Step 3: Table of Contents

UCF requires that all items in the TABLE OF CONETENTS, LIST OF TABLES, and LIST OF FIGURES have
internal (clickable) links within the PDF (i.e. click on an item and go to that page).
To create an interactive TOC, you must have used Word styles to format all headings and subheadings
throughout the document. If you have not yet implemented styles, see the Headings and Subheadings
help file before continuing here.
NOTE TO MAC USERS:
Your TABLE OF CONTENTS, LIST OF FIGURES, and LIST OF TABLES will not be clickable if your Word file is
converted to PDF from a MAC. This is an incompatibility issue between MAC and Adobe Acrobat that
cannot be changed.
In order to have clickable lists you must open your Word file on a PC, delete the TABLE OF CONTENTS,
LIST OF FIGURES, and LIST OF TABLES contents completely and reinsert these lists on the PC. Once these
lists have been regenerated from the PC you can convert to PDF and the links will work correctly.

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Creating a TABLE OF CONTENTS

It is assumed that you have already applied a heading style to each heading and subheading in your
document. Because you have assigned a style to each heading and subheading, Word has tracked the
location of those items and can now create a list of them: a Table of Contents. The following instructions
will show you how to automatically insert and update this list of your headings and subheadings (Table
of Contents).
As a reminder, ensure at this time that all of your major headings (e.g. Abstract, Acknowledgments,
Table of Contents, chapter headings, etc.) have been physically typed using the Caps Lock key. When
inserted automatically, the Table of Contents will display the headings and subheadings exactly as they
have been typed on the page.
For example, if you have typed your major headings in lower case letters, then changed the font setting
or heading style to be in All Caps the Table of Contents will still display your headings exactly how they
are typed on the page: in lowercase letters, not the All Caps selected in the other settings. Since all
major section headings must be displayed in all caps wherever they appear, you will want to ensure they
are typed this way first.

Generating the Table of Contents Automatically

As you will generate the TABLE OF CONTENTS from heading styles, first verify that all headings and
subheadings have the particular heading style you intended. For example, your chapter headings should
all use the Heading 1 style.

Find your blank TABLE OF CONTENTS page. If you havent already done so, hit return afterwards
so that you have a blank line underneath the TABLE OF CONTENTS and before the page break.

Be sure that the formatting of that line has been cleared.

Find the References tab.

The farthest left section of the ribbon is for TABLE OF CONTENTS creation: click on Table of
Contents.

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Choose Insert Table of Contents

A menu will appear in the center of the page. Click on the second tab at the top of the menu -labeled
Table of Contents - to see the following menu:

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Your TABLE OF CONTENTS should not include your Precontent; if it did, the TABLE OF CONTENTS would
be listed in your TABLE OF CONTENTS. To remove it:

Click on the button labeled Options

Another menu will appear. At least Heading 1, 2 and 3 should have the numbers 1, 2 and 3
associated respectively:

Scroll down until you see Precontent.

Highlight the number 1 associated with Precontent, and then hit Backspace on your keyboard
to remove the number.

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Then hit OK.

The menu shown before should now look like this, without Precontent listed as a heading:

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Hit OK again.

The menu will disappear and the TABLE OF CONTENTS will be generated on the page. Should you need
to update the list (youve added sections or moved something), follow the next set of directions below.
If not, youre done with creating the TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PLEASE NOTE: If you see mistakes (misspellings, spacing problems) for items in your TABLE OF
CONTENTS, dont type the corrections into the TABLE OF CONTENTS directly. This can cause your links to
work incorrectly in the final PDF. Instead, go to that heading in your document and make the corrections
to the actual heading and update the TABLE OF CONTENTS to reflect the changes.

Updating the TABLE OF CONTENTS

There are two different ways to update the TABLE OF CONTENTS in Word 2007. Both ways are outlined
here.

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Right-click on the grey area (within the TABLE OF CONTENTS itself). You will see a small menu
popup.

Choose Update Field

Another small menu will pop up:

Choose Update entire table and hit OK.

Alternately, you can use the Update Table option in the ribbon.

Click on the grey area of the TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Locate the Update Table option, and click it.

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The TABLE OF CONTENTS should update.

Correcting TABLE OF CONTENTS Errors

Bookmark Not Defined
If you see one or more of your page numbers in the TABLE OF CONTENTS replaced with the message
Error! Bookmark not defined you will need to update the TABLE OF CONTENTS. See instructions
above.

If the error persists, go to that particular Heading, clear formatting, and reapply the heading style.
Incorrect Margins
Usually, this is the result of modifying the Normal style. There are two ways to fix the problem, one
temporary and one permanent.

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Temporary fix:

Highlight the TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Click on the upper triangle (indentation marker) in the ruler.

When you click on the triangle, a dotted line will appear on the page, as displayed above.

Drag the mouse back to the left margin, then let go of the mouse.

The TABLE OF CONTENTS will have shifted. If you need to re-insert the TABLE OF CONTENTS, this margin
fix will not stay in place. You will have to follow the temporary fix again OR make a permanent fix to the
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Permanent fix:

Place your cursor at the first entry in the TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Follow the same instructions to insert a TABLE OF CONTENTS: (References>Table of

Contents>Insert Table of Contents)

The Index and Tables menu box will appear in the middle of the screen.

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Click on the Modify button in the lower right corner.

A Style menu will appear. This is where you will permanently modify the indentation of the TABLE OF
CONTENTS.

Click on the button labeled Modify in this menu.

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Another menu box will appear; this box is similar to the one used to modify Headings.

Click on the button labeled Format in the lower left corner, then select Paragraph.

Another menu will appear.

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Under Special, choose (none).

Hit OK to clear the Paragraph menu.

Hit OK again to clear the Modify Style menu.

You will not only need to modify the first level of the TABLE OF CONTENTS, but all levels that have
corresponding Headings. If you have used up to Heading 3 in your document, you must go back and
modify paragraphs for TOC 2 and TOC 3.

Click on TOC2.

Click on Modify.

A new Modify Style menu will appear. As before, go to Format and select Paragraph.

Under Special, choose (none).

Hit OK to clear the Paragraph menu.

Hit OK again to clear the Modify Style menu.

Do the same for TOC 3 (and TOC 4 and 5 if you use those Headings).

When finished, Hit OK to clear all remaining menus.

Click YES to create a new TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Should you need to recreate the TABLE OF CONTENTS again, you will not have to reset the margins.
Removing TABLE OF CONTENTS Item Duplication
Sometimes early headings (especially LIST OF TABLES or LIST OF FIGURES) can appear twice in the TABLE
OF CONTENTS. Both links may be active, but the TOC should only contain one entry.
DO NOT highlight the line and hit Backspace or Delete this can cause you to lose the links during
conversion. Instead, follow these steps.

Find the first duplicated title in the document. For example, if your LIST OF TABLES appears
twice, go to the LIST OF TABLES page.

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In this example, the page break is close to the words LIST OF TABLES without any hard returns
between. The proximity of the two items makes Word think that the page break is simply part of the
words LIST OF TABLES, so it marks (what it sees) as a heading entry on two pages. This is why the
duplication occurs.

Place your cursor before the word List and hit Enter. Another paragraph mark will appear
above.

In the Home tab, you will see a section of the ribbon called Styles. In the lower right-hand corner of
this section you will see a little diagonal arrow. Click on the arrow to bring up the Styles menu.

You will see a list of all of the styles that have been used in the document so far.

Find Clear All at the top of the list and click on it. The paragraph mark should become much smaller and
left-aligned, and the page break should now stretch all the way across the previous page.

Now, all that remains to be done is to update the TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Scroll back to the TABLE OF CONTENTS.

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Click on the grey area (the Table itself).

Locate the Update Table option, and click it.

The TABLE OF CONTENTS should reflect only one title. If you have a second duplication, follow the same
steps again.

You are now ready for

Step 4: Figures and Tables
Questions?
Please contact the Editor
at [email protected]
OR
Submit your Microsoft Word file to the Format Help
page of the Thesis and Dissertation Services site.

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