During his life, almost every person regularly reads one or another book - it can be both fiction and 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 is it needed and what features does it have? It's time to learn more about the seemingly familiar book element!
What is a table of contents: the meaning of the term
According to 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 a book is the structure of the internal construction of a literary work, and, being typeset, it, like the content, has a number of specific features.
Features of the technical layout of tables of contents
So, now what is the table of contents is considered a matter of clarification. 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 is not enough to simply list all the sections in the usual way - they must meet some established criteria. So, the table of contents can be created using fonts of the most variable styles, using indents of the desired size and retracts, with the alignment of rows of dots and digits in page numbers that separate the end of the text with the name of each item from the corresponding number. At the same time, the table of contents, like the content (in technical terminology, these concepts sometimes replace one another and are identified), is always typed from the descent, either occupies an incomplete strip, when it needs to be placed along the optical center, or a series of strips. The table of contents belongs to the category of additional texts. Like any clarifications, explanations, examples, articles, secondary and auxiliary materials, it, unlike the main text, is printed in a reduced size font, but 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 the publication after the title (for example, an epigraph placed on a separate page if available) from an odd stripe. At the end of the publication, the table of contents can be placed on any page, and after itmust follow exclusively the output. A similar arrangement of the book's table of contents is typical, for example, for fiction, where even the title of a chapter can play the role of a spoiler. This modern term refers to a situation when important information is revealed prematurely, in connection with which the intrigue is destroyed and the overall impression of what is read (viewed, played, because the word is typical not only for the field of literature) occurs.
Spoilers in books and actual tables of contents
A typical example of a spoiler, even included in jokes, is the name of a killer in a literary detective story, namely the phrase "The killer is a gardener." And here is an example of a book title containing a spoiler: "Chapter X, in which Harry kills Jane." Obviously, placing such an enumeration of sections at the very beginning of the work will give the reader some ideas about the course of the plot in advance, deprive the reading of the atmosphere of unpredictability, and this is exactly 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 publishers.
Tables as an introduction to magazines
In journals, the table of contents is often placed on the back of the first (title) page, on the title page itself under the title (header), as well as on the 2nd or 3rd cover page. Recently, cases have become more frequent when the table of contents is located on a narrow insert preceding the 1st page; in these cases it mayprinted without ablation.
Problems that the table of contents helps to solve
The question of what a table of contents is and how it is compiled by knowledgeable people, layout designers, can be considered closed. However, the section on what functions the table of contents provides and how it helps a person in practical terms remains relevant. Everything here, at first glance, is obvious, but upon closer examination, it is not so simple. The table of contents performs as many as 3 functions:
- reference and search engine. The table of contents helps the reader to quickly and easily find the key parts of the book (parts, chapters, sections, rubrics, stories, articles, notes, appendices, etc.);
- promotional. The table of contents plays the role of an enticing element that enhances interest in the material being viewed. It is it that reveals the desire to read the content, which is especially important for publications that aim to win the recognition of the audience;
- informative 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, i.e. for its selective study, and in order to refresh the reader's knowledge and restore in the person's memory what has already been read when the process was interrupted for any reason.
How to make your own table of contents in Word is easyand fast? Preparing
who have already moved from typewriters to electronic text editors. Therefore, the ability to write a table of contents is an essential skill that can be learned right now!
Before you start designing the table of contents, you need to create the source text and highlight the key sections in it using heading styles. Headings can differ in levels: for example, in a term paper, a chapter will refer to the heading of the 1st level, and its paragraphs to the headings of the 2nd (smaller) level. In the "Home" menu, find the "Styles" tab and set the heading type corresponding to its level for each rubric.
Creation: the finished table of contents is assembled in a few clicks
After all the items of the future table of contents are selected 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 also place the table of contents at the end of the text. Then, in the "Link" menu (tab "Contents and Indexes"), you need to click on the arrow under the "Contents" item and select its desired style. After clicking the mouse, the table of contents will becollected automatically at the place where you left the typing cursor, from those sections that were previously highlighted by heading levels and with the numbers of those pages that correspond to them.
If everything was done correctly, clicking on one or another heading of the table of contents will provide a quick transition to it; you no longer need to move the slider in search of the required section. Sometimes it becomes necessary to update the created table of contents in its entirety or separately page numbers in case any adjustments were made after creation. To do this, just right-click on an existing option and select "Update".
