The Table of Contents of the thesis

In the table of contents, you must record all the chapters, sections, and subsections of the text, and you must exactly match their numbering, pages, and wording. This may seem like obvious advice, but before handing in the thesis, you should carefully verify that you have met these requirements.

The table of contents is an indispensable ser­vice that you provide both to the reader and to yourself, as it helps one to quickly locate a particular topic. Generally in English and also in many German books, it appears at the begin­ning; in Italian and French books, it appears at the end. (Recently, some Italian publishers have also begun placing the table of contents at the beginning.) I think the table of contents is more convenient at the beginning of a work. You can find it after a few pages, whereas you have to exert more energy to consult it at the end. But if it is at the beginning, it should truly be at the beginning. Some English books place it after the preface; but often after the preface comes an introduction to the first edition, then an introduction to the second edition. This is an outrage. They may as well place the table of contents in the middle of the book.

An alternative is to place a table of con­tents proper (listing only the chapters) at the very beginning of a work, and a more detailed version with exhaustive subdivisions at the end. Another alternative is to place the table of contents with the chapters at the beginning, and an index of subjects at the end, generally accompanied by an index of names. However, this is not necessary in a thesis. It is sufficient to write a detailed table of contents, and preferably to place it at the beginning of the thesis, right after the title page.

The structure of the table of contents must mirror that of the text, as must the format.

This means that if in the text section 1.2 is a section of chapter 1, you must make this evident in the layout of the table of contents. To clarify, we will provide two models of a table of contents in table 6.4, but you could organize the chapters and sections differently, using Roman and Arabic numerals, letters, etc.

You could number the table of contents shown in table 6.4 as follows:

I. FIRST CHAPTER

I.1. First Section A.2. Second Section

I.2.1. First Subsection A.2.2. Second Subsection Etc.

Or you could present it this way:

II. FIRST CHAPTER

II.1. First Section

II.2. Second Section

• First Subsection
• Second Subsection
• Etc.

You can even choose other criteria, as long as they provide the same immediate clarity and evidence.

As you can see, it is not necessary to con­clude the titles with a period. Also, it is a good rule to align the numbers to the right of the column and not the left, as follows:

7.

8.

9.

10.

Not:

7.

8.

9.

10.

The same applies to Roman numerals.

Sophistication? No, cleanliness. If your tie is crooked, you straighten it, and even a hippie does not like to have pigeon droppings on his shoulder.

Source: Eco Umberto, Farina Caterina Mongiat, Farina Geoff (2015), How to write a thesis, The MIT Press.