Web Standard: On this Page/Table of Contents

Note

All EPA public and internal content pages and web applications are required to follow this standard.

Definition

"On this Page" is a table of contents, or a list of links, most often found at the top of the page, that links to information found further down the page.

Content Requirement

Use a table of contents on pages that contain more than one main section, and that are more than two screenfuls long.
- As an introduction, before the contents list, write a short blurb for the page (one sentence may be sufficient) unless the information presented on the page is completely intuitive.
- After the introduction, create either a bulleted (preferred) or pipeline table of contents with links to each heading. Do not use any other style of list for the table of contents. If the page presents questions and answers, the links will be to the questions.
If closely related information on this topic is available on other pages, a second “On Other Pages” bulleted table of contents may also be displayed (see Example 2 below).
The title text, "On this page" or "On Other Pages" must be bolded and in a <div> tag. Do not use <p> tags.
A horizontal rule is added after the table of contents.

Examples

Example 1

Example 2

About this Standard

All EPA public web content must adhere to all federal requirements including; the EPA Web Standards, the U.S. Web Design System guidelines, federal plain language guidelines, and the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act. Internal content, including Intranet and Microsoft 365, may differ from the public content. If not explicitly stated, content must adhere to all federal requirements.

Original effective date: 09/12/2012
Date last reviewed and approved: 03/13/2024
Next Web Council review by: 03/13/2027 (or earlier if deemed necessary by the Web Council).