Dissertation Contents Page

The correct front matter order

Front matter sits before chapter one. The title page is counted in the numbering but does not display a number. Getting this order wrong is an avoidable presentation deduction.

1. 1Title page. Counted, not numbered.
2. 2Abstract.
3. 3Acknowledgements. Optional and not assessed.
4. 4Table of contents.
5. 5List of tables.
6. 6List of figures.
7. 7List of abbreviations, if you use enough to burden a reader.

A complete worked contents page

This is a 15,000 word master’s dissertation in management using a mixed methods design. Note the numbering scheme and that headings stop at three levels.

Abstract .................................................. ii
Acknowledgements .......................................... iii
List of Tables ............................................ vi
List of Figures ........................................... vii

1. Introduction ........................................... 1
   1.1 Research context ................................... 1
   1.2 Problem statement .................................. 3
   1.3 Aim and objectives ................................. 4
   1.4 Research questions ................................. 5
   1.5 Structure of the dissertation ...................... 6

2. Literature Review ...................................... 7
   2.1 Defining team cohesion ............................. 7
   2.2 Proximity and relational mechanisms ............... 11
   2.3 Communication technology as mediator .............. 15
   2.4 Professional services as a context ................ 19
   2.5 Conceptual framework and research gap ............. 22

3. Methodology ........................................... 25
   3.1 Research philosophy ............................... 25
   3.2 Mixed methods design justification ................ 27
   3.3 Sampling strategy ................................. 29
   3.4 Data collection instruments ....................... 31
   3.5 Analysis procedure ................................ 34
   3.6 Ethical considerations ............................ 36
   3.7 Limitations of the method ......................... 37

4. Findings .............................................. 39
   4.1 Sample characteristics ............................ 39
   4.2 Survey results .................................... 41
   4.3 Interview themes .................................. 47

5. Discussion ............................................ 53
   5.1 Cohesion outcomes against prior findings .......... 53
   5.2 The mediating role of synchronous contact ......... 57
   5.3 Sector-specific implications ...................... 60

6. Conclusion ............................................ 63
   6.1 Answers to the research questions ................. 63
   6.2 Contribution to knowledge ......................... 65
   6.3 Limitations ....................................... 66
   6.4 Recommendations for further research .............. 67

References ............................................... 69
Appendix A: Survey instrument ............................ 78
Appendix B: Interview schedule ........................... 82
Appendix C: Ethics approval letter ....................... 84

Generating it automatically in Word

The entire point of an automatic contents page is that it updates when the document changes. Five steps, and it takes about ten minutes the first time.

1. 1Apply built-in heading styles throughout: Heading 1 for chapters, Heading 2 for sections, Heading 3 for subsections. Do not fake headings with bold text, because Word cannot see them.
2. 2Insert a section break between the front matter and chapter one, using Layout, Breaks, Next Page. A section break, not a page break: this is what allows two numbering schemes.
3. 3Set front matter page numbering to lower case roman via Insert, Page Number, Format Page Numbers.
4. 4In the body section, unlink from the previous section in Header and Footer tools, then set numbering to arabic starting at 1.
5. 5Place the cursor where the contents page goes and use References, Table of Contents, Automatic Table. Right-click and Update Field before every submission.

Common mistakes

• Typing the contents page by hand, so the page numbers are wrong by the time you submit.
• Forgetting to update the field after final edits. Right-click, Update Field, Update entire table.
• Going four or five heading levels deep. Three is the maximum most departments accept and beyond that it signals a structural problem.
• Inconsistent capitalisation between the contents page and the headings themselves, which happens when headings are edited but the table is not refreshed.
• Omitting the list of tables and figures once you have more than a handful of either.
• Numbering the front matter in arabic, so the dissertation appears to start on page 7.

Numbering headings consistently

Decimal numbering is the UK convention: 1, 1.1, 1.1.1. It is worth setting up properly in Word using multilevel list linked to heading styles, because manually typed numbers drift the moment you insert a section.

Number chapters and sections, but do not number front matter or the reference list. Appendices are lettered rather than numbered, and each appendix must be referred to at least once in the main text. An appendix nothing points to is an appendix nobody reads, and examiners occasionally note it.

Keep numbering depth consistent across chapters. If chapter two goes to three levels and chapter four stops at one, that asymmetry usually reflects a real imbalance in how developed the chapters are, and it is visible on the contents page before anyone reads a word.

Lists of tables, figures and abbreviations

These sit after the contents page and are generated the same automatic way, from captions rather than headings.

Use Insert Caption on every table and figure rather than typing captions as ordinary text, then References, Insert Table of Figures, selecting the correct label. Table captions conventionally sit above the table and figure captions below it, which is a small convention that departments do check.

A list of abbreviations is worth including once you have more than about six, and it should be alphabetical. Define each abbreviation at first use in the text as well, because a reader should not have to turn back to page vii mid-sentence. Do not include abbreviations so standard in your field that defining them is odd: NHS, DNA, GDP.

Final checks before you submit

The contents page is the last thing to update and the easiest thing to forget, because by then you are editing prose rather than structure. Five checks, five minutes.

1. 1Right-click the table and choose Update Field, then Update entire table. Not just page numbers: heading text changes too.
2. 2Check that the first page of chapter one is numbered 1, not 8. If it is 8, the section break did not take.
3. 3Check the last entry against the actual last page. If they disagree, something is not styled as a heading.
4. 4Read the heading text on the contents page as a list. It should read as a coherent outline of the argument, and if it does not, the structure needs attention rather than the formatting.
5. 5Convert to PDF and check the contents page again. Word to PDF conversion occasionally shifts pagination, and the version the examiner sees is the PDF.