table of contents example for thesis

George, T. (2023, January 04). Dissertation Table of Contents in Word | Instructions & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/dissertation/table-of-contents/

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Thesis/Dissertation Formatting

All sections listed at the left beginning with Approval are listed in the table of contents. The table of contents is double-spaced.

Recommendation : create the table of contents AFTER creating content and labeling headings. See Content/Chapters for more information on headings. Use the page break function to insert a blank page if needed; do not use the Enter key multiple times. Then put your cursor at the top of the page to start the table of contents.

Setting up the table of contents for your thesis/dissertation in Microsoft Word takes some time initially, but it has many automated benefits after it is configured. Follow these instructions .

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Table of Contents/Lists Pages Templates

Table of contents template (DOC)

This Microsoft Word document can be saved to your computer to use as a template. It was created using Microsoft Office 2013 version of Word. Please email [email protected] if you have problems with the download.

Thesis and Dissertation Guide

Introduction

Copyright Page

Dedication, acknowledgements, preface (optional), table of contents.

List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

List of Abbreviations

List of symbols.

I. Order and Components

Please see the sample thesis or dissertation pages throughout and at the end of this document for illustrations. The following order is required for components of your thesis or dissertation:

Many of the components following the title and copyright pages have required headings and formatting guidelines, which are described in the following sections.

Please consult the Sample Pages to compare your document to the requirements. A Checklist is provided to assist you in ensuring your thesis or dissertation meets all formatting guidelines.

The title page of a thesis or dissertation must include the following information:

Title Page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Notes on this statement:

Include a copyright page with the following information single-spaced and centered 2″ above the bottom of the page:

Copyright Page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

This page immediately follows the title page. It should be numbered with the lower case Roman numeral ii centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Inclusion of this page offers you, as the author, additional protection against copyright infringement as it eliminates any question of authorship and copyright ownership. You do not need to file for copyright in order to include this statement in your thesis or dissertation. However, filing for copyright can offer other protections.

See Section IV for more information on copyrighting your thesis or dissertation.

Include an abstract page following these guidelines:

Abstract page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Please write and proofread your abstract carefully. When possible, avoid including symbols or foreign words in your abstract, as they cannot be indexed or searched. Avoid mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other illustrative materials in the abstract. Offer a brief description of your thesis or dissertation and a concise summary of its conclusions. Be sure to describe the subject and focus of your work with clear details and avoid including lengthy explanations or opinions.

Your title and abstract will be used by search engines to help potential audiences locate your work, so clarity will help to draw the attention of your targeted readers.

You have an option to include a dedication, acknowledgements, or preface. If you choose to include any or all of these elements, give each its own page(s).

Dedication page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

A dedication is a message from the author prefixed to a work in tribute to a person, group, or cause. Most dedications are short statements of tribute beginning with “To…” such as “To my family”.

Acknowledgements are the author's statement of gratitude to and recognition of the people and institutions that helped the author's research and writing.

A preface is a statement of the author's reasons for undertaking the work and other personal comments that are not directly germane to the materials presented in other sections of the thesis or dissertation. These reasons tend to be of a personal nature.

Any of the pages must be prepared following these guidelines:

Include a table of contents following these guidelines:

Table of Contents page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

If applicable, include a list of tables, list of figures, and/or list of illustrations following these guidelines:

Lists of Figures page with mesaurements described in surrounding text

If you use abbreviations extensively in your thesis or dissertation, you must include a list of abbreviations and their corresponding definitions following these guidelines:

List of Abbreviations with mesaurements described in surrounding text

If you use symbols in your thesis or dissertation, you may combine them with your abbreviations, titling the section “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS”, or you may set up a separate list of symbols and their definitions by following the formatting instructions above for abbreviations. The heading you choose must be in all capital letters and centered 1″ below the top of the page.

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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: 20th June 2022, 11:22 am

APA Dissertation Table of Contents Format Guidelines

How to Create an APA Table of Contents 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.

screenshot of formatting a heading in Microsoft word

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.

screenshot of table of content formatting in microsoft word

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.)

Example of 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.

screenshot of APA Dissertation Table of Contents formatting

Updating the 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 .

screenshot of updating page numbers in microsoft word

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

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Example for Table of Contents

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Inhaltsverzeichnis

Definition

A table of contents example will help structure a long academic manuscript and a table of contents page is necessary for academic submission. The table of contents contains an organised listing of your manuscript’s chapters and sections with clearly marked (and accurate) page numbers. The aim of the table of contents is to allow the reader to flip easily to the section they require and to get a feel of your argument’s structure.

What comes first, table of contents or abstract?

If you are writing an academic paper, you have to take the order of your paper into account. Usually, the first sections of your thesis are the title page, cover page, acknowledgements and the abstract . After these pages, you place the table of contents. Be sure to check that all of the page numbers in your table of contents are correct.

What variations of table of content examples exist?

The table of contents can be displayed in the following formats:

You will find further details about what needs to be included inside of the table of contents on our blog.

Are references included in table of contents?

Yes. The references are included in the table of contents. You add them in as you would any other section of your thesis. Simply write the section in the table of contents with the corresponding page number. However, the acknowledgement for thesis and the abstract are usually not included in the table of contents. However, check with your institution as this could be dependent upon the formatting that you’re required to follow.

How can I make a table of contents in Microsoft Word?

On Microsoft Word, you will find the function to create a table of contents under the ‘references’ tab. Click on the tab and select ‘table of contents’. You can use one that has been designed by Microsoft Word, or you can create a custom one by yourself. Scroll down for a full tutorial on Microsoft Word and creating a table of contents.

Examples for Your Thesis

Below, you will find different examples for table of contents, including a

We will also show you with an example how the table of contents for a bachelor’s thesis could look like, as well as for a master’s thesis.

Advice for creating a good table of contents: A good table of contents must be easy to read and formatted accurately, containing quick reference pages for all figures and illustrations. A table of contents example will help you structure your own thesis, but remember to make it relevant to your discipline. Table of contents example structures can be created for different disciplines, such as social sciences, humanities and engineering.

The type and length of a table of contents example will depend on the manuscript. Some thesis’ are short, containing just several chapters, whilst others (like a PhD thesis) are as lengthy as a book. This length will dictate the amount of detail that goes into forming a table of contents example page and the amount of “levels” (or subdivisions) in each chapter.

Single Level Table of Contents Example

For shorter documents, a single level table of contents example can be used. This is a short and succinct table of contents example which utilises only single-level entries on sections or chapters. Remember, you’ll need to include properly formatted dots to lead the reader’s eye to the page number on the far right. The following table of contents example explores this basic structure:

Subdivided Table of Contents E xample

A subdivided table of contents example is required for more lengthy papers, offering a subdivision of chapters and sections within chapters. These are more detailed and are recommended for higher-level dissertations like masters or PhD thesis’ (as well as some more detailed bachelor’s dissertations).

When formating subdivided table of contents example, ensure that chapters are listed in bold font and that subsections are not. It’s common (though not necessary) to denote each subsection by a number (1.1, etc.). You’ll also want to indent the subsections so that they can be read easily. The following table of contents example explores this structure:

Table of Contents Example Subdivided table

Multi-level Table of Contents E xample

Adding additional levels to your table of contents is known as a multi-level table of contents example. These would be numbered onwards at 1.1.1, etc. Be aware that although you want to guide your reader through your manuscript, you should only highlight important areas of your manuscript, like sections and sub-sections, rather than random areas or thoughts in your manuscript. Creating too many levels will make your table of contents unnecessarily busy and too complex.

Academic Table of Contents

All of the above can be used as an academic table of contents example. Often, each separate heading in an academic work needs to be both numbered and labelled in accordance with your preferred reference style (consult your department). The following table of contents example sections will illustrate a table of contents example for a bachelor thesis and a table of contents example for a master thesis.

Table of Contents Example: Bachelor’s Thesis

A bachelor’s degree thesis has no set word or page limit nationwide and will depend entirely on your university or department’s guidelines. However, you can expect a thesis under 60 pages of length at between 10,000 – 15,000 words. As such, you won’t be expected to produce a long and detailed table of contents example with multiple levels and subsections. This is because your main body is more limited in terms of word count. At most, you may find yourself using a subdivided table of contents similar to the table of contents example above.

A bachelor’s thesis table of contents example may be structured like so:

Table of Contents Example Bachelor Thesis

This table of contents example may change depending on your discipline and thesis structure, but note that a single-level structure will often suffice. Subdivided structures like the table of contents example listed earlier will only be necessary when writing several chapters, like in a Master’s thesis.

Master’s Thesis Examples

A master’s table of contents example is more complex than a bachelor’s thesis. This is because they average at about 80 pages with up to 40,000 words. Because this work is produced at a higher academic level, it normally includes a subdivision of chapters and subheadings, with a separate introduction and conclusion, as well as an abstract.

A table of contents example for a master’s thesis may then look something like this:

Microsoft Word Tutorial

Creating a table of contents page with Microsoft Word is simple.

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In a Nutshell

Discover more useful articles:

This article includes information about the title page with examples:

What is apa citation? We will give you some information:

Table of contents example Referencing Citation Styles

In this article we show you referencing & citation styles:

Table of contents example Research Topics

How to find a research topic for your bachelor's thesis:

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KU Thesis and Dissertation Formatting: Table of Contents

Office of Graduate Studies Thesis and Dissertation Formatting Guidelines

These rules are taken from the KU Office of Graduate Studies Thesis or Dissertation Formatting Guidelines. To see the full thesis or dissertation formatting requirements, visit https://graduate.ku.edu/submitting

Creating an Automated Table of Contents

Located in the Home tab, Word’s Style Gallery makes it easy to set consistent, one-click formatting for headings throughout your document. It is these style settings that Word uses to create an automatic table of contents. Using an automatic table of contents will save you the huge headache of dealing with dot leaders, spacing, and having to completely re-type your table of contents if the order of your pages changes even a little. Plus, styles are easy to use! Step-by-step how-to instructions are included below for setting heading styles and then inserting a table of contents in Word 2010, Word 2013 or Word 2011 for Mac.

Working with Outline Style (Numbered) Headings

Numbered headings can be very tricky and many citation styles do not require their use. If you are working with a style the does require it, however, Shauna Kelly's blog has some great help .

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Table of Contents Examples

The table of contents (TOC) is the roadmap to each portion of your writing. Whether you're writing a large essay or a potential bestseller , the table of contents will allow readers to locate specific information or revisit their favorite parts within the text. Depending on the nature of your writing, there are a few different formatting options for you to explore. Let's examine various table of contents examples.

TOC Examples

When might you be required to formulate a table of contents? The first is a formal essay for school, depending on the length of the work. For example, if you're writing an in-depth, multi-page essay or a master's thesis, a table of contents will add an air of professionalism to your writing. On the other hand, if this is a short, five-paragraph essay on the history of the Galapagos Islands, a table of contents will not be necessary.

Perhaps, when you graduate, you'll move on to write textbooks or novels. There, too, you'll want to include a table of contents at the start of your work. Think about it. How many times have we flipped open our textbooks and searched the table of contents for pertinent material? Likewise, when reading a fiction or non-fiction work, a table of contents allows readers to jump around to the sections that interest them the most.

Single Level TOC

If you're wondering how to write a table of contents, the first decision you have to make is a matter of depth. How detailed do you want (or need) to be? Will a broad chapter summation work? Or, will you want to offer various subsections, too?

Let's begin in the broadest sense. Here, we have a single level table of contents for individual sections of the work, or individual chapters. You'll want to include a series of dots to make it easier for the reader's eye to note the corresponding page number.

Table contents 1

Subdivided toc.

Given that the contents above covers an expansive array of information, you might want to break some of those sections into subsections. The formatting for that would be as follows:

Table contents 2

Multi-level toc.

Of course, you can continue to include as many subheadings as you need. If you go in-depth into the various types of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, then you can include each type as its own subheading.

Just note that, while the table of contents is meant to direct the readers, you only want to highlight the most important sections. Too many levels can make things unnecessarily complex, voiding the purpose of the table of contents. A multi-level table of contents would look something like:

Academic TOC

Let's look at a table of contents specific to academic writing . The above contents can work for academic writing or novel writing. Often, in academic writing, each heading is numbered and labeled. Of course, you'll want to check for samples based upon your instructor's preferred style of writing, like AP Style , MLA , or Chicago Manual of Style .

If you're submitting your paper electronically, you can even link each section to the appropriate page number, allowing readers to jump right to that section with a click of the mouse. As a rough estimation, a table of contents for an essay might look something like this:

Table contents 4

Toc summary.

A great table of contents comes in many shapes and sizes. While it depends on the length of the work (and the style guide you're bound to), there are a few common denominators to keep in mind. Here's a little checklist for you to run through when all is said and done.

The table of contents is the roadmap to each portion of your writing. Whether you're writing a large essay or a potential bestseller , the table of contents will allow readers to locate specific information or revisit their favorite parts within the text. Depending on the nature of your writing, there are a few different formatting options for you to explore. Let's examine various table of contents examples.

Total Table Dominance

Creating a table of contents is a matter of organization and precision. Remember, you worked hard to create an in-depth study on a certain topic. Allow readers to pinpoint certain components of your information with a flip of the page or a click of the mouse. For more on the mastery of academic writing, enjoy this in-depth study on the topic. If you're writing a book, move on and explore the other parts of a book .

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Example for Table of Contents
Master Thesis Table Of Contents Template Avery
Table contents example dissertation
Thesis Table Of Contents Tagalog
Example for Table of Contents
😎 Example of table of contents in research paper. Examples of table of contents for research

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How to place table of contents for thesis
Automatically creat List of Figures, List of Tables and List of Equations in Microsoft Words
Exegetical Synthesis and Thesis Statements

COMMENTS

Dissertation Table of Contents in Word
The table of contents is where you list the chapters and major sections of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, alongside their page
Table of Contents
All sections listed at the left beginning with Approval are listed in the table of contents. The table of contents is double-spaced.
Guides and Examples of Elements of Theses and Dissertations
THE TITLE PAGE IS NOT NUMBERED AND IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE TABLE OF CONTENTS! Matters of style should be based on disciplinary standards such as those
Table of Contents/Lists Pages Templates
Table of contents template (DOC) This Microsoft Word document can be saved to your computer to use as a template. It was created using Microsoft Office 2013
Order and Components
Include the heading “TABLE OF CONTENTS” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the top of the page. · Include one double-spaced line between the heading
How to Create a Table of Contents for a Dissertation (APA)
APA Dissertation Table of Contents Format Guidelines · The table of contents should be double spaced with one-inch margins on all sides. · It
Example for Table of Contents
This table of contents example may change depending on your discipline and thesis structure, but note that a single-level structure will often
KU Thesis and Dissertation Formatting: Table of Contents
KU Thesis and Dissertation Formatting: Table of Contents · Home · Formatting Specifics · Templates · Title and Acceptance Pages · Fonts and Spacing
Table of Contents Examples
For example, if you're writing an in-depth, multi-page essay or a master's thesis, a table of contents will add an air of professionalism to your writing.
Using Word's Table of Contents generator for your thesis
This video demonstrates how to use word's TOC generator to insert a table of contents for your thesis.