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Re: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??"
Subject:Re: TOC article in INTERCOM -- things that made me go "HUH??" From:"Michael West" <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- net -dot- au> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 14 Dec 2002 08:45:45 +1100
> * A recommendation that seems to *contradict* a
> requirement -- that you omit some headings at the chosen hierarchical
> level from the TOC. I was always taught that you included all headings
> at whatever level you chose. The only exception is maybe if the section
> is short enough that they'd all be on one or two pages, or if there is
> only one heading under a given heading at the next level up.
I don't see a real contradiction there.
It is not hard to think of cases where omitting a
group of minor headings would help make the TOC
more concise and useful. However, before doing that
I would take a good look at the material itself to
see if there is a structural problem with the headings
hierarchy that is the root problem.
The TOC should be a roadmap. Mapmakers often omit
or generalize details in order to show major features
("major" being subjective and relative to intent). The
goal is to help people find what they are looking for,
and sometimes that may mean "altering" the picture
somewhat in order to make the real terrain easier to
recognize and navigate.
--
Mike W
Melbourne
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