How To Format The Table Of Contents Of A Doctoral Dissertation

The table of contents for a doctoral dissertation may vary depending on guidelines. When completing your project you can review this information with your instructor. Your instructor may want specific details to be mentioned and they may want it to appear on certain areas of the page. There are examples pages you can review online to give an idea of what your table of contents can look like. Here is basic insight on how to complete this task for your project.

Follow Formatting Guidelines for Your Dissertation

The table of contents for your paper may be a little different than examples you find online. Your guidelines help you review information that is expected to be a part of your contents. Your instructor may want you to include specific details and have them appear differently on the page. You may have variations in spacing, margins and how the contents itself will be presented before the rest of your project. This is a good time to review special features in your word processing program that will help you achieve desired results.

Find Sample Projects to Get an Idea How to Format Your Own

You can find a number of example projects and get an idea how your table of contents can be done. There are a few things to consider when formatting your content. Using a sample projects gives an idea how to do your own. Your instructor may provide tips on where to find this content. Most table of contents will feature each section included in the project. The difference may show if you are required to follow a specific formatting style or have different sections included or omitted in the contents section.

Pay Attention to Details that Contribute to Formatting Style

How is the structure and organization expected for your table of contents? Each section detailed in your project will appear on its own line. You may page numbers next to each section. This information may be justified to the left or right side of the page. You may need to make changes to margins and line spaces. For example, this page may require a one inch margin on all sides. Depending on how many sections you have their may be one line space between each. The title of the page (table of contents) may be centered with or without boldface font.