Order and structure
Preliminary pages
Preliminary pages (prelims) can include any or all of the following:
- half-title page (optional, prepared by ACER Press)
- title page (prepared by ACER Press)
- imprint page (prepared by ACER Press)
- foreword (optional, by a person recognised in the field who endorses the book)
- table of contents (prepared by author)
- list of figures and tables (optional, prepared by author)
- list of abbreviations (optional, prepared by author)
- preface (optional, prepared by author)
- dedication (optional, prepared by author)
- acknowledgements (optional, prepared by author, may be supplemented by ACER Press)
- introduction (optional, prepared by author).
Chapters
These should contain the main content of your book, including text, figures and tables. Chapter numbering and structure should be consistent.
End material
End material (also called ‘end matter’) can include any or all of the following:
- appendices
- glossary
- bibliography
- endnotes
- further reading
- list of resources
- references
- index.
The author prepares all end material.
Headings
Write headings that are short and clear and that convey the main point. Headings should be written in sentence case (where only the first letter of the first word is capitalised, with the exception of proper nouns) and should use minimal punctuation. Do not put full stops or colons at the end of headings.
If you are familiar with the ‘Styles’ function in the ‘Home’ menu in Word, you can use the default headings to create a hierarchy of headings (Heading 1, 2, 3 and 4). Alternatively, you can indicate heading level in square brackets ([A], [B], [C]) in the manuscript.