Table of Contents for Dissertation in 2024

Introduction

A dissertation could never begin with an introduction right off the bat. A table of contents in a dissertation template is imperative to guide your reader through the structure of your research.

The table of contents in a dissertation is a well-organized list of chapters, sections, and figures within your document, each heading corresponding to a page number. A good table of contents page should be accurate, simple to read, and well-formatted. The formatting of the table of contents is important to ensure a clean index that helps readers navigate your high-quality paper. It should generally be of two pages only.

Where should the Table of Contents be Placed?

Typically, within the template of a thesis or a dissertation, the table of contents is positioned prior to the introduction or the main body of chapters and right after the section devoted to acknowledgments.

How should a Table of Contents be Written?

A table of contents is written by listing out the titles or chapter names of sections within your research paper, in perfect chronological order. Subsequently, the subheadings or subtitles must also be included. Finally, the page numbers corresponding to each heading have to be placed in alignment with the headings.

Check with your university or other educational institution to determine if there are any formatting guidelines you must follow.

Generally speaking, three types of headings are included within the table of contents of a dissertation. Level one headings include the Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, and Bibliography. The subsections of these are considered level two headings while further subsections are level three headings.

What are the Components of the Table of Contents?

The title of the paper appears at the top of a table of contents, followed by the chapter names and subtitles, all listed in chronological order. The page number of the corresponding headings is positioned at the end of each line.

Appendices and Tables

All appendices should be included in your table of contents. The number of tables and figures in your dissertation will determine their inclusion within the table of contents.

In case your dissertation has more than three figures and tables, consider placing them on a different page to list them out. Otherwise, you may include them all in the table of contents.

Why is a Table of Contents Important at all?

A table of contents is extremely important for two reasons:

• First, it allows the reader to quickly locate information on specific subjects that have been organized as chapters or subtitles.
• Secondly, the table of contents assists the writer in organizing their work and arguments to ensure that significant portions of their dissertation or thesis are not overlooked.

Tips to Write a Table of Contents:

1. Among scholars and researchers who author dissertations or theses, it is a general practice to work on the table of contents after completing the main body of the study. Regardless, a mock table of contents may be added to the dissertation template early on in the writing process to develop a basic framework that will guide how you will carry out your research study.
2. Note that a confusing or sloppy table of contents may result in a low score or lack of academic integrity due to the lowered readability of the dissertation.
3. The structure of your table of contents will be determined by your academic field and the length of your thesis. Regardless of the discipline, you must develop an organized list of all chapters in their order of appearance, with chapter subheadings properly labeled.
4. Subheadings should not be listed for one chapter and then forgotten for the next. While subheadings are not always necessary, they may be considered useful when dealing with a complex subject.
5. The titles of chapters and subheadings must correspond to the titles of the relevant pages. For example, if your first chapter is titled “Chapter 1: An Introduction,” it must appear on both the table of contents and as a heading for the first chapter.

Where should a Table of Contents Page be Created?

You may create a manually generated table of contents page in Microsoft Word, but the automatic function will make your life much simpler.

What not to Include in a Table of Contents?

The table of contents generally does not include the sections devoted to acknowledgments, the abstract, or the index page itself. As the first two of these are positioned before the index page, the reader will have already viewed these pages before arriving at the table of contents.

Creating an Automatic Table of Contents on MS Word –

To draft an automatic table of contents on Microsoft Word, certain heading styles must be used consistently throughout the text.

After this has been carried out, proceed as follows:

1. Include a title on your contents page. Ensure that you use the standard structure for your citation style or the instructions provided by your university/department.
2. Place your cursor where you want your table of contents to appear.
3. Locate the Table of Contents option in the Reference tab of the ribbon.
4. Select Custom Table of Contents by clicking the arrow next to the Table of Contents icon. You can choose which levels of headers to include in the table of contents and make manual modifications to each level by clicking the Modify button.
5. When you are ready to input the table of contents, click OK, and it will be generated automatically.

How does One Set Headings?

To set heading styles, follow these steps:

1. Determine the type of formatting required for each heading level. For example, if all level one headings should be Times New Roman, 12 pt, and boldfaced, this style may be applied to the level one headings.
2. Find the Styles option on the home tab to automate this formatting for all level one headings.
3. Highlight the level one heading and then right-click the Heading 1 style.
4. To match the selection, choose Update Heading 1.

Highlight the headings in question and click the styles you wish to format. Then, apply the formatting to each heading in the main body of the dissertation.

The Table of Contents is Automatically Updated

We recommend students to format and update their table of contents at the very end, before submitting or printing out their dissertation, as the alignment and arrangement of text may alter throughout the final revision process. Table of contents formatting in a dissertation must ensure preciseness and accuracy of page numbers.

You may click on the Update option on the menu that appears when you right-click the table of contents, which will update the page numbers or all information within it. We hope that this brief guide of a table of contents within the template of a dissertation provides you with further guidance on how to draft and format your dissertation’s table of contents.

-Isabell S.