Over the course of their life, almost every person regularly reads certain books - this can be either fiction or journalistic, scientific or any other literature. However, how often do we think about what parts the book apparatus directly consists of? For example, does everyone know for sure what a table of contents is, why it is needed and what features it has? The time has come to learn more about what seemed to be so familiar to everyone and every book element!
What is a table of contents: meaning of the term
According to the explanatory dictionaries, the table of contents is a list of individual parts of the book, its chapters, sections, paragraphs, etc., placed before or after the main text at the end of the publication, and usually accompanied by an indication of the page on which each specific part begins. In other words, the table of contents of the book is a structure of the internal structure of a literary work, moreover, being typesetting, it, similar to the content, has a number of specific features.
Features of the technical table of contents
So, now that such a table of contents is considered a matter clarified. However, it should be understood that with the introduction of mechanization, the process of creating a table of contents as an integral book element has become more complicated; It’s not enough just to make a usual listing of all sections - they must meet some established criteria. So, a table of contents can be created using fonts of the most varied styles, using indents of the desired size and indents, with equal rows of outflows and digits of digits in the page numbers that separate the end of the text with the name of each item from the corresponding digits. In this case, the table of contents, as well as the content (in technical terminology, these concepts sometimes replace one another and are identified), is always typed from the descent, occupies either an incomplete band, when it needs to be placed at the optical center, or a series of bands. The table of contents refers to the category of additional texts. Like any clarifications, explanations, examples, articles, secondary and auxiliary materials, it, in contrast to the main text, is printed in the font size of the reduced size, but of the same typeface (only in some cases - different).
Location
The table of contents of a book belonging to the category of scientific, educational or technical literature is usually placed at the beginning of publication after the title (for example, an epigraph placed on a separate page if available) from an odd page. At the end of the publication, the table of contents can be placed on any page, and only the output should follow it. A similar arrangement of the table of contents of the book is typical, for example, for fiction, where even the title of the chapter can play the role of a spoiler. This modern term denotes a situation where important information is prematurely disclosed, in connection with which there is a destruction of intrigue and a decrease in the overall impression of the read (viewed, played, because the word is characteristic not only for the field of literature).
Spoilers in books and tables of contents
A typical example of a spoiler, even included in jokes, is the name of the killer in a literary detective story, namely the phrase "The killer is a gardener." And here is an example of a table of contents of a book containing a spoiler: "Chapter X, in which Harry kills Jane." Obviously, placing such a listing of sections at the very beginning of the work will advance the reader’s understanding of the plot, deprive the reading of an atmosphere of unpredictability, and this is what fans often expect from fiction. In general, the resolution of the questions "How to make a table of contents?" and "Where to put it?" individually. The choice is up to the publishers.
Table of Contents as an Introduction to Magazines
In magazine periodicals, the table of contents is often placed on the back of the first (title) page, on the title page itself under the heading (heading), as well as on the 2nd or 3rd cover pages. Recently, there have been more frequent cases where the table of contents is located on a narrow insert preceding the 1st page; in these cases, it can be printed without descent.
Tasks that help to solve the table of contents
The question of what a table of contents is and how it is compiled by knowledgeable people, typesetters, can be considered closed. However, the section on the fulfillment of which functions provides a table of contents and how it helps a person in practical terms remains relevant. Everything here, at first glance, is obvious, but upon closer inspection it is not so simple. The table of contents performs as many as 3 functions:
- reference and search. The table of contents helps the reader speed up and simplify the search for key parts of the book (parts, chapters, sections, headings, stories, articles, notes, applications, etc.);
- promotional outreach. The table of contents plays the role of an enticing element that enhances interest in the material being viewed. It is it that reveals a desire to read the contents, which is especially important for publications that aim to gain audience recognition;
- informational and explanatory. The table of contents gives a person a general idea of the thematic content and composition of a particular book unit, of the structural structure of one or more works (it becomes possible to establish the subject of consideration, the topics covered and their relationships with each other). This is important both for the perception and understanding of the text, that is, for its selective study, and in order to refresh reader’s knowledge and restore in the memory of a person already read when the process was interrupted for any reason.
How to make the table of contents yourself in Word simple and fast? Preparation
Today, the task of creating a competent and integral table of contents often confronts a wide variety of categories of people: students who need to present lectures to teachers, essays, term papers and projects, employees of organizations that regularly compile reporting materials, in fact, to modern writers themselves who have already moved from print typewriters for electronic text editors. Therefore, the ability to make a table of contents is a necessary skill that you can learn right now!
Before starting the table of contents, you need to create the source text and highlight key sections in it using heading styles. Headings can vary by level: for example, in a term paper, the chapter will refer to the heading of the 1st level, and its paragraphs to headings of the 2nd (smaller) level. In the “Home” menu, you should find the “Styles” tab and set the heading type corresponding to its level for each heading.
Creation: the finished table of contents is collected in a few clicks
After all points of the future table of contents are highlighted in this way, you need to click in the place where you want to place it. Traditionally, this is a separate blank page after the title page, but, as mentioned earlier, you can put a table of contents at the end of the text. Then, in the “Link” menu (the “Table of Contents and Indices” tab), you need to click on the arrow under the “Table of Contents” item and select its desired style. After a mouse click, the table of contents will be compiled automatically in the place where you left the print cursor, from those sections that were previously highlighted by heading levels and with the page numbers that correspond to them.
If everything was done correctly, a mouse click on a particular section of the table of contents will provide a quick transition to it; moving the slider in search of the desired section is no longer necessary. Sometimes it becomes necessary to update the created table of contents in whole or in separate page numbers if any corrections have been made after creation. To do this, just right-click on an existing option and select "Update".