Writing Your Table of Contents

Overview

Flowchart showing this is the fourth item in the report's front matter: 1. Letter of Transmittal: Introduce the primary readers to the purpose and content. 2. Title Page: List the title, author, and date as well as the recipient. 3. Abstract: Provide a brief technical summary for readers familiar with the topic. 4. Table of Contents: List headings and sub-headings with page numbers or links. 5. Executive Summary: Summarize the background, findings, and implications for management. — The Sections of the Front Matter of the Recommendation Report

Create a Table of Contents so that readers can move directly to the information they want to read in your Recommendation Report. Include all headings and sub-headings in your Table of Contents.

Where You Can Find Help

From Markel & Selber, Chapter 18:
- The details on the Table of Contents, from p. 496–497:
  - “The table of contents, the most important guide to navigating the report, has two main functions: to help readers find the information they want and to help them understand the scope and organization of the report.”
  - “A table of contents uses the same headings as the report itself. Therefore, to create an effective table of contents, you must first make sure that the headings are clear and that you have provided enough of them. If the table of contents shows no entry for five or six pages, you probably need to partition that section of the report into additional subsections. In fact, some tables of contents have one entry, or even several, for every report page.”
- Example Table of Contents, on pp. 508 (part of the sample recommendation report in Figure 18.8).
LinkedIn Learning videos:
- “Create a table of contents in Word” (43s), from the Word Quick Tips course.
- “Add page numbers” (4m 17s), from the Word 2016: Creating Long Documents course.
- “Create a table of contents” (3m 58s), from the Google Docs: Formatting in Depth course.
- “Add page numbers” (1m 41s), from the Google Docs Essential Training course.

How You Do It

Complete and revise your entire report (the front matter, the body, and the back matter) before adding your Table of Contents. Otherwise you will have to update the Table of Contents every time the content changes to make sure it is accurate.
Review your draft to make sure your headings and subheadings are specific and accurate. Compare your information to the headings and sub-headings in the Example Table of Contents, on pp. 508 of the textbook. Make revisions as necessary.
Add page numbers to the report, using one of the LinkedIn Learning videos if you need documentation.
Scroll through the document to the location for your Table of Contents (after the Abstract, and before the Executive Summary).
Add the heading for your Table of Contents:
1. Add the phrase Table of Contents as the heading at the top of the page and center the line.
2. Format the word so that it is clearly the heading for the page. You can use the built-in headings in your word processor. See the Tech Tip on p. 55 for help.
3. Skip a blank line.
Use the tools built into your word processor to generate a Table of Contents. The LinkedIn Learning videos in the “Where You Can Find Help” section above demonstrate the process for Word and for Google Docs.
Review your Table of Contents, checking that it includes all of your headings and sub-headings. If anything is missing, make the necessary changes and regenerate your Table of Contents.