How to make a table of contents

Table of contents - the structure of the materials contained in the book. Properly composed, it helps the reader navigate the text.

Instruction manual

one

First and foremost, do not confuse the table of contents with the table of contents. Pay attention to the roots of these words. The content should describe, in addition to the headings and sections themselves, the content of the text, give a brief description, a kind of announcement, while the table of contents is chapters, only headings, structure.

2

Due to his conciseness by definition, the table of contents should be taken seriously so that it really works and helps the reader navigate. If we are talking about a work of art, then this is not so important: reading is most often done sequentially (unless it is a collection of individual stories), and you practically do not need to look into the table of contents. But if we are talking about a scientific publication like a textbook or, especially, an encyclopedia, then the structure of the table of contents plays a much more significant role.

Yes, of course, in addition to the table of contents in such books, there is usually an alphabetical index, but it still has a slightly different meaning, in terms of disclosing the subject matter it is not so consistent.

3

So, we see how important the table of contents is and why it is needed. Now let's turn to writing it.

Firstly, it should not be too short or small: the headings composing it should uniquely determine the topics that correspond to them, so if you have the opportunity to somehow influence the headings themselves, then recommend to the authors and editors who will work with the material to relate to the choice of headings more carefully: beautiful and original names are good, but we do not need confusion, we need mainly practical benefit.

4

Secondly, the phrase "brevity is the sister of talent" here most often does not work. Only comprehensive, but still general background information is required.

5

Thirdly, it is necessary to highlight larger and smaller sections with different font sizes and, if possible, color, increase the indentation to indicate subsections: in this case, the visual perception will improve significantly. The table of contents should be easy to read, otherwise all meaning will be lost in it.