Table of contents

How it is used

Used in theses, dissertations, books, and long reports to help readers find parts of the text quickly and understand structure.

Example sentences

1. After adding two appendices, I updated the table of contents so the page numbers matched the revised thesis file.

   Here, the term refers to the navigational list that must be revised when the document structure or pagination changes.

2. The examiner found the methodology chapter quickly because the table of contents clearly separated main chapters from subheadings.

   In this example, table of contents means the organized overview that helps a reader navigate a long academic text.

Common collocations

• update the table of contents
• automatic table of contents
• detailed table of contents

Related terms

• thesisA long piece of original research written for a university degree; also the main idea or position that an essay or article argues for.
• dissertationA long, formal piece of research writing completed for a degree; in the US usually a doctoral thesis, in the UK often a final project for a bachelor's or master's.

More terms: Thesis and Article Structure

• abstract
• paper
• conclusion
• discussion
• draft
• limitation
• proofread
• IMRaD
• introduction
• methods section
• keyword
• appendix