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Indexing Workshop

Indexing Workshop. by Gurudutt Kamath http://www.documentorg.com/default.htm documentor@vsnl.com. Introduction. First experience What is an Index? (awareness) What to Index? (Books, periodicals, online content, etc) Who uses an Index? Who pays for Indexing?

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Indexing Workshop

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  1. Indexing Workshop by Gurudutt Kamath http://www.documentorg.com/default.htmdocumentor@vsnl.com

  2. Introduction • First experience • What is an Index? (awareness) • What to Index? (Books, periodicals, online content, etc) • Who uses an Index? • Who pays for Indexing? • How much money? $70 per hour, $4 per page • Freelance • Better than authoring • Variety • No rules, only guidelines

  3. Qualities Required • Comprehension skills • Domain knowledge • Indexing knowledge • Experience • Intelligent, widely-read, publishing practice, level headed, patient, scrupulous in handling detail, analytical minded

  4. What is an Index? • A good index records every pertinent statement made within the body of the text.

  5. Audience • What terms to include • Cross reference • Depth of indexing (Number of index-entry terms per page of text) • Levels of headings (main, sub, subsub headings)

  6. Term Selection (Coates http://www.asindexing.org/site/coatesarticle.pdf) • Comprehension of the material • Information questions (5 W's & H) - Who, What, Where (Main headings), Main headings and subheadings • Creation of Index Structure • Smoother editing process

  7. Policy / Conventions • Front matter, appendices, footnotes, Names of persons, Geographical Names, Historical dates, cited authors • Page numbers (inclusive or initial page numbers, section numbers, complete or non repeated --112-117 or 112-7) -- Chicago MOS • Subheadings (stacked or run-in) • Scientific conventions • See, See also (italics -- to distinguish from an entry) • Punctuation (commas between page or section numbers) • Capitalization • Homonyms (Aryabhata, condenser [electrical], condenser [chemical])

  8. Main Headings / Sub Headings • Nouns (no preceding articles or modifiers. Exceptions: red blood cell, North Pole) • Main headings and subheadings are normally congruent. Inflation - Africa, normally would have Africa - inflation. (Completeness) • Do not use subsubheadings. (Avoid third level.) -- Microsoft, Chicago MOS, World Bank Style Guide • Main heading with more than 5 page references, should have at least one subheading. • See references -- equivalent terms (acronyms). See also -- related terms. (Completeness) • Redundancies (World Wide Web (WWW) 12, WWW (World Wide Web) 12) • Cross references for one or two locators. (Drugs, see medicine. Medicine 5) • Page ranges • Lower case is better. (though these notes are in Capitals. Capitals used.)

  9. Layout/Typographic conventions • Letter heads, numerics, symbol, page breaks, column breaks, columns, heading orphans, line orphans, continued • Detailed treatment in Chicago Manual of Style

  10. Indexing Steps • Add index entries • Read the Index • Edit the Index • Iterate

  11. Qualities of an Index • Main and sub headings (information) - reader should be able to gauge the depth of information • Subheadings -- logical and useful • Index structure (relationships) • No interpretation (adding information) • Recreate pattern of information in text • Multiple Access points • Essence revealed • Policy (length) • Consistency • Retrieval (wanted vs unwanted)

  12. Evaluation Check-list (ASI)-1 • Reader Appropriateness (heart attack - myocardial infarction) • Main Headings (relevant to user needs, not too general, not inane or improbable, 5-7 locators)

  13. Evaluation Check-list (ASI)-2 • Subheadings • useful, concise, important word in the beginning, not general: Banks - and relationship to Reserve Bank • Avoid concerning, related to, prepositions and articles (5-7 locators) • Overanalyzed -- whole column of subheadings • Double Postings (Cats: Siamese and Siamese cats)

  14. Evaluation Check-list (ASI)-3 • Locators (Accurate) • Cross references • aerobics see exercise • astronomy 12-14. See also galaxies; planets • Length • 3-5 % for nonfiction, 5-8% for history or biography, 15-20% for reference books • Format (turn page -- repeated)

  15. Chicago Manual of Style… • Proper Names (Historical) • Author Index (Title, first lines) • Heading, locator • Run-in (common), indented • Front matter, back matter should not be indexed. Preface, Glossary, Bibliography, Notes - maybe. • Tables, charts, graphs, maps, drawing, photographs, illustrative material.

  16. …Chicago Manual of Style • Subentries for more than 5-6 main entries. Hospitals, administration, length of patient stay, efficiency of, finances of, quality control in • Capitalize main headings, except scientific indexes. • 300 pages of scholarly work -- 6 - 15 pages • Variants - Lawrence, D.H. [not Lawrence, David Herbert] • Letter-by-letter or word-by-word. Dictionary. • Egypt, 128 pp - Nile, River has 89 unanalyzed references • Editing -- spelling, false entries, trivial entries, page numbers (12122, 193-93)

  17. Microsoft Manual of Style… • 4 to 8 percent of the total number of pages in the book (2 column). • Nouns (commands, addresses, graphs) • Gerunds (copying, selecting, x making) x - stands for not / don't! • Think like User -- paragraphs, deleting, Delete command, x using Delete • Invert entries-- paragraphs, deleting, deleting, paragraphs • Create a subentry for each main entry. (easier to delete later) • Subentries -- defined, described (action), introduction, overview • Avoid more than 5 page references after an entry. Avoid 1 subentry.

  18. …Microsoft Manual of Style • Never more than two levels of subentries • Avoid long multiple page references listing consecutive pages • Lowercase, except words that require capitalization. • Use plural form of nouns, except where awkward. (files, headers, ruler, window) • Use gerund rather than the infinitive (shapes, drawing rather than shapes, to draw) • Special characters, numerics, alphabetical entries. Headings, where required (Symbols). • Index special characters at least twice. % (percent) percent (%)

  19. Indexing Software • Automated indexes • http://www.asindexing.org/site/software.shtml • CINDEX, • IXGen (FrameMaker)

  20. Indexing in Word • Words (novice/advanced users, synonyms, generally/specifically, competitors) • Where (headings, overviews, procedures, acronyms, definitions, commands) • Standardized keywords across products • Insert > Reference > Index and Tables… / Mark Index Entry dialog / OK Button • Fields (show Fields -- {XE "entry"})

  21. Indexing in FrameMaker • Markers (Index) (Special > Markers) (Right-click marker) • Standard Index (Special > Standard Index) • Index (Special > Standard Index), List of Index • Page breaks, column breaks (manually, do this last) • IXGen (Frank Stearns - http://www.fsatools.com ) • emDex (http://www.emdex.ca)

  22. Indexing in RoboHelp • Smart Index Wizard - Do not use. • Project Management / Reports • Index Tab (Drag keywords) • Topic Pane (Right-click)

  23. Books • Microsoft Manual of Style • The Chicago Manual of Style (15th Edition) • Indexing Books by Nancy Mulvany (all her other books). Check http://www.bayside-indexing.com/refbook.htm. • Seth Maislin's page at http://taxonomist.tripod.com/references.html

  24. Sample Index • Sample indexes from Carol Roberts (ASI Board) page http://www.robertsindexing.com/pages/904840/index.htm

  25. Web Sites • Suite 101 - http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/indexing • STC SIG - http://www.stc.org/sig/idx • ASI (American Society of Indexers) - http://www.asindexing.org • Nancy Mulvany's site http://www.bayside-indexing.com • Seth Maislin FAQ - http://taxonomist.tripod.com/faq.html

  26. Mailing Lists • Check out the web sites. There are several mailing lists and groups. • Group on Yahoo • http://groups.yahoo.com/indexi • indexi-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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