Table of Contents

Please note: these resources are specific to Texas Tech's electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) accessibility requirements

Before you create a Table of Contents, all headings in your document should be assigned a heading style using Microsoft Word’s styles pane. The format of these headings (e.g., numbering, left or center justification, bolding, italics, etc.) is determined by the rules of your citation style (APA, Chicago, MLA, IEEE, etc.) and must be consistent across your document. See our Document Structure page for more information. 

For information about lists of Tables or Figures, please see our Table and Figure Lists and Captions page. 

Creating an autogenerated Table of Contents

For a video on how to add a table of contents to your document, follow this link.

After ensuring that all your headings are assigned the appropriate style,

1. Place your cursor where you would like the Table of Contents to be displayed
2. Select the References tab
3. Select the Table of Contents tab
4. Select the Table of Contents style that you want to use from the dropdown menu
   • If you are using the web version of Word, select Insert Table of Contents

If you need to update your table of contents once created,

1. Select your Table of Contents
2. In the Table of Contents tab that appears, select Update Table
   • If you have changed any of the headings, select Update entire table
   • If you have only added or removed body text, select Update page numbers only

The option to remove the table of contents can also be found in the Table of Contents command.

Fast troubleshooting for unwanted or missing text in the Table of Contents 

For a video on how to troubleshoot a table of contents, follow this link.

This method is only available for the desktop version of Word. If you are using the web version, you will need to first find the text then use the Styles Pane manually.

1. First, you will want to ensure that you have adjusted your settings in word to show your Style Area Pane in Draft View
   • On a Mac, you will choose Preferences from the Apple Menu Bar, then Word Options>View> select the checkbox to Style Area Width > Set this to 1.5”
   • On a PC, you will choose File > Options > Advanced > Display > then set the Style Area Pane Width to 1.5”
2. If your Table of Contents includes unwanted text, or if it is missing headings, use a desktop version of Word to
   1. Select the View menu
   2. Select Draft from the ribbon
   3. Use the Draft sidebar to identify the missing or unwanted headings
      • For unwanted text, select the text and use the Styles pane to change the text to Normal
      • For missing headings, select the text and use the Styles pane to change the text to the appropriate heading level
   4. Finish by updating the Table of Contents using the instructions above

 

For more information visit Texas Tech's Digital Accessibility Website for trainings and resources, or schedule an appointment at the Graduate Writing Center,

Part of the Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Accessibility Resource for Microsoft Word  series compiled by Allison Belisle, Graduate School, and Rebecca Bruning and Caroline Hetherington, Graduate Writing Center, a unit of Academic Innovation and Student Success, under the Office of the Provost.