Table of Contents Generator
Type your headings and their page numbers and get a formatted table of contents — or a list of figures or tables — with dot leaders, right-aligned page numbers and roman-numeral front matter. Copy it into Word or Google Docs, or as plain text padded to the width you choose. Free, no sign-up.
One entry per line, ending with its page number. Show levels with # signs, outline numbers such as 2.1, or indentation. Front-matter pages can be lowercase roman numerals: iii.
Type or paste your entries to build the list.
How to Use the Table of Contents Generator
- Choose what you are making. A table of contents, a list of figures or a list of tables; the heading changes to match, and you can edit it.
- Type one entry per line, page number last. Separate the page from the title with spaces, a tab or dots. Mark levels with # signs, outline numbers such as 2.1, or indentation, and give front-matter pages in lowercase roman numerals.
- Check the warnings. Missing page numbers, pages that run backwards and roman numerals after arabic ones are flagged.
- Copy it. The rich copy pastes into Word or Google Docs as a two-column table; the plain text lines up in a monospaced font.
Automatic or Typed?
If your document’s headings use heading styles, let the word processor build the table of contents. In Word, choose References → Table of Contents: Word builds it from text formatted as Heading 1, Heading 2 and so on, lets you choose the dot leader and the number of levels under Custom Table of Contents, and updates the page numbers when you right-click the table and choose Update Field. In Google Docs, choose Insert → Page elements → Table of contents, then Refresh after editing. An automatic table always has the right page numbers, which matters in a long thesis.
A typed table of contents is still the answer when the headings are not styled — a document assembled from several files, a PDF exported from another program, a template that strips styles — when your school’s format differs from what the automatic table produces, or when you need a list of figures or tables and the captions were typed by hand.
Formatting Conventions
- Dot leaders run from the end of each title to its page number, and the page numbers line up at the right margin.
- Front matter — the abstract, acknowledgments and the lists themselves — is numbered in lowercase roman numerals (ii, iii, iv), and the main text starts again at arabic page 1. The title page is usually counted but not numbered, so it is not listed.
- Levels are indented under their parent, typically by a quarter or half inch per level; most schools show two or three.
- Lists of figures and tables give each caption with its number — Figure 1. Study timeline — and the page it appears on.
- Your institution decides the details. Thesis guides set the spacing, capitalization and which levels to show; check yours before you submit.
Worked Example
Try a sample loads a thesis outline: three front-matter entries on pages iii, iv and vii, three chapters with numbered subsections, the references and an appendix. Outline numbers set the levels, so 1.1 Background sits one step in from 1 Introduction. At 72 characters the plain text begins:
Abstract ........................................................... iii
1 Introduction ....................................................... 1
1.1 Background ................................................... 2The rich copy sets the same entries in 12-point Times New Roman as a two-column table without borders: titles and dot leaders on the left, page numbers aligned on the right. Because the dots are typed rather than drawn by a tab stop, changing the font, size or margins afterwards can leave the leaders a little short or long — copy the table again, or use Word’s automatic table of contents if your headings are styled.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I make a table of contents with dots in Word?
- Format your headings with Word’s Heading 1, Heading 2 and Heading 3 styles, then choose References → Table of Contents; Custom Table of Contents lets you choose the dot leader and how many levels to show. To type one by hand instead, set a right-aligned tab stop with a dot leader at the right margin, or paste the table this tool makes.
- What page numbers does the front matter use?
- Lowercase roman numerals — i, ii, iii — for the pages before the main text: the abstract, acknowledgments, table of contents and lists of figures and tables. The main text starts at arabic page 1. Type the roman numerals as they appear, and the generator keeps them.
- Should the table of contents list itself?
- Usually not. The table of contents does not list its own page, but the lists of figures and tables that follow it are listed, along with the abstract and acknowledgments. Your institution’s thesis guide has the final word.
- What is the difference between a list of figures and a list of tables?
- A list of figures gives every figure — graphs, charts, diagrams, photographs — with its number, title and page; a list of tables does the same for tables. Each goes on its own page after the table of contents when a thesis or report has several of them.
- How many heading levels should a table of contents show?
- Two or three in most theses. Word’s automatic table shows three levels unless you change it; going deeper makes the contents long and hard to scan.
- Can I paste the table of contents into Google Docs?
- Yes. The rich copy pastes as a two-column table, with the titles and leader dots on the left and the page numbers right-aligned. If your headings are styled, Google Docs can also build one for you from Insert → Page elements → Table of contents.