OmniDocHow to format the graduation thesis table of contents in a standardized way
Explain the standard setting of the graduation thesis table of contents: use the title style to divide the levels, let the table of contents automatically generate dotted lines and page numbers, number the table of contents pages and the main text in sections, and provide a verification method after the final draft.
Key points of this article
- The table of contents should be automatically generated based on the title style. The hand-typed table of contents is easily misaligned after modification and is difficult to check.
- The text titles are styled according to the first, second and third levels respectively, the levels are not skipped, and the numbering format is unified throughout the text.
- The table of contents and main text are divided into sections. The table of contents page uses Roman numerals, and the main text is page numbered starting from 1.
- After finalizing, update the table of contents as a whole, and then check whether the levels, page numbers, and dotted lines are complete item by item.
In the later stage of writing the graduation thesis, many students will get stuck on the table of contents: the chapter numbers do not match, the page numbers are one page different from the main text, and the table of contents can only be retyped by hand after one change. The school's formatting requirements usually state "clear hierarchy, accurate page numbers, and consistent with the text", but rarely explain how to achieve this.
This article only talks about the settings of the table of contents itself: how to determine the title level, how to arrange dotted line guides and page numbers, and how to separate the page numbers of the table of contents page and the main text. After reading, you should be able to generate a table of contents in Word that is ready for submission and quickly update it when the paper is changed.
There is only one core idea: the table of contents is not typed by hand, but automatically generated by Word based on the title style. As long as the text title uses the correct style, hierarchy, page numbers and dots can all be processed by the software.
How to format the thesis table of contents? One sentence conclusion
First use the title style to determine the structure, and then insert the automatic table of contents. This is the basis for standardizing the table of contents. Here’s what to do in different situations:
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| There are few chapters and only two or three levels. | Use the title style to set the first, second and third levels, and then insert the automatic table of contents | The structure is simple and the automatic catalog is accurate enough |
| There are many chapters and many third-level headings. | Each level of title has a fixed style, and the numbering format is unified throughout the text. | Once the hierarchy is confused, the entire directory will be misaligned. |
| Contents page and text page number requirements are different | The table of contents is divided into separate sections and the page number format is set separately. | Roman numerals are commonly used in catalogs, and the text starts with 1 |
| The school requires submission of PDF | Finalize, review and export PDF in Word | If modified before exporting, the page number and table of contents may change. |
| The instructor gave me a PDF file | Convert to Word file first and then typeset | The table of contents in PDF is usually fixed text and cannot be updated automatically. |
Before you start: Confirm these points first
Check the following items before starting to avoid rework.
- School Format Requirements: What levels of titles are included in the table of contents, whether acknowledgments and references are included in the table of contents, and where are the page numbers placed. Provisions in academic templates or style manuals take precedence over general practices in this article.
- Chapter numbering method: It is recommended that numbers such as "Chapter 1", "1.1" and "1.1.1" be generated by multi-level numbering in the title style instead of typing by hand one by one. Manual numbering is prone to errors when adjusting the order of chapters.
- Directory title style: The word "directory" itself cannot use title style, otherwise it will appear in the directory list. Either plain text or a separate table of contents heading style should be used.
- Section location: The page numbers of the cover, abstract, table of contents, and text need to be separated. Word achieves this through section breaks. Without section breaks, changing a page number will affect the entire text.
- File Version: If the paper has been revised many times, save a copy first and confirm that the current version is the official version for submission.
Steps to set up a graduation thesis table of contents in Word
- Open the paper Word file and set the first-level headings such as "Introduction" and "Conclusion" as the first-level heading style. If "References" and "Acknowledgments" are not numbered, they will also be set to the first-level title style, but the numbering will be cancelled.
- Set the section headings such as "1.1" and "1.2" as the second-level heading style, and set the items such as "1.1.1" as the third-level heading style. The level must be consistent with the structure of the text and cannot be skipped.
- Check the numbering format. If the numbering is typed by hand, change it to a unified writing method, such as "Chapter 1" and "1.1", and ensure that the entire text is the same.
- Insert a section break after the abstract and before the table of contents to separate the table of contents into sections, making it easier to set the page number format separately.
- Place the cursor at the table of contents, use Word's automatic table of contents function, select the format with page numbers and dotted line guides, and set the display level to three.
- Set the page number of the table of contents page to Roman numerals, reset the page number of the first page of the text to start from 1, and confirm that the page number formats of the two sections do not affect each other.
- After the paper is finalized, perform an update on the table of contents and choose to update the entire table of contents so that the page numbers and title text are refreshed at the same time.
- When you need to submit a PDF, check it in Word before exporting it. If the original is a PDF, you can first use the PDF editor of the OmniDoc desktop client to export it to Word, and then follow the steps above to redo the table of contents.
Check each item after completion
After the directory is updated, check the following items one by one.
| Check items | How to see | What to do if there is a problem |
|---|---|---|
| Is the hierarchy complete? | Does the catalogue contain the proper first, second and third level titles? | The missing title is not styled. Update the catalogue after filling in the style. |
| Whether the page number corresponds to each other | Select a few entries and turn to the text to check the page number | The page number deviation is mostly because it has not been updated, so the whole catalog is updated again. |
| Whether the dots and lines are continuous | Is the guide line between the title and the page number complete? | If you use spaces or press Tab multiple times to align, regenerate using the directory function instead |
| Whether the number is unified or not | Is the full text of Chapter 1 and 1.1 consistent? | Update the catalogue after the uniform numbering format |
| Table of contents page number connection | Is the format of the table of contents page and the body page number correct? | Check whether there is indeed a section between the catalog and the text |
| Whether the title of the directory goes into the directory | Does the word "directory" appear in the directory list? | Change the title of the catalog to a non-title style, and then update the catalog |
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. Why are the dots and lines in the catalog disconnected or misplaced?
This is usually caused by aligning with spaces or pressing Tab multiple times. After switching to the format generated by the catalog function, the dots and page numbers are automatically aligned, and the page numbers are arranged to the right.
2. After revising the paper, the page number of the catalogue has not changed, what should I do?
The directory is not refreshed in real time and needs to be updated manually. Perform an update on the directory and select to update the entire directory. If it is still wrong, check to see if any title does not use the title style.
3. Why are the page numbers of the catalogue and the text incoherent?
For the most part, there is no section between the catalog and the text, or the text is not re-numbered from 1. Insert a section break between the two, and then format the page number separately.
4. Can the directory of PDF be modified directly?
Most of the directories in PDF are fixed text, so the page number cannot be updated automatically. It is recommended that you first convert to a Word file, redo the directory according to this method, and then export PDF after checking. The scanned version of PDF needs to be identified by OCR, and the recognition results should be checked page by page, because there may be typos in the recognition.
# Summary
How to set the format of the graduation thesis catalogue, the key lies in the title style: first use the chapter level correctly, then insert the automatic catalog, and finally update the whole and check it item by item after the final version. By operating in this order, the levels, page numbers, and dots of the directory can be regulated at once.
