The table of contents is a crucial component for both paper materials and online documents. It serves as a valuable tool for navigating and organizing information. In this comprehensive guide by SwifDoo PDF, we will delve into what a table of contents is, exploring its main elements and providing instructions on its creation.
What Is Table of Contents
A table of contents is a navigation tool that provides readers with an overview of writing and helps them quickly locate specific content. It often appears at the beginning of a document as a list. In daily reading, you may find a table of contents headed Contents or abbreviated informally as TOC.
For writers or document generators, a table of contents will help them better organize their work and avoid leaving key points behind.
What Should Be Included in a Table of Contents
A well-formatted table of contents will make your document look more professional. Generally, it should contain the following elements:
- Headings and Subheadings: A table of contents should include the titles of all the major sections and chapters in a document. This will help readers understand the structure and content of your file.
- Page Numbers: By including the page numbers for corresponding sections or chapters, readers can quickly jump to the section that they are interested in.
- Figures and tables: For documents that include figures or tables, it’s necessary to make a separate list of figures and tables in the table of contents. By doing so, readers can easily find needed figures and tables. This is necessary for research papers, scientific reports, technical manuals, etc.
How to Make a Table of Contents
Most word processing applications can automatically generate a table of contents based on a document's structure and formatting. The specific steps vary depending on the program you use. For instance, in Microsoft Word, simply click “Reference > Table of Contents”, and select an automatic template you prefer.
If you want to create a table of contents for PDF files, you need a PDF editor. SwifDoo PDF will be handy in this case.
You can extract the existing table of contents in one click with the “Extract TOC” feature.
To create a table of contents from scratch, you can resort to its “Bookmark” feature: simply navigate to the section that you want to include in the TOC and click the "Add Bookmarks" button. You can use the “Ctrl +B” shortcut key to bring up the bookmark window.
After creating a TOC, you can add or remove entries, change the order of entries, and format it.