dissertation table of contents

Thesis and Dissertation Guide

• « Thesis & Dissertation Resources
• The Graduate School Home

• Introduction

Copyright Page

Dedication, acknowledgements, preface (optional), table of contents.

• List of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

List of Abbreviations

List of symbols.

• Non-Traditional Formats
• Font Type and Size
• Spacing and Indentation
• Tables, Figures, and Illustrations
• Formatting Previously Published Work
• Internet Distribution
• Open Access
• Registering Copyright
• Using Copyrighted Materials
• Use of Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Submission Steps
• Submission Checklist
• Sample Pages

I. Order and Components

Please see the sample thesis or dissertation pages throughout and at the end of this document for illustrations. The following order is required for components of your thesis or dissertation:

• Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface (each optional)
• Table of Contents, with page numbers
• List of Tables, List of Figures, or List of Illustrations, with titles and page numbers (if applicable)
• List of Abbreviations (if applicable)
• List of Symbols (if applicable)
• Introduction, if any
• Main body, with consistent subheadings as appropriate
• Appendices (if applicable)
• Endnotes (if applicable)
• References (see section on References for options)

Many of the components following the title and copyright pages have required headings and formatting guidelines, which are described in the following sections.

Please consult the Sample Pages to compare your document to the requirements. A Checklist is provided to assist you in ensuring your thesis or dissertation meets all formatting guidelines.

The title page of a thesis or dissertation must include the following information:

• The title of the thesis or dissertation in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the page.
• Your name, centered 1″ below the title. Do not include titles, degrees, or identifiers. The name you use here does not need to exactly match the name on your university records, but we recommend considering how you will want your name to appear in professional publications in the future.

Notes on this statement:

• When indicating your degree in the second bracketed space, use the full degree name (i.e., Doctor of Philosophy, not Ph.D. or PHD; Master of Public Health, not M.P.H. or MPH; Master of Social Work, not M.S.W. or MSW).
• List your department, school, or curriculum rather than your subject area or specialty discipline in the third bracketed space. You may include your subject area or specialty discipline in parentheses (i.e., Department of Romance Languages (French); School of Pharmacy (Molecular Pharmaceutics); School of Education (School Psychology); or similar official area).
• If you wish to include both your department and school names, list the school at the end of the statement (i.e., Department of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine).
• A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Public Policy.
• A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the School of Dentistry (Endodontics).
• A thesis submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health.
• A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education (Cultural Studies and Literacies).
• The words “Chapel Hill” must be centered 1″ below the statement.
• One single-spaced line below that, center the year in which your committee approves the completed thesis or dissertation. This need not be the year you graduate.
• Approximately 2/3 of the way across the page on the right-hand side of the page, 1″ below the year, include the phrase “Approved by:” (with colon) followed by each faculty member's name on subsequent double-spaced lines. Do not include titles such as Professor, Doctor, Dr., PhD, or any identifiers such as “chair” or “advisor” before or after any names. Line up the first letter of each name on the left under the “A” in the “Approved by:” line. If a name is too long to fit on one line, move this entire section of text slightly to the left so that formatting can be maintained.
• No signatures, signature lines, or page numbers should be included on the title page.

Include a copyright page with the following information single-spaced and centered 2″ above the bottom of the page:

© Year Author's Full Name (as it appears on the title page) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This page immediately follows the title page. It should be numbered with the lower case Roman numeral ii centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Inclusion of this page offers you, as the author, additional protection against copyright infringement as it eliminates any question of authorship and copyright ownership. You do not need to file for copyright in order to include this statement in your thesis or dissertation. However, filing for copyright can offer other protections.

See Section IV for more information on copyrighting your thesis or dissertation.

Include an abstract page following these guidelines:

• Include the heading “ABSTRACT” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the top of the page.
• One double-spaced line below “ABSTRACT”, center your name, followed by a colon and the title of the thesis or dissertation. Use as many lines as necessary. Be sure that your name and the title exactly match the name and title used on the Title page.
• One single-spaced line below the title, center the phrase “(Under the direction of [advisor's name])”. Include the phrase in parentheses. Include the first and last name(s) of your advisor or formal co-advisors. Do not include the name of other committee members. Use the advisor's name only; do not include any professional titles such as PhD, Professor, or Dr. or any identifiers such as “chair” or “advisor”.
• Skip one double-spaced line and begin the abstract. The text of your abstract must be double-spaced and aligned with the document's left margin with the exception of indenting new paragraphs. Do not center or right-justify the abstract.
• Abstracts cannot exceed 150 words for a thesis or 350 words for a dissertation.
• Number the abstract page with the lower case Roman numeral iii (and iv, if more than one page) centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Please write and proofread your abstract carefully. When possible, avoid including symbols or foreign words in your abstract, as they cannot be indexed or searched. Avoid mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other illustrative materials in the abstract. Offer a brief description of your thesis or dissertation and a concise summary of its conclusions. Be sure to describe the subject and focus of your work with clear details and avoid including lengthy explanations or opinions.

Your title and abstract will be used by search engines to help potential audiences locate your work, so clarity will help to draw the attention of your targeted readers.

You have an option to include a dedication, acknowledgements, or preface. If you choose to include any or all of these elements, give each its own page(s).

A dedication is a message from the author prefixed to a work in tribute to a person, group, or cause. Most dedications are short statements of tribute beginning with “To…” such as “To my family”.

Acknowledgements are the author's statement of gratitude to and recognition of the people and institutions that helped the author's research and writing.

A preface is a statement of the author's reasons for undertaking the work and other personal comments that are not directly germane to the materials presented in other sections of the thesis or dissertation. These reasons tend to be of a personal nature.

Any of the pages must be prepared following these guidelines:

• Do not place a heading on the dedication page.
• The text of short dedications must be centered and begin 2″ from the top of the page.
• Headings are required for the “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS” and “PREFACE” pages. Headings must be in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the page.
• The text of the acknowledgements and preface pages must begin one double-spaced line below the heading, be double-spaced, and be aligned with the document's left margin with the exception of indenting new paragraphs.
• Subsequent pages of text return to the 1″ top margin.
• The page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals (starting with the page number after the abstract) centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Include a table of contents following these guidelines:

• Include the heading “TABLE OF CONTENTS” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the top of the page.
• Include one double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry.
• The table of contents should not contain listings for the pages that precede it, but it must list all parts of the thesis or dissertation that follow it.
• If relevant, be sure to list all appendices and a references section in your table of contents. Include page numbers for these items but do not assign separate chapter numbers.
• Entries must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• Major subheadings within chapters must be included in the table of contents. The subheading(s) should be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• If an entry takes up more than one line, break up the entry about three-fourths of the way across the page and place the rest of the text on a second line, single-spacing the two lines.
• Include one double-spaced line between each entry.
• Page numbers listed in the table of contents must be located just inside the right page margin with leaders (lines of periods) filling out the space between the end of the entry and the page number. The last digit of each number must line up on the right margin.
• Information included in the table of contents must match the headings, major subheadings, and numbering used in the body of the thesis or dissertation.
• The Table of Contents page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

If applicable, include a list of tables, list of figures, and/or list of illustrations following these guidelines:

• Include the heading(s) in all capital letters, centered 1″ below the top of the page.
• Each entry must include a number, title, and page number.
• Assign each table, figure, or illustration in your thesis or dissertation an Arabic numeral. You may number consecutively throughout the entire work (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.), or you may assign a two-part Arabic numeral with the first number designating the chapter in which it appears, separated by a period, followed by a second number to indicate its consecutive placement in the chapter (e.g., Table 3.2 is the second table in Chapter Three).
• Numerals and titles must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• Page numbers must be located just inside the right page margin with leaders (lines of periods) filling out the space between the end of the entry and the page number. The last digit of each number must line up on the right margin.
• Numbers, titles, and page numbers must each match the corresponding numbers, titles, and page numbers appearing in the thesis or dissertation.
• All Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

If you use abbreviations extensively in your thesis or dissertation, you must include a list of abbreviations and their corresponding definitions following these guidelines:

• Include the heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the page.
• Arrange your abbreviations alphabetically.
• Abbreviations must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.
• If an entry takes up more than one line, single-space between the two lines.
• The List of Abbreviations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals centered with a 1/2″ margin from the bottom edge.

If you use symbols in your thesis or dissertation, you may combine them with your abbreviations, titling the section “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS”, or you may set up a separate list of symbols and their definitions by following the formatting instructions above for abbreviations. The heading you choose must be in all capital letters and centered 1″ below the top of the page.

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How To Create Dissertation Table of Contents? MS Word, Sample, APA Format & Guide

Table of contents, what is table of contents, what to include & not to include in the dissertation table of contents, how to create a dissertation table of contents in word, dissertation table of contents apa guidelines, dissertation table of contents word count & font size, dissertation table of contents checklist 2024, dissertation table of contents sample & example, how to update the dissertation table of contents, table of contents for a dissertation- instructions.

Author : Vipul Jain

• Dissertation

Key Takeaways

• A Table of Contents should appear in the first few pages between the abstract and acknowledgments section.
• Here are three types of Table of Contents first Main Headings, Sub-headings, and sub-sections of the level 2 headings.
• In this article, we provide all the steps to create a dissertation table of contents in Microsoft Word. With the help of this blog, you will find what to include and what not to include in the dissertation.
• The Word Count of the TOC should be not more than two pages.
• With the help of the TOC Sample, you will get an idea of what the Dissertation Table of Contents looks like.

The required length of the Dissertation Table of Contents should be two pages. While writing a dissertation, students feel depressed and face lots of challenges to complete the final draft with proofreading. 

A TOC is required to list all the chapters and main headings with the page numbers in an appropriate order. With the help of TOC, students understood the lineup of all the headings. In this blog, we provide the How To Create Dissertation Table of Contents including samples, template, font sizes, word count, and more information we provided in this blog.

A dissertation Table of Contents, TOC is a list that is found on a page before the start of a writing work, which means it will placed between abstract & introduction. A TOC typically includes main headings with descriptions which are called first-level headings second-level headings within the chapters, and third-level headings (sub-section of b-headings).  Sometimes students fail to complete the dissertation and don't have time to create the Dissertation, so they can ask directly from the Dissertation Writing Services . 

The main objective is to create the TOC, it helps to navigate the structure of the information. This includes Title, Sub-Chapter, and Sub-sections.  Students can create the table of contents in Microsoft Word in your document.

The Table of Contents is divided into three parts according to the document length

1. Single Level- This includes only first headings which are also called Level 1 headings and chapters. 

2. Sub-Chapter: - In this, Level 2 Headings and sections are used. For Example, Methodology is the Level 1 heading and the rest are the important headings under these headings are sub-chapters.

3. Multi-Level: -  This section includes all the sub-sections of level 2 headings.

Note: If you need any help to complete the dissertation on time, Just you need to say Do My Dissertation .

A Good table of contents includes all the information that contains all dissertation chapter headings and sub-headings. However, there are so many chapters, that we don't need to add them to the table of contents. There are some rules to create TOC, listed below;

If you want to create a table of contents automatically, you can make the table of contents in Microsoft Word for your dissertation. While writing a dissertation, you can follow all of these important steps in the Research Process .

You need to follow the steps we provided below;

Step 1: First analyze your first heading, and second heading, and apply the correct heading style in the word file. 

Step 2: Select the font size and style for each heading according to the university guidelines. If it is not mentioned in the guideline, you can use the font of Times New Roman and 12 font size, and bold.

Step 3: Now, Add a title that follows the correct citation style.

Step 4: Click where you want to create TOC.

Step 5: In the word, you will see the references button to create a table of contents automatically.

Step 6: Click on the References section, and you see three types of options automatic and manual. 

Step 7 : Click on the automatic Table of Content and it will be generated automatically.

You can create a manual TOC, after selecting the manual table of contents. In this, you need to change numbers, the number of headings. The main sections like Methodology, Literature Review, Abstract, and reference are the main headings of the dissertation, or Check How To Write A Dissertation Methodolog y?

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Dissertation Table of Contents Font Size

• The Font Size of the Dissertation Table of contents should be 12 Points in Times New Roman. Also, the font size is the same as the rest text in the dissertation.
• The Title of the TOC should be centered and bold.
• Use Harvard heading style and add all level 1 and heading 2 in the table of contents.
• We need to use the same font size,  figures, tables, and footnotes. 

Note : If you want to create references in Harvard style, you should read How to Reference Harvard Style in a dissertation .

In the APA style table of contents, you should show all the headings, sub-headings, and pages in your dissertation. Before creating the table of contents, you should read the guidelines first of the APA Dissertation Table of Contents.

• The TOC should be double-spaced, one-inch margin on all sides.
• Use only the same font size, and style, that you used in the whole dissertation.
• The TOC should be placed on top.

Before creating the table, students should know How To Write a Dissertation Title Page in 2024 .

So let's Create a Dissertation Table of Contents APA:

Don't create the TOC manually, use Microsoft Word to create it automatically.

Select all of your headings and subheadings and apply.

Select the table of contents and position and apply.

On Microsoft Word, you can see the references section, after clicking on this, you will have three options.

Next, choose Automatic Table 2, which has appropriate headings.

Click on the option 2, and you will see the table of contents.

After Completing the Title page, abstract, and introduction with the table of contents, now check the comprehensive guide on  How To Write a Literature Review .

Typically, the word count of the Dissertation Table of Contents is not more than two pages. If you are writing a dissertation, the word count is specific for every section from the title page to the last references. 

Use all level 1 headings, second headings, and third headings as sub-sections for a better understanding. If you failed to understand how to create a TOC and you faced lots of challenges in completing the dissertation on time, so you can help from the Dissertation Helper to complete the work before the deadline.

• If you want to create the best TOC, so its has to be properly formatted.
• The Table of contents shows all main headings of the dissertation, sub-headings, and all the chapters.
• All the headings and titles that are part of the table, should go exactly in the content.
• Put the correct page numbers.
• A Dissertation table contents should include all the appendices, a list of tables, and figures.
• The table of contents you want to write so consider it will be double spaced and a 1-inch margin is required from all sides.
• Up to three levels of headings should include the TOC.

If you need more help in the dissertation while writing like an academic guide, it is the  best time to use dissertation writing services .

In the sample section, you will see the title with headings & subheadings. Along with page numbers and all the chapters of the dissertation.

• After creating the table of contents, sometimes students do some edits and changes in the dissertation. Therefore, you should update page numbers of heading automatically after all completed changes. 
• If you want to update the page numbers, please click on the right button on the TOC and click on the update field. Now you will see an updated table of contents.
• You can also update the page numbers after clicking after clicking on update the entire table.
• It's easy to update the table of contents with page numbers in Microsoft Word. 

Do You Know What are the Top Options For British Dissertation Help Services Online ?

You should follow the Dissertation Structure before creating the table of contents. Your TOC should be inserted before the beginning of the dissertation. When writing the dissertation, you should mark your headings s H1, H2, H2, etc.

H1- The heading is your primary heading or the title of your dissertation.

H2 - This heading is used to create sub-headings.

H3: H3 is the sub-sections of H2 Headings.

The Dissertation TOC should be included in your file to get the desired results. It becomes easier to create TOC when you read this blog. The Contents should include all the appendices, a list of tables, a list of figures, and a references list. We are not required to include acknowledgments, abstracts, and TOC itself. If you need any kind of help regarding the dissertation and Assignment, you can take  Assignment Writing Services for academic assistance. 

Frequently asked questions

What is the main purpose of creating the table of contents in a dissertation.

It helps to navigate all the headings with the page numbers and the reader can find them easily. If the reader wants to read the perticular headings, they can check the page number and directly read the section.

Where to Put the Dissertation Table of Contents?

The table of contents in a dissertation should be placed between the dissertation abstract page and the introduction page.

How to Format Dissertation Table of Contents?

The TOC should include all the main headings, sub-headings, and sub-sections with 12 font sizes in Times New Roman and it should be a double-spaced, one-inch margin on all sides.

How to Create a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word for Dissertation?

You can easily create the table of contents in Microsoft Word,  after marking all the headings and sub-headings. Now click on references, and select the Table of Content button. Now Microsoft Word easily creates your TOC.

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Hi, I am Vipul Jain ( Founder of Workingment). I have contributed my writing expertise and collaborated with a team of experts to support UK students in achieving higher grades. My mission is to assist students who face various challenges in completing their academic writing projects.

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Microsoft Word for Dissertations

• Introduction, Template, & Resources
• Formatting for All Readers
• Applying a Style
• Modifying a Style
• Setting up a Heading 1 Example
• Images, Charts, Other Objects
• Footnotes, Endnotes, & Citations
• Cross-References
• Appendix Figures & Tables
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures/Tables
• Chapter and Section Numbering
• Page Numbers
• Landscape Pages
• Combining Chapter Files
• Commenting and Reviewing
• Tips & Tricks
• The Two-inch Top Margin
• Troubleshooting
• Finalizing Without Styles
• Preparing Your Final Document
• Take a break

Automatic Table of Contents

An automatic Table of Contents relies on Styles to keep track of page numbers and section titles for you automatically. Microsoft Word can scan your document and find everything in the Heading 1 style and put that on the first level of your table of contents, put any Heading 2’s on the second level of your table of contents, and so on.

If you want an automatic table of contents you need to apply the Heading 1 style to all of your chapter titles and front matter headings (like “Dedication” and “Acknowledgements”).  All section headings within your chapters should use the Heading 2  style.  All sub-section headings should use  Heading 3 , etc....

If you have used Heading styles in your document, creating an automatic table of contents is easy.

• Place your cursor where you want your table of contents to be.
• On the References Ribbon, in the Table of Contents Group , click on the arrow next to the Table of Contents icon, and select  Custom Table of Contents .
• We suggest that you set each level (Chapters, sections, sub-sections, aka TOC 1, TOC 2, TOC 3) to be single-spaced, with 12 points of space afterwards.  This makes each item in your ToC clump together if they're long enough to wrap to a second line, with the equivalent of a double space between each item, and makes the ToC easier to read and understand than if every line were double-spaced. See the video below for details.
• If you want to change which headings appear in your Table of Contents, you can do so by changing the number in the Show levels: field. Select "1" to just include the major sections (Acknowledgements, List of Figures, Chapters, etc...).  Select "4" to include Chapters, sections, sub-sections, and sub-sub-sections.
• Click OK to insert your table of contents.  

The table of contents is a snapshot of the headings and page numbers in your document, and does not automatically update itself as you make changes. At any time, you can update it by right-clicking on it and selecting Update field .  Notice that once the table of contents is in your document, it will turn gray if you click on it. This just reminds you that it is a special field managed by Word, and is getting information from somewhere else.

Modifying the format of your Table of Contents

The video below shows how to make your Table of Contents a little easier to read by formatting the spacing between items in your Table of Contents. You may recognize the "Modify Style" window that appears, which can serve as a reminder that you can use this window to modify more than just paragraph settings in the ToC. You can modify the indent distance, or font, or tab settings for your ToC, just the same as you may have modified it for Styles. 

By default, the Table of Contents tool creates the ToC by pulling in Headings 1 through 3. If you'd like to modify that -- to only show H1's, or to show Headings 1 through 4 -- then go to the References tab and select Custom Table of Contents .  In the window that appears, set Show Levels to "1" to only show Heading 1's in the Table of Contents, or set it to "4" to show Headings 1 through 4.

Bonus tip for updating fields like the Table of Contents

You'll quickly realize that all of the automatic Lists and Tables need to be updated occasionally to reflect any changes you've made elsewhere in the document -- they do not dynamically update by themselves. Normally, this means going to each field, right-clicking on it and selecting "Update Field". 

Alternatively, to update all fields throughout your document (Figure/Table numbers & Lists, cross-references, Table of Contents, etc...), just select "Print". This will usually cause Word to update everything in anticipation of printing. Once the print preview window appears, just cancel and double-check that it updated things.

• << Previous: Appendix Figures & Tables
• Next: List of Figures/Tables >>

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Thesis / dissertation formatting manual (2024).

• Filing Fees and Student Status
• Submission Process Overview
• Electronic Thesis Submission
• Paper Thesis Submission
• Formatting Overview
• Fonts/Typeface
• Pagination, Margins, Spacing
• Paper Thesis Formatting
• Preliminary Pages Overview
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page

Table of Contents

• List of Figures (etc.)
• Acknowledgments
• Text and References Overview
• Figures and Illustrations
• Using Your Own Previously Published Materials
• Using Copyrighted Materials by Another Author
• Open Access and Embargoes
• Copyright and Creative Commons
• Ordering Print (Bound) Copies
• Tutorials and Assistance
• FAQ This link opens in a new window

The Table of Contents should follow these guidelines:

• ​All sections of the manuscript are listed in the Table of Contents except the Title Page, the Copyright Page, the Dedication Page, and the Table of Contents.
• You may list subsections within chapters
• Creative works are not exempt from the requirement to include a Table of Contents

Table of Contents example

Here is an example of a Table of Contents page from the templates . Please note that your table of contents may be longer than one page.

• << Previous: Dedication Page
• Next: List of Figures (etc.) >>
• Last Updated: Sep 30, 2024 10:51 AM
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How to create a table of contents for a dissertation (apa), published by steve tippins on june 20, 2022 june 20, 2022.

Last Updated on: 7th June 2024, 05:08 am

APA Dissertation Table of Contents Format Guidelines

• The table of contents should be double spaced with one-inch margins on all sides. 
• It should be written in the same font and size as the rest of your dissertation.  
• At the top of the page, write Table of Contents , centered and in bold.
• Although in the body of the paper you can use up to five levels of headings, up to three levels are usually provided in the Table of Contents. Including lower-level headings is optional. 
• Indent each subheading five spaces. 
• Write all text in title case. In title case, the first letter of major words is capitalized.
• Provide the page number where the main headings and subheadings begin, and provide dotted lines between the heading and the page number.
• Page numbers for the Dedication, Acknowledgements, and Preface should be in lower case Roman Numbers (i, v, x, l, c, d and m.). The page numbers for the rest of the text should be in Arabic numerals (1,2, 3, 4, etc.).

How to Write a Dissertation Table of Contents in APA Using Microsoft Word

Step 1. Instead of manually trying to write and format the table of contents, you can create a generated one using Microsoft Word. To do this, first go to the Home tab. This is where you will choose the styles for the table of contents. 

Step 2. The top-level headings will be your chapter titles, so on the right side of the tab, apply the Heading 1 style. 

Step 3. The second-level headings will be your subheadings, so apply the Heading 2 style. This will place your subheadings underneath your main headings.

Step 4. You will now produce page links to your document. In the top ribbon, click on the References tab and select Table of Contents . 

Step 5. If the style does not indicate APA, such as the one below, use the drop down arrow to select APA. 

Step 6. Next, choose the number of levels that you want. In this case, you want to be able to have up to three levels, so choose Automatic Table 2 , which has the appropriate heading for a dissertation. 

Step 7. Click ok , and you are all set. Microsoft word will automatically generate your dissertation’s table of contents as you write it.

List of Tables and Figures

Your list of tables and figures will be written at the end of the list of information in the body of your paper. You will create these lists the same way that you created the main table of contents. 

However, the headings will be different. 

Instead of the heading “Table of Contents,” the headings will be “List of Tables” and “List of Figures.” (An example is provided in the table of contents example below.)

Sample of a Dissertation Table of Contents

In the example below, there are three level headings. The list of tables and figures are provided at the bottom of the other contents. The sections in your table of contents may be different depending on your college’s requirements. 

Updating the Dissertation Table of Contents

As you continue working on your dissertation, you will need to update the page numbers because they may change. 

To update the page numbers, right-click on the table of contents in your document and select the Update field . Then, the Update Table of Contents box will appear. 

You can choose to Update page numbers only or all the information in the table of contents by clicking on Update entire table . 

Note: For more information, refer to the APA Manual 7 th edition , sections 2.2-2.27.

Steve Tippins

Steve Tippins, PhD, has thrived in academia for over thirty years. He continues to love teaching in addition to coaching recent PhD graduates as well as students writing their dissertations. Learn more about his dissertation coaching and career coaching services. Book a Free Consultation with Steve Tippins

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