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Subject:Re: Word7 question: leading dots in TOC From:Jane Bergen <janeb -at- ANSWERSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 9 Jan 1997 12:00:20 +0000
On 9 Jan 97 at 11:26, John Bell wrote:
> My advice is to not use leader dots in a TOC at all.
> Although it is trendy now to use leader dots, standard typography
> practices are to use an em space between the heading and the page
> number in a TOC.
>
> For example, look at the TOC in your Chicago Manual of Style.
> You will see something like this:
>
> 1 The Parts of a Book 3
> 2 Manuscript Preparation and Copyediting 47
> 3 Proofs 105
>
> Had they right aligned the page numbers, the TOC would become
> hard to read. Leader dots provide some relief from that by
(other info deleted....)
This subject will probably start another holy war, but I do take
issue with the idea that this is the "standard typography practice"
(regardless of what the Chicago Style Manual says... I just looked
through my bookshelf of recent software manuals and did not find this
style ANYwhere. I also personally think it is HARDER to read, because
your eye has to jump around trying to find the page number. If the
page numbers are right-aligned, it enhances the reader's ability to
skim quickly down the page.
Anybody have any references to studies on this?
Jane Bergen
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"my opinions are my own..."
Jane Bergen, Technical Writer
janeb -at- answersoft -dot- com
AnswerSoft, Inc.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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