Optimal Indexing

In this blog posting, I will discuss common subheading problems, based on an American Society for Indexing webinar given by Fred Leise on September 17, 2014.  The common subheading problems are the following:

1. repeating text
2. confusing/awkward
3. indexing what the reader doesn’t know
4. uncontrolled locators

An example of repeating the text in the subheading is the following:

Scheutz difference engine

• government investigation into whether or not to fund a copy of
  • and recommendation to do so by Airy, 205-207

An example of a confusing/awkward subheading phrase is first, with the second and third examples corrected:

encephalitis

• organ recipients developed

encephalitis

• organ recipients’ development of

encephalitis

• development of, in organ recipients

The following example indexes what the reader doesn’t know.  The reader doesn’t know that there are ten usability heuristics in the book.

heuristic evaluations

• automated aids to, 192-193
• criticisms of, 190-192
• methodologies for, 186-189
• ten usability heuristics, 167-169
• user control and, 172
• visibility of system status in, 167

Uncontrolled locators are a string of page references after a main heading that are not subdivided.  The reader doesn’t know whether the locator is a definition, a passing mention or a primary discussion.  Maybe it is a discussion so complicated that the indexer quit trying to capture it in a reasonably worded subheading.  Is it the first place to look or the last place to look?  Inclusion of chapter or section page ranges after the main heading is okay.  The first example shows what to avoid, while the second example shows a correct entry.

Church, xiv, 156-181, 183, 185, 192-193, 202-203

• actualized, 168
• and union with Christ, 171-172, 175-176, 193-194, 202
• idealized, 162-165, 172
• as organism, 168-181

arms race, 39-72

• Cold War, relationship to, 39, 51-54
• consequences of, 70
• influence of nuclear weapons on, 43

(lots of other subheadings)

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

In this blog posting, I will discuss the final characteristics of successful subheadings, based on an American Society for Indexing webinar given by Fred Leise on September 17, 2014.

Top 10 Characteristics

1.  collocation
2.  complete
3.  differentiable
4.  good information scent
5.  audience relevant
6.  concise
7.  points to information
8.  parallel construction
9.  important word first
10.  clear relationship to heading

In the last two blog postings, I discussed in detail and gave examples of the first six characteristics: collocation, complete, differentiable, good information scent, audience relevant, and concise.  In this blog posting, I will discuss in detail the last four characteristics.

Points to Information

The subheading should point to, but should not repeat information from the text.  The second example does not repeat information.

compositional change and improvisation

• as symbols of music acting upon myth, 38-39, 42-46

compositional change and improvisation

• as symbols, 38-39, 42-46

Parallel Construction

Parallel construction is important to consistency and helps the reader find things faster.  It aids in index ease of use and clarity and removes some of the barriers readers might find.

Types of parallel construction include form, nouns versus gerunds, nouns versus verbs, and verb tense.  The second example in the series shows the corrected parallel construction.

parallel construction: form

health issues

• during WWI, 24
• during World War II, 28

parallel construction: nouns vs. gerunds

gestures

• for changing applications, 18
• for deletion of email, 141

gestures

• for changing applications, 18
• for deleting email, 141

parallel construction: nouns vs. verbs

Clement, Joseph

• confrontation with Babbage, 66-67
• demands compensation, 62-63

Clement, Joseph

• confronts Babbage, 66-67
• demands compensation, 62-63

parallel construction: verb tense

Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeyevich

• failed to end Afghan conflict, 198
• supports new Union treaty, 107

Gorbachev, Mikhail Sergeyevich

• failed to end Afghan conflict, 198
• supported new Union treaty, 107

Important Word First

In subheadings, the first word listed should always be the most important.  The second example shows this characteristic.

Orthodox Christianity

• relationship of church and state in, 187

Orthodox Christianity

• church-state relationship in, 187

Clear Relationship to Heading

The subheading should always have a clear relationship to the main heading.  The last example shows the clearest relationship to the heading.

Napoleon

• Russia, 276-280

Napoleon

• in Russia, 276-280

Napoleon

• on Russia, 276-280

Napoleon

• Russia, failed invasion of, 276-280

In the next blog posting, I will discuss common subheading problems.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

In this blog posting, I will discuss more characteristics of successful subheadings, based on an American Society for Indexing webinar given by Fred Leise on September 17, 2014.

Top 10 Characteristics

1.  collocation
2.  complete
3.  differentiable
4.  good information scent
5.  audience relevant
6.  concise
7.  points to information
8.  parallel construction
9.  important word first
10.  clear relationship to heading

In the last blog posting, I discussed in detail and gave examples of the first three characteristics: collocation, complete, and differentiable.  In this blog posting, I will discuss in detail the next three characteristics.

Good Information Scent

Labels must provide users with a good information scent, a strong connotation so users can understand what type of material it points to.  The second example has a better use of good information scent than the first example:

pomegranates

• about, 24
• cooking with, 26

pomegranates

• ancient Romans use of, 24
• cooking with, 26

Audience Relevant

Use glosses, short descriptions in parentheses, to help explain concepts to your audience.  The second example is audience relevant:

Wakuenai

• dzudzuapani, 25,38-40,44,46

Wakuenai peoples (in Venezuela)

• dzudzuapani (“wheel” dance-songs), 25,38-40,44,46

Concise

Concepts should be concise, but this does not necessarily imply short.  The second example shows a subheading that is concise:

Difference Engine (No. 2)

• building of as vindication and commemoration of Babbage’s work, 225,226

Difference Engine (No. 2)

• importance, 225,226

In the next blog posting, I will focus on the last characteristics of successful subheadings.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

In this blog posting, I will discuss characteristics of successful subheadings, based on an American Society for Indexing webinar given by Fred Leise on September 17, 2014.

Subheadings need to exactly and concisely capture the concept under discussion.

1. You need to identify the concept in the text.
2. Understand how it differs from similar related concepts.
3. Translate the specific context into appropriate wording.

Top 10 Characteristics of Subheadings

1. collocation
2. complete
3. differentiable
4. good information scent
5. audience relevant
6. concise
7. points to information
8. parallel construction
9. important word first
10. clear relationship to heading

An example of collocation, collecting like items together, would be the second entry in the following:

Woolf, Virginia

• depressions, 329
• depression aggravated by poor health, 326
• dangerous depressions, 442-444

Woolf, Virginia

• depressions, 329, 336, 442-444

An example of an entry that is not complete would be the following, since all of the pages in the range are not covered:

Deng Xiaoping, 258-315

• Communist Party work, 310-315
• during Cultural Revolution, 262-265
• early life, 258-260
• education, 260-261
• ??? 265-309 [Subheading hole]

An example of differentiable would be the second entry in the following, since there is no difference in the meaning of the subheadings of the first entry:

projects

• planning for, 14
• preparing for, 21
• thinking about, 2

projects

• planning for, 2, 14, 21

I will discuss the remaining characteristics of subheadings in the next blog postings.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com

In the next few blog postings, I will discuss successful subheadings, based on an American Society for Indexing webinar given by Fred Leise on September 17, 2014.

Purposes of Subheadings

1. Do Mi Stauber’s Second Rule: Make subheadings only for the purpose of breaking down information in the main heading.

human rights, 237-252

• Amnesty International and, 238-239
• emergence of concern for, 237-238
• in Greece, 239-246
• in Southern Rhodesia, 246-251
• summary, 251-252

2.  Subheadings exist to disambiguate long strings of locators.  Subheadings provide a specific conceptual context so readers can more easily find the information for which they are looking.

Instead of entering:

Kennedy, John F., 22, 52, 99, 119, 146, 186, 191

Enter subheadings to clarify the long strings of locators:

Kennedy, John F.

• flexible response strategy, 52
• on globalization, 22
• inaugural address, 191
• India, food aid to, 119
• on juvenile delinquency, 146
• modernization program, 186
• Peace Corps, proposal for, 99

The next few blog postings will focus on characteristics of successful subheadings and common subheading problems.  For more information about the services provided by the author of this blog, see the Stellar Searches LLC website, http://www.stellarsearches.com