• Front Matter
  
  
• Text, and
  
  
• Back Matter and Reference Material.
  
  

FRONT MATTER, OR PRELIMINARIES

a) TITLE PAGE
Artistic latitude is allowed for the Title Page, so there is little standardization except that it should include:

• Name of the Document
  
  
• Date and or version
  
  
• Authors (if permitted)
  
  
• Corporate information
  

This page is numbered page i but the number is not shown. The reverse side of the Title Page should be left blank. Text of the following page should not be allowed to show through.

b) COPYRIGHT PAGE
A blank sheet prevents the text of the following page from showing through the white space on the title page. The sheet may be used as the copyright page when required, with the copyright notice placed near the bottom. In either case, the sheet is counted in the pagination but the page number is not shown. A copyright notice may be included even if the copyright is not registered.

c) TABLE OF CONTENTS
The table of contents, usually headed CONTENTS (full capitals), lists all the parts of the document except the title page, blank page, and copyright page. No page numbers appear on any of the leading pages, but all are actually counted in the pagination of the front matter. The main chapters or sections have headings in the contents as appropriate, but their page number is not shown. All other headings are shown with page number.

In preparing a table of contents there is latitude in both the amount of information included and the method of presenting it. At one extreme the contents may provide what is essentially an outline of the document contents, including all the levels. At the other extreme the contents may omit the suhheads even though they exist in the document. When more than one heading level is included in the contents they must appear in order of rank.

The contents may include:

• A list of illustrations,
  
  
• List of tables,
  
  
• Preface
  
  
• Acknowledgments
  
  
• List of abbreviations, and
  
  
• Glossary.
  

The hack matter, or reference matter (appendix. endnotes, and bibliography or reference list) all start flush left, like the front matter. A line space should be left between items in the table of contents.

d) LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
A list of illustrations is headed ILLUSTRATIONS. The figure numbers are given in arabic numerals followed by a “leader” of a selected or standard type.

The named figures are cited with their caption, followed by page location. The captions in the list of illustrations should agree with those given beneath the illustrations, unless excessively long. Captions should be capitalized using title case.

e) GLOSSARY
It is often desirable to include a list of technical words and phrases that may be unfamiliar to the reader. The list should include an explanation or definition for each included term. The terms should be arranged alphabetically, each typed flush left and followed by a period, a dash, or a colon, followed by the definition. The glossary may be position with the front matter or back matter. When put in the back matter it should follow any appendix, but precede a bibliography if included.


BACK MATTER AND REFERENCE MATERIAL

a) APPENDIX
There maybe occasions when appendix are required to support a document. An appendix is a group of related items and may contain tables too detailed for text presentation, a large group of illustrations, technical notes or details, and sometimes figures or other illustrative materials. All appendixes go at the end of a paper, not at the ends of chapters. Materials of different categories should be placed in separate appendixes. When there is more than one appendix, each is given a number or a letter. If there is only one appendix the writer may or may not give it a title; if there is more than one appendix each must bear a descriptive title, which also appears in the table of contents On the opening page of each appendix the generic heading and the title are both centered and typed in full capitals.

b) INDEX
The index should include a all topics and terms of particular interest in the document arranged in alphabetic order with respective page numbers. If the term is important and occurs more than one time in the document the page numbers where it appears should be listed.

Indexing is a kind of art unto itself as any professional indexer will tell you. It will be a separate topic on this site in the near future.

Front & Back Matter is discussed in more detail in my book.