Locate individual sections of your research paper and identify page numbers for each section. Some research papers have different sections and within each section, there are chapters and headings. If your paper is less complex, look through the finished document and identify main sections, such as, "Introduction," "Abstract" and "Research Findings," for example. Verify that you've included page numbers in the top right corner of each page for easy reader identification.
Begin your contents page with a title identifying it as such. There's nothing wrong with titling your contents page, "Contents" or "Table of Contents." Center the title on the page and leave two to three lines before your first entry.
On the left hand margin, type the title of your first main heading, chapter or section. For example, if the introduction to your paper is found on page three, type, "Introduction," then all the way flush with the right margin, "Pg 3." Typically, writers place a series of dots, known as "ellipses" between the heading title and page number. Also, it's not necessary to include "Pg" if you indicate in some way that all numbers flush with the right margin indicate page numbers.
Continue adding headings and the page numbers where they are found. Some authors indent to differentiate between headings, chapters and sections. If you choose to do this, be consistent about leaving all headings flush with the left margin, all chapters indented the same number of spaces beneath the heading and all sections indented the same number of spaces beneath the chapters. Continue to add ellipses and page numbers, verifying that you have the correct page numbers listed before completing the contents page.
Add the contents page to your final document as the first page after the title page. Do not assign a page number to the title page or the contents page.