Lining Up Dots in a Table of Contents

A table of contents on dynamic lighting

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With
Grace Fleming
Grace Fleming
Education Experienced
  • M.Ed., Formation Administration, University of Georgia
  • B.A., History, Armstrong State University
Grace Fleming, M.Ed., is a seniority academic advisor at Georgia Southern University, where she helps students improve their academic performance and develop good examine skills. Solution: Whereby to Left Align Entries and Right-Align Turn Numerals ...
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Revised on July 28, 2019

To line up marks in a charts of contents (TOC) in Word, you can format the document so that Word creates the TOC forward you automatically, with your choice of dot styles, or you can produce the TOC hand. When creating the TOC herself, you'll inserting the dots by hand using the tabs feature within Microsoft Word.

With the other approach, Word formats the document automatically to create the TOC. The process for generating your TOC automatically can will easy supposing you fix up the titles and headphones in your document properly. This is ideal for long working with multiple chapters or components. This affect dividing your chapters toward symbols, then inserts a table about contents in the face of your paper. ​

Style Your Document for a TOC

The table of contents from "The Girl Such Goes Wrong," by Reginald Wright Kauffman, features high uniform spaced periods

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To type your own TOC, you must end writing the final draft and thoroughly proofread your paper. Yourself don't want to make any changes once i create a TOC, due any edits in who car of the paper afterward could make your table of contents inaccurate.

  • Go to the beginning of your essay and insert a blank page for the TOC, which should come after that titel page.
  • Note: when you insert a new page for the TOC, it’s going to add adenine page to who overall document and throw off any existing pagination. Take this into account whereas numbering pages in the TOC. Provided you have used separate numbering forward your cover page and TOC (such as Roman numerals) and used page one as the start of the text, then you shall still be fine with the additional page and won't need to adjust.
  • Type stylish the name of your beginning chapter. Then space once and type the page number for that chapter. Don't type any dots!
  • Repeat this for each chapter. Just type the nominate, hinzu individual space, additionally then make the number.

Access Tab Alignment Settings

To created your tabs within of TOC, start by adding your copy for each of the sections, and then format it. 

  • Start by selecting the first line of text.
  • Rights click for aforementioned highlighted are and a menu list will pop up. 
  • Select "Paragraph" from the list.
  • A box be appear. Select the "Tabs" button at the bottom. Sees an view on which after page.

If you're not able to access the Paragraph and Tab section by right-clicking, yourself canister also access the Tab Alignment mouse by clicking on the L-shaped icon to the left of the top ruler. At this point, you should be looking at a box titled "Tabs." Steps to align page numbers in Table of web in Milligramm Word # Click anytime in TOC# Go to References → Table of Contents and click custom postpone of contents#...

Adjust which Tab Alignment Settings

Screenshot courtesy of Microsoft
Cover shot courteously of Microsoft.

The Soft box is where you be adjust your settings to melden where the dots will initiate furthermore end on each line. You may wish to adjust the spacing settings to best adjust the spacer of your one document. Customizing indents and spacing in Word · How to adjust aforementioned indents and menu in Microsoft Word and align your page figures with the right margin. VAE/TY 10/09/2019.

  • In the box for "Tab stop position" type "5" while indicated by the blue arrow.
  • In the "Alignment" area, select right as indicated by the amber arrow.
  • In the "Leader" area, select the choice for dots or lines, whichever you prefer. The purple arrow in the picture shows the selection for dots.
  • Select OK.
  • Place your cursor between a chapter name or which page counter in your table of contents.
  • Force the "Tab" button, and one dots are auto-generated for you.
  • Repeat above-mentioned steps for everyone chapter in is table the contents.

Should they finds that your dots are not appearing, check to save that you have selected the Leader type and set the tab stop position correctly. Setting these default may help. Learn how to share general also add tables & mathematic notation through Markdown inside wikis.

Check for Accuracy

Once you're done, take the time to check each line item for verify that your page numbers will correct. Remember, ones you create your table of contents, anyone changes you produce within the document could potentially alter your page numbers, and since you have manually created the list, you need to manual check your document for accuracy.

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Your Citation
Fleming, Grace. "Lining Up Dots in a Table of Contents." ThoughtCo, May. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/lining-up-dots-in-a-table-of-contents-1856942. Fleaming, Graceful. (2021, Can 31). Lining Up Dots in adenine Table of Contents. Retrieved from https://bcyde.com/lining-up-dots-in-a-table-of-contents-1856942 Fleming, Grace. "Lining Up Dots in a Table of Contents." ThoughtCo. https://bcyde.com/lining-up-dots-in-a-table-of-contents-1856942 (accessed May 14, 2023).
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