Indexing Jyothi Jandhyala Disclaimer Indexing cannot be reduced
Indexing Jyothi Jandhyala
Disclaimer! Indexing cannot be reduced to a set of steps that can be followed! It is not a mechanical process. Indexing books is a form of writing. Like other types of writing, it is a mixture of art and craft, judgment and selection. With practice and experience, indexers develop their own style as do other writers. The best we can do as teachers of indexing is to present the rules and offer guidance. * *Nancy C. Mulvany, Indexing Books
Agenda n n n n n Introduction Primary entries Secondary entries Indexing guidelines Formatting and style Cross-references Tools used for indexing Refining an index Resources
Introduction n n n What is an index? Why and when is an index required? What to index What not to index Components of an index entry Planning your index
What is an index? A good index records every pertinent statement made within the body of the text. The subject matter and purpose of the book determine which statements are pertinent and which peripheral. An index should be considered more than an expanded, alphabetical table of contents. It should also be something other than a concordance of words and phrases. * * The Chicago Manual of Style, 14 th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993, p. 703
Why and when is an index required? n n Free-text search Terms and concept/relevance and irrelevance Size of a document/index
What to index n n n n n Headings Terms and concepts important to the user Overviews Procedures Acronyms and abbreviations Definitions, new terms, industry-specific terms Commands, functions, methods, and properties Warnings, notes, tips, etc. Common synonyms for words in the topics
What not to index n n n Front matter Glossary terms Passing mention of a subject
Components of an index entry n n Heading text Locators (page, section, paragraph) Secondary entries Cross-references
Planning your index n n n Consider audience Consider context as well as content. Index entries should lead to useful information, not to every occurrence of a subject. Categorize concepts by considering logical relationship among entries, clarity, crossreferencing, and completeness. The structure of your index determines how useful it is to the user to find information.
Primary entries n n n Clone heading text. Provide multiple postings. Create synonym entries – words and verbs.
Primary entries - examples n n Creating documents Documents, creating Adding documents Files, adding
Secondary entries n n n Group related entries. Split primary entries with multiple locators. Do not repeat the primary entry in the secondary entry. Ensure that there at least two or three secondary entries. Limit the number of index levels to three.
Secondary entries - examples n Editing text n moving n copying n pasting
Indexing guidelines n n General guidelines Guidelines for print index
General guidelines n n n n n Index only significant occurrence of words/concepts Arrange words for emphasis Verbs – use gerunds rather than imperative Avoid common gerunds, be specific Limit usage of prepositions and articles Use plural rather than singular Capitalization Punctuation Parallelism Locators
Guidelines for print index n n If the primary entry is followed by secondary entries, do not leave the primary entry alone at the bottom of the column. If you must break up a list of secondary entries, at the top of the next column, include the primary entry followed by (continued). Include no more than two to four page references per index entry. Separate multiple page references with commas.
Formatting and style n n Run-in versus flush left and hanging (indented) index for primary and secondary index entries. Multiple entries separated by a semicolon. The font should be the same as that in the document. However, font size should be smaller. In general, do not use special character formats such as bold or italic for entries, unless used in the actual text.
Cross-references n n See n Direct an user from a term not used in document to a term that is used as index entry. n Acronyms and abbreviations. See also n Direct user to related information.
Cross-references - examples n See n n n Pride and Prejudice. See Jane Austen HTML. See Hypertext Markup Language See also n Pride and Prejudice. See also Bridget Jones diary
Guidelines for cross-references n n n n Use with discretion. Avoid in online index. Use italic font style for see and see also. Never use a See reference with an entry that has a page number. Never include a page number for See and See also references. Make sure that these references use the exact wording of the index entry. Also, no blind cross-references. Do not use See also reference to direct a user to an inverted entry or a See reference. Use a semi colon to separate multiple See and See also references.
Tools used for indexing n n n HTMLIndexer (http: //www. html-indexer. com/ ) IXgen for Frame. Maker (http: //www. fsatools. com) Frame. Maker, Word, Robo. Help, and so on.
Refining an index n n n n Remove superfluous and generic entries. Use only primary entries if there are too many secondary entries. Remove secondary entries that point to the same page. Re-organize multiple secondary entries. Do not over index or under index. Remove misuse of singular and plural words. Check variations in wording.
Summary n The single most important principle is this: Include all pertinent information in the index and make it easy to find.
Resources n n The Chicago Manual of Style Microsoft Manual of Style Read Me First! World Wide Web
Thanks!
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