USERVE.COM asks:cPR> I guess a specific question I have is

Subject: USERVE.COM asks:cPR> I guess a specific question I have is
From: Tobey Reed <tobey -dot- reed -at- CHANNEL1 -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 9 Sep 1993 00:55:00 -0500

t is the logic behind indexing?

Paula;

The "logic" behind indexing is simple--the purpose of the index
is to aid the reader in finding information in the text. There
are many styles of indexing which accomplish this result. The
index writer should be thorough and inventive. By "thorough"
I mean that anything that can be indexed should be indexed. By
"inventive" I mean that the writer should index synonyms for
the word(s) in the text even though the synonym itself doesn't
appear in the text.

I do *not* like computer-generated automatic indexers. Even
though an indexible term occurs on a page does not mean it should
be indexed. Only if there is a reason that the reader would want
to refer to the page should it be indexed. This is a judgement
call and is where the artistry of the indexer comes in.

I prefer double-entry indexing. Thus, I would create entries
for both "creating an index" and "index, creating".

As to whether index entries should be nested or not depends upon
whether doing so helps the reader. The total size of the index
is also a factor. Nesting works better with larger indices.

You may find it helpful to study the indices of as many manuals
and books as you can find and evaluate their usefulness.


-- Tobey J.E. Reed
reed/write & Company





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