How to Create Table of Contents

We bring to you a short tutorial video on how to create Table of Contents. Enjoy! :)

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(CONT...) Use a Custom Style to Annotate a Word TOC

Add More

With the style in place, mapped and modified, you can add as many annotations to the TOC as you need. Simply select the statement in the text, apply the TOC Summary style, and then update the TOC. For example :

1. Select the first sentence in the Quick Themes section and then click TOC Summary in the Quick Styles Gallery to apply the style shown as Figure 10.

Figure 10

2. Select TOC.

3. Right-click and choose Update Field.

4. Choose Update Entire Table in the resulting dialog shown as Figure 11.

Figure 11

5. Click OK and Word adds the new summary statement to the TOC, Figure 12.

Figure 12

(CONT...) Use a Custom Style to Annotate a Word TOC

Change the Format

Earlier, when we created the new style, we did not change the format. However, you can modify the summary statement’s format at the TOC level. This next step might seem a bit confusing. But remember, we are modifying the TOC’s fourth-level style, not the Normal styled text within the body of the document.

To modify the format for the style mapped to the TOC’s fourth level (TOC Summary), do the following :

1. Select the TOC and open the Styles pane (click the More button on the gallery).

2. Select TOC 4 (the TOC’s fourth level) and choose Modify from the drop down list in Figure 7.

Figure 7

 3. Use the Modify Style dialog to make the changes you want. Example show on Figure 8.

Figure 8

4. Click OK. Figure 9 shows the updated TOC.

Figure 9

(CONT...) Use A Custom Style To Annotate A Word TOC

Map the new style

With the new style in place, you are ready to map that style to the TOC. Doing so is simple, but the process might be unfamiliar to you.

1. Click the References tab and choose Custom Table of Contents.

2. In the resulting dialog, click Options. Currently, three styles are mapped to the TOC (figure 4). Heading 1 is the first level , Heading 2 is the second level, and Heading 3 is the third level.

Figure 4

3. To add a fourth level, scroll down until you expose the TOC Summary style and enter the value 4 (figure 5).

Figure 5

4. Click OK twice and then click Yes to confirm the TOC update. Figure 6 shows the new TOC with the summary statement.

Figure 6

At this point, you could apply the TOC Summary style to more text, but you do not have to. Once the two above steps are completed, you can add and remove annotated text at any time.

Use A Custom Style To Annotate A Word TOC

You can enhance a table of contents by generating summary information for specific sections. Adding a simple table of contents (TOC) to word is easy, but the basic list pf sections and page numbers would not always be adequate. For instance, you might want to add a short summary statement to a few section in the TOC.

I will show how to define and then apply a custom style that can map to our TOC for this purpose.

Adding an annotation to the TOC is a three step process :

1. Create a custom style for the summarizing text and apply the style appropriately.

2. Map the custom style to the TOC.

3. Generate the TOC.

After mapping the custom style to a specific TOC level, Word copies that styled content into the TOC at the specified level (that will make more sense) when you generate or update the TOC. You can modify the formatting of the summarizing text at the TOC level without changing its formatting within the body of the document.

 Generate the TOC

To get started, we need to generate a simple TOC similar to the one shown in Figure 1. Word creates a TOC using styled text (using one of the built in heading styles). You can update the TOC by changing a style or modifying a style’s attributed.  

Figure 1

The example document uses three heading styles : Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3. To generate the TOC, position the cursor, click the References tab , click Table of Contents in the Table of Contents group , and choose an option form the resulting gallery.

Create the style

You will need a custom style for the summarizing statement. To create this style, highlight one instance of the text you want to include in the TOC and do the following :

1. Open the Styles gallery and choose Create A Style (Figure 2). Word will highlight the style of the selected text in the Styles pane.

Figure 2

2. In the resulting dialog, give the style a name, such as TOC Summary (Figure 3). We do not want to modify the original attributed so do not click Modify. We are creating a duplicate style named TOC Summary.

Figure 3

3. Click OK.

The selected text does not look any different. We do not want it to. However, it now has two styles ;Normal and TOC Summary.

You can create the custom style without selecting any text, but the above route combines two tasks, so it is more efficient. We now have a custom style and some styled text using the new style.

Troubleshooting the Table of Contents

The table of contents updates automatically as you work on the document. Occasionally, your table of contents may misbehave. Here are a couple of fixes for TOC updating problems:

1. If you find that the fields aren’t updated when you view your document, try using the F9 key to update the document fields.

2. If the fields don't update when you print the document, check your print options. Click Tools and select Options. Open the Print tab and then select Update fields in the Print Options section. Click OK.

Appendices in Table of Contents (Part 2)

To make sure it appears in the Table of Contents, it needs to be given the proper priority. If you’ve based your style on Heading 1, it should already show up in the table of contents when you refresh it. If it doesn’t, follow these instructions.

1. In the References ribbon, choose Table of Contents, then choose Custom Table of Contents (or Insert Table of Contents in Word 2010).

2. Click on the Options button.

3. Your Appendix Heading style should show up in the Available Styles list. Assign it to TOC level 1. As soon as you put the number in, a checkmark should appear next to the style.

That solves our issue with the general label of Appendices appearing the table of contents, but now we need to create a style so that we are able to generate a list of the individual appendices.

1. Follow the above steps to create a new style, but this time, give it a title of Appendix Subheadings. Again adjust the font, size, spacing, etc. accordingly.

2. Make sure this new style is based on Normal.

3. Apply this style to each of your individual Appendix Names. 

 Now we just need to generate a list based on this style.

1. Put your cursor where you want the list of Appendices to appear

2. Go to the References Ribbon, click to expand the Table of Contents menu, and select Insert Table of Contents.

3. Under the Table of Contents tab select Options.

4. Delete all other priorities leaving only Appendix Subheadings with a priority of 1.

Click Ok and when Word asks “would you like to replace the selected table of contents” select No. This way, you have your main table of contents, and now a second table that just has the appendices listed in them.

Appendices in Table of Content (Part 1)

An important thing to remember when dealing with appendices is the fact that the start of the Appendices must be included in the Table on Contents while each individual appendix cannot be included. Therefore we can create a new style for the general label of Appendices.

To create a new style for the Appendices heading:

1. In the Home ribbon, expand the list of styles with the More button on the bottom right-hand corner of the box containing the style options. 

1. With the Appendices heading selected, choose Save Selection as a New Quick Style (or Create a Style in Word 2013).

2. Give it the name Appendix Heading and click Modify.

3. In the Style based on dropdown menu, choose Heading 1.

Delete the Table of Contents

How to delete the table of contents?

1. On the References tab, in the Table of Contents group, click Table of Contents.

2. Click Remove Table of Contents.

Update the Table of Contents

If you added or removed headings or other table of contents entries in your document, you can quickly update the table of contents.

1. On the References tab, in the Table of Contents group, click Update Table.

2. Click Update page numbers only or Update entire table.

Change the Layout Table of Contents

When you create table of contents, you can modify the way it looks. You can select how many heading level to include and whether to show dotted line between entries and the page numbers. You can also change the formatting of the text.

1. On the References tab, click Table of Contents >Custom table of contents.

1. Make a changes in the TOC dialog box. You will see what they look like in the print preview.

ØTo add a dot leader between each entry and its page number, click Tab leader list and then click the dotted line. You can also choose a another leader or remove leader entirely.

ØTo change the overall appearance of TOC, click the formats list and then click format that you want.

ØTo change the number of levels displayed in TOC, click show levels and then click number of level that you want.

3. Click OK

Use Hyperlinks In the Table of Contents

When you automatically create a table of contents in Word, hyperlinks are also created that link the headings in the table of contents to the headings in your document. To follow the link, just hold the Ctrl key and click on the heading in the table of contents.

If pressing Ctrl seems like an extra step, you can make it so you can follow the links with just a click.

1. Click File > Options.

2. In the Word Options dialog box, click Advanced.

3. Under Editing options, deselect Use CTRL + Click to follow hyperlink.

The Benefits of the Table of Contents

Your Table Of Contents can appear on its own page, or it can just take up a few lines on the top of the first page of your document. Either way, a Table Of Contents offers at least six benefits to the authors and recipients of technical documents. Specifically, a well-planned TOC can help:

1. Make a good impression.

A document with a table of contents has a more professional appearance than a document without one.

2. Arrange your material.

When you're creating or editing a document, a Table Of Contents helps outline and organize your thoughts so you don't leave out anything important.

3. Manage reader expectations.

The Table Of Contents gives readers a high-level view of the content in the document. The author can use the Table Of Contents to set the tone and the framework for the document.

4. Provide a road map.

Readers need familiar points of reference for quickly locating important information. The Table Of Contents page numbers help when users thumb through a hard copy. When viewing a soft copy of the Word document, users can enjoy Web-style navigation by clicking on an item in the Table Of Content.

We will show you how to use Web-style navigation.

a. To open the Navigation pane, press Ctrl+F, or click View > Navigation Pane.

            

b. In the Navigation pane, click the Headings tab.

To go to a heading in your document, click that heading in the Navigation pane.

5. Make the document easier to discuss.

Have you ever been in a meeting reviewing a document and the copy that was distributed didn't have page numbers, much less a table of contents? Set the standard for documents that require group discussions, and include a Table Of Contents in your key documents.

6. Complement your training outline.

When writing how-to manuals or documentation to be used as a handout in technical training, one of my favorite tricks is to use my training outline as the entries in the table of contents. The Table Of Content acts as an executive summary or cheat sheet for the content of the document.

How to Create Table of Contents

Adding a table of contents to a long document such as report or a formal paper is nice touch to help readers find information. Word make it easy to create a table of contents for formal papers or longer documents. They give printed documents look sorted and add ebook like navigation to onscreen documents.

We will show you on  How to Create a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word 2013 step-by-step.

1. Mark a tittles in your document by highlighting them and then clicking to apply one of the Heading styles listed in the Styles section of the Home tab. Apply the Heading 1 style to these main tittles. They will appear in your table of contents as the main chapter titles.

 

2. Find the subordinate sections within each primary chapter, and apply the Heading 2 style to these sections. If you have subordinate lessons within these secondary sections, you can select those titles and apply the Heading 3 style to them.

 

3. Click the Table of Contents button in the Table of Contents button on the References tab.

 

4. Select one of the Automatic table of content styles listed or created a custom table of contents.

5. To create a custom table of contents, select the Custom TOC command from the button’s drop down menu to open the TOC dialog box and display the TOC tab where you can customize the style and appearance of the table of contents.

6. Use Print Preview section to see how your TOC will print.

Example of Table of Contents

Example with leaders:

Chapter 1: Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

   Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

   Next Steps  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Example without leaders:

Chapter 1: Getting Started   1

   Introduction   2

   Next Steps   3

Example with authors:

1. Introduction to Biology  Arthur C. Smith   1

2. Microbiology  Susan Jones   10

3. Advances in Biotechnology  T.C. Chang   24

Example with descriptive text:

Chapter 1                                           3

   In which we first meet our hero and heroine, attend

   a gala feast, and begin an unexpected journey.

Chapter 2                                          12

   The journey takes an unusual turn, and new villains

    are discovered.