Roles Played by Front and Back Matter Elements

Roles Played by Front and Back Matter Elements • They help readers find the information they seek. • They help readers decide whether to read the document. • They substitute for the whole document. • They help readers understand the document. Chapter 12. Drafting and Revising Front and Back Matter © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's

Elements of the Front Matter • Letter of transmittal • Alerts the reader to the purpose and content • Overview of main points • Acknowledges any assistance or experts consulted by the writers • Title page • Company logo optional • Title • Prepared for • Prepared by • Date Chapter 12. Drafting and Revising Front and Back Matter © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's

Elements of the Front Matter, continued • Table of contents • Use tabs and dot leaders to separate entries from page numbers, not periods. • Rule of thumb: include first three level headings in table of contents. • Do not include any items before the table of contents. • List of Illustrations Chapter 12. Drafting and Revising Front and Back Matter © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's

Elements of the Front Matter, continued • Executive summary • Addressed to managers • Background • Be specific – quantify descriptions Chapter 12. Drafting and Revising Front and Back Matter © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's

Elements of the Back Matter • References • For help with documenting, see text p. 592 • Glossary and list of symbols optional • Appendices optional • Anything that is too bulky for the body that will interest only a few readers • Maps, technical diagrams or charts, computations, test data, texts of supporting documents • May be divided into separate sections • Appendices labeled with letters rather than numbers Chapter 12. Drafting and Revising Front and Back Matter © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's

When Adding Page Numbers to Your Document, Remember Two Points: • The table of contents page does not list itself as an entry. • Front matter is numbered using lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, and so forth). The body of the document and back matter is numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, and so on), typically in the upper outside corner of the page. Chapter 12. Drafting and Revising Front and Back Matter © 2004 by Bedford/St. Martin's