAREA ) expect a closer. [ 58192 ]
• The WP_HTML_Decoder class can take a raw HTML attribute or text value and decode it, assuming that the source and destination are UTF-8. The HTML API now uses this instead of html_entity_decode() for more reliable parsing of HTML text content. [ 58281 ]
• The HTML Processor now visits all real and virtual nodes, not only those which are also present in the text of the HTML, but those which are implied by what’s there or not there. [ 58304 ]
• Funky-comments whose contents are only a single character are now properly recognized. Previously the parser would get off track in these situations, consuming text until the next > after the funky comment. [ 58040 ]
• The HTML Processor now respects the class_name argument if passed to next_tag() . Formerly it was overlooking this constraint. [ 58190 ]
• The Tag Processor was incorrectly tracking the position of the last character in some tokens, internally and when bookmarking. While this bug bug A bug is an error or unexpected result. Performance improvements, code optimization, and are considered enhancements, not defects. After feature freeze, only bugs are dealt with, with regressions (adverse changes from the previous version) being the highest priority. did not affect the operation of the Tag Processor, it has been fixed so that future code which might rely upon it will work properly. [ 58233 ]
• When subclassing WP_HTML_Processor the ::create_fragment() method will return the subclass instance instead of a WP_HTML_Processor instance. [ 58365 ]

Props to @ gziolo , @ jonsurrell , @ juanmaguitar , and @ westonruter for reviewing this post and providing helpful feedback.

# 6-6 , # dev-note , # dev-notes , # dev-notes-6-6 , # html-api

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