Archive for the ‘indexing’ Category

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Conclusions on Ethics in Indexing

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019

This blog posting concludes the discussion on ethics in indexing.  Ethical issues are concerns that compel professionals to think about doing the right thing.  Janet Perlman includes a section, “Ethics and Professionalism,” in her book, Indexing Tactics & Tidbits: An A-Z Guide, Information Today, Inc., Medford, NJ, 2016, pp. 41-44.  On March 25, 2015, Heather Ebbs presented an American Society for Indexing webinar on “Ethics in Indexing.”  She focused on a number of scenarios highlighting ethical situations that indexers might face.

In all the cases, Ms. Ebbs said, communication with the client is key.  The indexer has a responsibility to the reader, the publisher, and the author.  To resolve differences, “communication is huge.”

If an indexer encounters biased language, Ms. Ebbs said she has an ethical obligation to the reader.  In addition, Ms. Perlman describes how bias in indexing may occur from the inclusion or exclusion of material.  An indexer may create more entries for material or points of view that she agrees with than for those she disagrees with.  This may be done without her even realizing it.  Or, an indexer may be aware of her disparagement of a certain point of view and intentionally create no entries for that material, or fewer entries than the text warrants.

The indexer should also adhere to business ethics and a code of ethics.  I discussed the American Society for Indexing’s Best Professional Practices for Indexers in a previous blog posting.

For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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Another Ethical Indexing Scenario

Monday, June 10th, 2019

This series of blog postings continues the discussion on ethics in indexing.  On March 25, 2015, Heather Ebbs presented an American Society for Indexing webinar on “Ethics in Indexing.”  She focused on a number of scenarios highlighting ethical issues that indexers might face.

Strong Beliefs

A friend of a sibling asks if you would index her book on child health in a few months once she has finished writing.  Normally you would ask to see a few sample chapters, but she catches you in a good mood on a busy day and after you negotiate prices and timelines, you push it to the back of your mind.  A few months later the pages arrive, and as you begin indexing, you notice two things.  First, the book is rife with typos.  She is self-publishing and appears not to have the book edited.  Second, you are dismayed to discover that she feels very differently about child health from the way you do.  In fact, you consider that much of her book contains misinformation.

Ms. Ebbs said that the indexer should let the author know early on that she may want to get the book edited.  The indexer may include information about typos that might need to be corrected.  She said that the indexer could approach the author about misinformation by saying, “By the way, you may want to check this fact.”  When she has done this, she said it worked out very well.

She said that if due to strong beliefs, “If you do not honestly feel you can take on this project, excuse yourself from indexing.”

I will wrap up our discussion of ethics in indexing in the next blog posting.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Ethical Indexing Scenario

Wednesday, May 1st, 2019

This series of blog postings focuses on ethics in indexing.  On March 25, 2015, Heather Ebbs presented an American Society for Indexing webinar on “Ethics in Indexing.”  She discussed a number of scenarios highlighting ethical issues that indexers might face.

Censorship

An editor sends you the pages of an educational text that includes information on the creation myths of different cultures, including various aboriginal peoples, Christians, Muslims, and many others.  The editor asks you to be sure to index every single mention of each Australian aboriginal group, no matter how trivial the reference.  However, he instructs you just to touch broadly on aboriginal people from other countries.  He tells you not to include any references to evolution, even though the author does describe it in relation to different world views in a few places in the book.

Ms. Ebbs said that it is best to base the index on the text and use cross-references.  The language used in the text might be offensive, and indexers may have to weigh political correctness.  The index should be an accurate representation of what’s in the text.    Despite this, she said that indexers are ethically obliged to work to the client’s specifications.

  • Censorship in indexing ranges from selection or deliberate exclusion of entries in the index to having no index at all.
  • Some of the reasons for censoring an index include economic grounds, marketing strategy, cultural beliefs, and author requests and errors.

In future blog postings, I will discuss other ethical indexing scenarios.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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Best Professional Practices

Saturday, April 6th, 2019

This blog posting focuses on the Best Professional Practices for Indexers, which is published on the American Society for Indexing website at https://www.asindexing.org/best-professional-practices/

Information Access
As Indexers, we promote access to information in all of its forms.  We dedicate ourselves to conciseness, clarity, coherence, and creativity, striving to meet the needs of all clients who may require the services of indexers.

Quality
We strive to produce the best indexes possible within time and budget constraints. We negotiate realistic agreements on schedules, price, and delivery format, and we fulfill contractual obligations in a timely, responsible manner.

Confidentiality
We respect the confidentiality of clients and employers, disclosing business-sensitive information only with their consent or when legally required to do so.

Fairness
We avoid conflicts of interest and disclose any potential conflicts to clients and employers before proceeding with negotiations or projects.

Professionalism
We are devoted to education about indexing.  We seek to advance the profession of indexing through our own integrity and excellence. We assist others in our profession through mentoring, networking, and instruction.

In future blog postings, I will discuss different ethical indexing scenarios.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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Ethics in Indexing

Saturday, March 23rd, 2019

Ethical issues occur in any workplace.  Ethical issues are principles that force professionals to “do the right thing.”  Ethics enable us to choose the right action under the circumstances.  Indexers and indexing are not exempt.  An indexer has to make decisions that involve ethical standards and that demonstrate professionalism.

A Code of Ethics is a systematic way of documenting the principles of action based on our core values.  An indexer has an ethical responsibility to his/her professional circle (colleagues), clients (including quality, business ethics), readers, and self.

Heather Ebbs discusses different scenarios presenting an ethical dilemma in her American Society for Indexing (ASI) webinar, “Ethics in Indexing,” which originally aired on March 25, 2015.  Janet Perlman includes a section, “Ethics and Professionalism,” in her book, Indexing Tactics & Tidbits: An A-Z Guide, Information Today, Inc., Medford, NJ, 2016, pp. 41-44.

I will discuss ASI’s Best Professional Practices in the next blog posting.

For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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More on Cross-References in an Index

Wednesday, August 1st, 2018

This is a reprint of a blog posting that was originally published on May 15, 2011.

Continuing our discussion of cross-references, this post explores additional references in the form of see under and see also under.  When a cross-reference directs readers to a subentry another a main heading, see under may be used.  The use of “under” indicates that the term will be found explicitly as a subheading below the main heading indicated.

  • silver coins. See under currency
  • Pride and Prejudice. See under Austen, Jane

If the cross-reference is to a subentry under another main heading, the words see also under may be used.  This cross-reference guides the reader to related and additional information that appears verbatim.

  • Maya: art of, 236-43; cities of, 178;  present day, 267. See also under Yucatan

For more information about the formatting of cross-references, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Cross-References in an Index

Saturday, July 7th, 2018

This is a reprint of a blog posting that was originally published on April 24, 2011.

Cross-reference refers to internal index navigation guides. These guides generally take the form of See or See also. The See cross-reference performs a vocabulary control function. It directs readers from a term not used in the index to a term that is used:

cars. See autos

See references direct a reader from, for example, an informal term to a technical one, a pseudonym to a real name, an inverted term to a noninverted one, or vice versa.  They are also used for variant spellings, synonyms, aliases, abbreviations, and so on.  The choice of the term under which the full entry appears depends largely on where readers are most likely to look.   The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that See references should therefore be given only where the indexer believes many readers might otherwise miss the full entry.

The See also cross-reference directs readers to closely related index entries:

digital photography, 2, 10. See also image-processing software

The primary function of a See also cross-reference is to guide users to related and additional information at another heading.  See also cross-references may be “two-way” as shown below:

  • drug trafficking. See also narcotics
  • narcotics. See also drug trafficking

I will explore cross-references further in the next post.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Double Posting of Index Entries

Tuesday, June 5th, 2018

This is the reprint of a blog posting that was originally published on January 15, 2011.

In an index, the indexer may choose to provide multiple access points for the same information.  Given the importance of the main heading, it may be reasonable to assume that readers may look up a topic in more than one way.  One reader may look up automobiles, while another reader may be just as likely to look up cars.  The indexer may decide to double-post the information using both terms, that is list it in two places:

  • automobiles, 35-40
  • cars, 35-40

Double-posting of index entries may take the form of direct inversions:

  • book contracts
  •      of trade publishers, 54-59
  • trade publishers
  •      book contracts of, 54-59

The advantage of double-posting information is that it gives readers multiple access points for information.  Disadvantages are that it may take up too much space in an index.  Also, when an entire entry is double-posted, both entries must contain the same information; the reference locators and subheadings must be the same.  While it may be easy to maintain this consistency when double-posted terms appear only once, it can be difficult for the indexer to remember to double-post all the cited information scattered throughout the text.

During the editing stage, the indexer must be sure that all double-posted entries are mirror images of each other.

For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Index Formats

Monday, May 7th, 2018

Run-In Versus Indented Indexes

This is the reprint of a blog posting that was originally printed on September 27, 2010.

The Chicago Manual of Style describes two index formats that publishers use: run-in and indented.  In run-in style, the subentries follow one another without each one starting a new line.  In indented style, each subentry begins a new line and is indented (usually one em).  The Chicago Manual of Style gives further specifics for each case.

The Chicago Manual of Style and many other scholarly publishers generally prefer run-in style because it requires less space.  It works best, however, when there is only one level of subhead.  However, the book itself, The Chicago Manual of Style, has an index in indented style.  Indented style is usually preferred in scientific works and reference works.  It is particularly useful where sub-subentries are required.

Each publishing house usually has its own indexing style guidelines, specifying which index format to use for its books.  This format is selected based on space considerations or on the material, since a work with a lot of scientific terminology would be easier to read in indented format.

For more information on run-in or indented  indexes, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

 

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Why is an index needed?

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

This is a reprint of a blog post that initially appeared on February 7, 2010.

Even if a book is well-written and contains a clear table of contents, a reader may still have trouble finding what he or she is looking for.  A good index acts as a bridge between the author’s concepts and the readers’ particular needs.

  • A good index saves the user time.  Whether the reader is looking for one key date or an in-depth discussion of a complex topic, an index that is concise, accurate, and unambiguous points the user directly to the information in question.
  • A good index may be a reader’s primary avenue into the work.  Some books, especially those that are technical in nature, may never be read cover-to-cover.  Users may, instead, look to the index to find the information that they need at any given moment.
  • A good index gives potential readers a clear sense of the content of the book.  The index gives a first impression for teachers, researchers, librarians, and reviewers, who all look to the index to tell them how comprehensive or detailed the book may be.

An index is an invaluable tool for readers.  It identifies and distinguishes information within a book that would be of significance to the reader.  It enables readers to quickly and conveniently access desired information.  The index focuses and groups together similar ideas and concepts enabling the reader to gather together all pertinent information relating to their search.  Subentries within an index allow for a more narrow and specific search.  We will explore how quality indexing enhances search retrieval in future posts.

For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

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