Anatomy of a Table of Contents
There are a number of systems for describing and prescribing the elements and structure of a book and its table of contents (TOC). Addison-Wesley Professional and Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference follow The Chicago Manual of Style. Under the CMS system (and most other systems for that matter), a book can be divided into three broad divisions: front matter, text, and back matter. Each of the three contains different kinds of elements. This guide focuses on the elements that you, as an author, need to know and the order in which they should come in your TOC.
The typical elements that you need to concern yourself with, organized by divisions, are the following:
- Front Matter
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Author
- Text
Parts
Chapters
- Back Matter
Appendixes
Glossary
Bibliography
As implied above, there are book elements other than those listed. For the sake of simplicity and because you typically don't need to worry about them, we have left them out of the list. Some are solely our responsibility, such as the title page or the copyright page. Some are primarily our responsibility, although you may help us develop or acquire them, such as the index or a foreword.
Some elements may not be required, depending on things like author preference or the nature of the material covered. For example, we will not force you to have a dedication if you don't want to do one. Appendices are not required. A glossary may not make sense for every book. Check with your editor if you have any questions about whether or not to include a particular element.
While you are probably familiar with many of these elements, some maybe new or less familiar to you, so we have included discussion of several of them.
Book Elements
Let's start with the book element that you may be the least familiar with. The preface is often confused with other elements or just generally misunderstood.
Preface
The preface is used to communicate things like the author's vision for the book, who should read it, what kinds of background the reader should have, the content the book contains and how it is organized, advice on how to approach the content, and often the conventions used in the book. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list. See the document, "Guidelines for Preparing a Preface," for more details on what goes into a preface. It is sometimes confused with the introduction element. The introduction element also typically appears in the front matter, but its use is fairly rare. If you need to make certain that the reader is familiar with certain prerequisite historical, technical, or other background information, then you would present that material in an introduction. The introduction does not do the same job as the preface though, so the two should not be mistaken for one another.
The preface should also not appear as the book's first chapter (nor should the introduction for that matter), a mistake that also is sometimes made by first time authors. The preface is part of the front matter, not the text.
Parts
Parts divisions are often used to provide a superordinate level of organization to a table of contents. Use parts divisions when chapters seem to fall into logical groupings. They often help the reader see the themes of the book and understand the organization scheme a little more easily. Do not force them into the table of contents if they don't make sense though.
Appendixes
Appendixes (or appendices) contain useful information that just does not fit well in the flow of any of the chapters or that is "extra" in some sense. It may also be that it would just make a chapter too long or would necessitate use of an overly large chapter element like a table that span many pages. It is valuable information that extends or supports the main text but just did not work well in or as chapters. Use appendixes to add value to your book.
Glossary
Glossaries are very useful for terminology heavy books that are basic in nature or are aimed at audiences with little background in the subject matter. You will usually have discussed the need (or lack thereof) for a glossary with your editor.
Example TOCs
We have included a couple of examples of a table of contents to help illustrate the concepts discussed in these guidelines.
TOC with Parts Divisions
This first example includes parts divisions:
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Part IThe Basics
Chapter 1Beginning at the Beginning
Chapter 2Computational Roots
Chapter 3Mountaineering
Chapter 4Managing
Part IISoftware Differences
Chapter 5The Most Important Thing
Chapter 6Modeling
Chapter 7Coding
Chapter 8Getting It Out the Door
Part IIIThe Project Management View
Chapter 9Trade-Offs
Chapter 10Estimating
Chapter 11Scheduling
Chapter 12Rhythm
Part IVThe Human Element
Chapter 13Politics
Chapter 14Negotiating
Chapter 15Signing Up
Chapter 16Compensation
Part VThinking Laterally
Chapter 17History Lesson
Chapter 18Bad Analogies
Chapter 19The Refresh Problem
Chapter 20No So Random Numbers
Part VAdvanced Topics
Chapter 21Crisis
Chapter 22Growth
Chapter 23Culture
Chapter 24Putting It All Together
Bibliography
Simple TOC with Appendices
This example does not include parts divisions, but it does include appendices. Note how they are given letters rather than numbers.
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Chapter 1An Introduction to OpenGL
Chapter 2Drawing Primitives
Chapter 3Transformation and Viewing
Chapter 4Lighting
Chapter 5Pixel Rectangles
Chapter 6Texture Mapping
Chapter 7Extensions and Versions
Chapter 8Platform-Specific Interfaces
Appendix AOther Features
Appendix BBest Practices
Appendix CPerformance
Appendix DDebugging
Conclusion
This document should give you a road map for the structure of your book. If you still have questions about how to order your TOC or what elements to use to do what, contact your editor.