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Types of Assignment

How to start, plan and structure your work

Table of Contents in Word

When making a report in Word it can be very useful to use the tools built into the program to assist your structuring.

How to Insert a Contents Table.

Microsoft Word Tutorial step by step
Creating a table of contents page with Microsoft Word.


Step  1    Use styles. Headings should be formatted with header 1 (e.g. Chapters) and subheadings should be formatted with header 2. 
Step  2    Click on the “References” tab to select the option “table of contents”.
Step  3    Customise your table of contents style and format by selecting “custom table of contents”.
Step  4    Click "Update" to refresh the table of contents page.

How to:

To designate a section as a Heading.

Highlight the heading words and then in the ribbon select Home and then Styles.

Word Home Ribbon

To create the Contents Table.

On the ribbon select References and select Table of Contents.

Word Ribbon  Table of Contents

 

Word table of contents example

Figures and Tables

When writing reports you will often include media (Tables and Figures) which needs to be clearly identified and labelled.

 

If Referencing directs the reader to external sources of information, then clearly naming your internal media gives the reader the direction they need within the report.

 

Tables are representations of the data and show numbers in column or rows. Figures use that data to show the information in a more visual manner, assisting the reader in their understanding. While labeling the table, the label or numbers are centered and written on the top of the tables. 

Example Table:


Table 1: Title

Data Numbers
12 56
14 94

Figures refer to any visual information including but not limited to charts, diagrams, graphs, photos, etc. which are not Tables. They can be in the main sections of the report, or if they contain supplemental material they may be contained in an appendix e.g. survey questions used in a primary research project. Figures should always be numbered in the order they appear within the document e.g. Figure 1, and always underneath the image.

Example Figure:

Photo of a cat

Figure 1: Photo of a cat 

Or if from a source of information - Figure 1: Photo of a cat (Heap, 2020)

Tech: How to......

Insert a caption for a picture

Insert a table of figures

 

Figure Caption / Figure Legend: sometimes these terms are used interchangeably. Figure captions provide more detail to the reader ensuring they can understand the figure without having to read the main body of text. Factors to include in a good caption: Figure X: title, materials and methods, results and any supporting definitions. 

Managing Long Documents in Word

This video shows the main points that would be covered in a live session of the workshop. To access a transcript please view it using the Watch on YouTube option.

Additional resources that accompany the workshop:

Creating a Digital Contents in Microsoft Word

 

To access a transcript please view it using the Watch on YouTube option.