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Alphabetizing in Indexes

Saturday, September 10th, 2011

Letter-by-Letter or Word-by-Word?

The two principal modes of alphabetizing – or sorting – indexes are the letter-by-letter and the word-by-word systems.  Indexers must decide which mode to use before indexing begins.  Dictionaries are arranged letter-by-letter, while library catalogs are arranged word-by-word.  Most university presses, such as Chicago University Press, and many other publishers have traditionally preferred the letter-by-letter system; however, it may not be imposed on a well-prepared index arranged word-by-word.

Letter-by-letter system. In a letter-by-letter syetem, alphabetizing continues up to the first parenthesis or comma; it then starts again after the punctuation point.  Word spaces and all other punctuation marks are ignored.  Both open and hyphenated compounds such as New York or self-pity are treated as single words.  The order of precedence is one word, word followed by a parenthesis, and word followed by a comma, number, or letters.

Word-by-word system. In the word-by-word system, alphabetizing continues only up to the end of the first word (counting hyphenated compounds as one word), using subsequent words only when additional headings begin with the same word.  As in the letter-by-letter system, alphabetizing continues up to the first parenthesis or comma; it then starts after the punctuation point.  The order of precedence is one word, word followed by a parenthesis, word followed by a comma, word followed by a space, and word followed by a comma, number, or letters.

For more information on arrangement of entries, 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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More on Cross-References in an Index

Sunday, May 15th, 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

Sunday, April 24th, 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

Saturday, January 15th, 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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Long Strings of Reference Locators in an Index

Thursday, December 23rd, 2010

As a follow-up to my last posting, Guidelines for Editing Indexes, I wanted to explore in detail one of the guidelines.  A main entry followed by a long string of undifferentiated reference locators or page numbers at the main heading level should be broken down into subheadings.  A common rule of thumb is that more than five or six reference locators should be differentiated by the addition of subheadings.

Leaving a long string of page numbers will force the reader to plow through many pages before finding the desired information.  There might be 10 or 15 page numbers listed, a daunting task for the reader to wade through in search of the one elusive piece of information.  Exactly what constitutes a “long” string of page numbers is often defined in a publisher’s style guide or by the space allowed for the index.  The reason for adding subheadings is simple.  Subheadings subdivide and characterize the  information and make it easy to find the information in question.

For more information, see Chapter Nine, “Editing the Index,” of Nancy C. Mulvancy’s Indexing Books, Second Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005, pp.219-241.  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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Guidelines for Editing Indexes

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

When the indexer finishes compiling the last line of an index, it is only the first draft, and like any piece of writing, it requires editing.  Substantive editing tasks, rewriting or reorganization of material, should be undertaken by the indexer alone.  The indexer should produce an index manuscript that is in need of few copyediting or proofreading changes.

Nancy C. Mulvany gives an excellent discussion of editing indexes in Chapter Nine, “Editing the Index,” of Indexing Books, Second Edition, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005, pp.219-241.  She walks the indexer though the substantive editing tasks that he or she must undertake and gives guidelines to follow.

  • Main headings.  Evaluate one-by-one.  Are they clear and concise?  Do they make sense?  Is the wording evident so that a reader may look them up?
  • Long strings of undifferentiated reference locators at the main heading level should be broken down into subheadings.  More than 5 or 6 reference locators should be differentiated by the addition of subheadings.
  • Subheadings.  Evaluate for clarity and conciseness.  Do they make sense?  Is the wording evident?  Are they necessary?
  • A single subheading under a main entry and the group of subheadings that all have the same page number should be condensed.  Subheadings that all have the same page number should be eliminated or converted to main entries.
  • Cross-references and double-postings.  Each cross-reference in an index must be verified and must be direct.  All circular cross-references must be eliminated.  Cross-references that send readers elsewhere in the index only to pick up one or two references can often be changed to double-postings, where the same information is entered in two places.

Copyediting and proofreading tasks for the indexer include alphabetizing, spelling, parallel construction, punctuation, and capitalization.  For more information on editing indexes, see Mulvany’s book, Indexing Books.  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, September 27th, 2010

Run-In Versus Indented Indexes

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’s 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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The Indexer’s Reference: The Chicago Manual Of Style

Monday, August 9th, 2010

The Chicago Manual of StyleThe Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition, which was recently published by the University of Chicago Press, remains the authoritative reference for indexers.  Indexers consult the one chapter on Indexes in The Chicago Manual of Style for guidelines relating to kinds of indexes and components of an index, as well as general principles of indexing.  Rules are given for main headings, subentries, locators, and cross-references.  Details are given on formatting an index as run-in (subentries on one line) versus indented indexes (subentries on separate lines).  The indexer can find rules and examples for proper names and variants.  Additional information is given on alphabetizing, punctuation, and the mechanics of indexing.  In future blog postings, I will examine these different aspects of indexing covered in The Chicago Manual of Style.

While only one chapter deals with indexes, the indexer will find that the rules given are illustrated with numerous indexing examples.  Whether the indexer is referring to the print edition or the online edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, the indexing categories are clearly outlined, making the reference easy-to-use.  It is an invaluable resource for the indexer and, indeed, anyone in the publishing world.  In addition, the sixteenth edition offers expanded information on producing electronic publications, including web-based content and e-books.

To order your copy of The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition, go to http://www.amazon.com or http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.   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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Indexes vs. Full-Text Searching

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Researchers who rely entirely on full-text searching, i.e. searching the Web using a search engine such as Google, are missing information.  Indexes improve searching not only in terms of accuracy and thoroughness, but also speed, according to Mary Elizabeth Williams in the article “Dr. Searchlove: Or how I learned to stop Googling and love pre-coordinate indexing.”

The article reports the results of a Bureau of National Affairs usability study, in which law students completed a series of single answer and more complex research tasks using the online version of United States Law Week.  They answered half the questions using text searches.  For the other half they used the online index.

Williams reports that using the index was, in the case of both types of research tasks, faster and more successful than text searching.  Overall, index users had an 86 percent success rate while text searchers had only a 23 percent success rate.  Disregarding all unsuccessful searchers, most of whom were text searchers, successful index users took about 57 seconds per search and successful text searchers took about 2 minutes and 47 seconds per search.  In addition, index users made bonus discoveries by pursuing cross references and browsing through headings and/or subheadings.

Williams states that free text as a research tool decontextualizes information.  Researchers are likely to miss unique concepts common to the field of legal research, as well as comparisons to related terms that might be useful.  They will often miss the outer limits of a research task since results in free text searching seemingly have no boundaries.

References

Williams, Mary Elizabeth. (Sept/Oct 2005) “Dr. Searchlove: Or how I learned to stop Googling and love pre-coordinate indexing.”  AALL Spectrum. Date of Access: June 20, 2010. http://www.aallnet.org/products/pub_sp0509/pub_sp0509_DR.pdf

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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Glossary v. Index

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Why are index entries in the plural and glossary entries in the singular?  A glossary is a collection of difficult or specialized terms with their meanings, but each entry is in the singular.  An index, as we have discussed, is an alphabetical list of items treated in a printed work with the page numbers where each item may be found, but subject entries are in the plural.

The plural may be used for subject entries in the index because the subject may be referenced multiple times in the text.  By using the plural, the index also shows the more general nature of the subject.  Whereas, a reader might only look up a glossary entry once, needing the definition for a single instance.  A glossary entry reflects the singular nature of the subject.  For example, a subject entry in an index might list Conferences, but in a glossary it would be, Conference.

It is important for an indexer to understand the difference between glossaries and indexes, as well as the value of each.

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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