Article
December 11, 2019
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by Stephen

Indexing within a Space Constraint

A few months ago I wrote about using triage to shorten an index to fit a tight space limitation. Today, I want to approach the same problem from the other side, which is to proactively index in such a way that triage and cutting are not needed. Because while cutting the index can be done efficiently and effectively, avoiding cuts altogether will still likely be the quickest and most stress free approach.

I have to admit that I have found this one of the harder skills to learn. I do not enjoy indexing to a space constraint, and having to consciously adjust how I index does require forethought and effort. But I have found that making that effort can make the editing process far less frustrating, which for me is worth it. 

Be Clear about the Limit

The first step is to have a clear understanding of how much space is reserved for the index. If the client does not specify, ask. The blank pages at the end of the proofs are not always indicative. It can also be helpful to learn how to quickly gauge how much space you think the index will require. This can tell you if the space provided seems reasonable, as well as how much shorter you might need to make the index. 

If you think more space is needed, this is also the time to ask if more is possible. I don’t always get more space, but I find it doesn’t hurt to ask. I sometimes get the impression that the page limit I am given is a standard number the production editor has in mind rather than a reflection of that particular book. 

Make a Plan

The next step is to make a rough plan for how the index will be written. 

I suggest reviewing the book to get an overview of the topic, the types of indexable material, and the density of the text. I know some indexers like to index without first reading the text, which I sometimes do as well. Working within a space constraint, though, usually means that not everything in the text will fit into the index, so to save time later in the process, I think it does help to prioritize upfront what to include and what to exclude.

This is also the time to consider how specific or granular the entries will be, as more general headings and subheadings will likely use less space. For example, is it enough to have an entry for dogs or should each species get their own entry? Will a subheading of “votes by” be sufficient for a member of congress, or should the subject of each vote be identified?

Whatever plan you devise can always to adjusted once you start indexing. You may even have to do some triage at the end after all, if the index is still too long. The point, though, is that creating some guidelines should help you make better indexing decisions.

Index with the Constraints in Mind

The last step is to simply index with the constraints in mind. Take that plan and put it into action. Pay attention as you read the text and ask yourself, 1) Does this actually need to be indexed, and 2) is there a more concise way to index this? I often use labels to mark entries that I might want to delete later or which I think can be combined. Avoid creating entries for material that you have already decided will not be included. The more you can get right on the first pass, the easier the editing will be later.

You may have noticed by now that some of this process overlaps with triage. There is a lot of similarities in regards to prioritization, granularity, and using labels. I think the main difference is when you take these steps, with triage being reactive and making a plan for the constraints being proactive. Both approaches work and can be used together, though if you know that the limit exists, try to be proactive. It will lead to a more enjoyable indexing experience.

Article
November 27, 2019
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by Stephen

Dealing with Authors and Their Lists of Terms

I recently received the longest list of terms from an author that I have ever received. The list was so long that I immediately contacted the publisher and explained that even with the extra space I had already asked for and received for the index, there was no way that I could include everything that the author suggested. Thankfully the publisher agreed with me and the author later accepted my index, but the list that I was presented with still required a response.

Setting Expectations

The first step, for me, after thanking the author for the list, is to set the expectation upfront that my work will not be bound by that list. I will read the list and use it for reference, but I will not duplicate the list and I will use, or not use, the suggested terms at my discretion. While I welcome the author as the subject expert, I want to emphasize that I am the index expert.

Finding Value in the Lists

The amount of value depends from list to list. I sometimes get the sense that the author believes that I will simply fill in the page numbers for them, using keyword search, which is a common misconception of how indexes are written. That said, I find that these lists can often tell me what the author thinks is important, which I will try to fit into the index. These lists can also highlight aspects of the book that I might not recognize as important—since I am not always the subject expert. So while I rarely follow the lists term by term, they can influence how I work. 

Responding to the Author

If the author has taken the time to put together a list, I assume they have expectations for how the index will look. Since I do not promise to faithfully follow their list, I will often submit a note with the index explaining how I used their list and how I wrote the index, with the goal of forestalling objections. This could include explaining why some terms were perhaps unsuitable or how I used some terms as subheadings instead of main headings, for example. For the index I mention above, I explained that the list was too long and detailed for the space available, and then explained what I did do instead to make the book’s content searchable. Since the author did not request any changes, I assume my explanation was accepted.

What is Actually Helpful

If I am being honest, I don’t really want these lists from authors. It does take time to respond to, and I assume that it also takes up the author’s time, especially for the lists that are long and detailed. It seems like a lot of work for something of limited value. But what can be actually helpful is a short list focused on the top ten or twenty terms that the author thinks is important. The author could even write a short paragraph, in a couple of sentences, explaining what the book is about. Help me see the book from the author’s perspective. That will help me understand the core focus of the index, and then I can figure out the rest.

Article
September 20, 2019
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by Stephen

Do’s and Don’ts for Index Force Sorting

Indexing is so often about following the rules, but today I want to write about breaking the rules. Specifically, the alphabetical sort that is often the basis for organizing entries. 

Force-sorting is when an entry is deliberated taken out of alphabetical order and placed elsewhere in the index. This can happen to either main entries or subheadings. Usually the change is subtle, and there should be a reasonable explanation for the move that the reader can understand and that improves the index. 

Force-sorting should also be used sparingly, in my opinion. The convention of alphabetical sort does serve an important purpose, as a way of training users and meeting their expectations for where an entry should fall. So we don’t want to catch readers by surprise and make them confused. Ideally, the force-sorting will be done in a way that they will not even notice, and they will instead enjoy the smoother user experience.

Now, you could say, why not just manipulate the wording or even, possibly, the spelling, of the entry to naturally get the preferred sort? Would that not be better than violating the sort? In some circumstances, perhaps. But I still want the entries to read naturally, and sometimes manipulating word order can lead to awkward constructions that could cause the user to stumble. Of the two, I think force-sorting can sometimes be the lesser of two evils, and if done well, the reader should not even notice.

There are a few situations in which I either commonly force-sort or have seen it done, which I will briefly discuss below. If there are any situations that you use, and which I do not mention, please let me know. I would like to learn.

Logical Order

Sometimes I will have a series of entries that are in correct alphabetical order, but could, in my opinion, make a little more sense if reordered. Say, for example, I have the following main entries:

  • dog collars
  • dog food
  • dogs
  • dog walking 

which I then change to,

  • dogs
  • dog collars
  • dog food
  • dog walking

This allows the most general entry to rise to the top, while the more specific, and related, entries come after. I see this as a way to say to the reader, “Start here with dogs, and then if you want other dog-related stuff, read further.” The first entry could, of course, be a singular dog, which would also sort first, but I think some entries just work better in their plural form, so I am willing to force-sort to get the same effect.

Introductory Subheadings

Another example of force-sorting for a more logical order is one I mentioned in my reflection last week on subheadings. This is to index introductory material about a subject under a subheading like “about,” “approach to,” “introduction,” or “overview,” and force-sort the subheading to the top of the entry. This gives the reader a clear starting point, and I think it makes more sense to put “introduction” at the beginning, rather than buried somewhere in the middle. 

Names

Names can use a lot of force-sorting to get right, as not all names follow the current western conventions. Two main situations come to mind.

I am often asked to force-sort Chinese names, which I think makes a lot of sense. Essentially, this is applying word-by-word sort to the Chinese names while the rest of the index follows letter-by-letter sort. The reason for this is to make sure that all names with the same surname are grouped together instead of interspersed between other entries. This also keeps everyone named Chen separated from those named Cheng, for example. Why not use word-by-word sort for the whole index? I don’t have a great answer, and I did have one client suggest I just use word-by-word. Most of my clients, though, request force-sorting. Perhaps the perception is that Chinese names are an exception to the rule, while readers will still expect the rest of the index to follow letter-by-letter. 

The other scenario with names, which Enid Zafran discussed in her workshop at the ISC/SCI conference, is for names of kings, popes, and others with appellations. In some history books, these lists of names can get quite extensive, and so Enid suggests imposing the order of saints, royalty and popes, and then nobility and other people of lower rank. This provides a measure of grouping throughout the list, and consistency throughout the index. In the following example, you will also notice that I add an element of chronological order to the two popes. 

  • John the Baptist
  • John of Shanghai and San Francisco
  • John (king of England)
  • John XI (pope)
  • John Paul I (pope)
  • John of Gaunt

Works of Authors or Artists

In some cases, a person—whether that be a scholar, poet, fiction writer, artist, or film maker—may have several works discussed. If it is just one or maybe two works, I probably will not force-sort, but if there are several discussed, it can be helpful to gather these at the end of the entry for the reader to easily scan. If there are several subheadings in the entry, this is done by creating a subheading called “works,” for example, and force-sorting it to the end, if it does not naturally fall there. Each work then becomes a sub-subheading.

Ignoring Articles

I am not sure if this really counts as force-sorting, as it is already the convention to ignore the articles A, An, and The that appear at the beginning of titles of works or places. But if, like me, you prefer to word the entry as A Tale of Two Cities, as opposed to inverting or leaving out the article, the entry will need force-sorting to place correctly. 

Biographies

The last situation I want to mention is in biographies, which I was reminded of by Kendra Millis in her talk on indexing biographies at the recent ISC/SCI conference. As Kendra pointed out, in some indexes the subheadings for the main subject are in either chronological order or page order, rather than alphabetical order. Since the entry for the main subject is often enormous and subentries can easily become buried, these alternative sorts can be attempts to make the main entry easier to navigate. These alternative sorts also require, of course, force-sorting. Personally, I would first try other approaches to bring order to the main entry in a biography, but I mention it here as a possibility and as a force-sorting example.

I hope this discussion and these examples have been helpful. Let me know if you have any other scenarios in which you break the rules. I’m all for both following the rules and breaking the rules, so long as it helps the index and the reader.

Article
July 17, 2019
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by Stephen

Translating the Text for the Index

Words matter in the index.

This may be stating the obvious, but I think it is worth repeating. The terms and phrasing used need to be readily understood by the user of the index. 

The text, of course, is the first place to look for terminology that can be transposed into the index. But as indexers, we also need to be careful about what we use from the text and how. Not all books contain a wealth of terminology that is suitable. 

I often see two main scenarios when alternative terms should be used.

The first is when the author’s terminology should and can be used, and it is also mostly jargon. If we can assume that the audience of the book will also understand that jargon, then there is no problem. But sometimes the audience will include non-specialists as well, and for that audience I think it can be helpful to include other terms, probably as cross-references, for these other readers. I also try to write the subheading using plain language, so that the concept or reference is understandable without having first read the book.

The second scenario is to put in the jargon that the author either does not use or buries. I like to call this translating the text. It is when the author, for the sake of being creative or engaging the reader, uses descriptive language that is enjoyable to read and conveys the concept, but the actual term or phrase that captures the aboutness is either missing or not obvious. This can happen throughout the text, from the title to chapter titles to headings, as well as how sections and paragraphs are written. To give a simple example, I once indexed a book titled Igniting the Internet, which to me sounds like it could be about viral social media posts or celebrities online. Instead, as the subtitle tells us, it was about Youth and Activism in Postauthoritarian South Korea. There are times that indexing requires us to read further or read between the lines to understand what the text is about.

There is the concern of taking this translation too far and of introducing too much new terminology. We do not want an index that is divorced from the text. This is where cross-references play a role, to link and point towards preferred terms. We also need to make sure that any terminology we introduce will make sense to the audience, rather than introducing terms that make sense to us. For one book I googled sales terminology for a sales book that employed a highly descriptive writing style. It was not terminology I would ordinarily use, but the terminology fit the book.

So when indexing, pay attention to the language used. Match the book if possible, and do not be afraid to do some translating if need be. The reader will only be able to find information if they can first understand the index.

Article
July 10, 2019
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by Stephen

Editing the Index on the Go Redux

Last week I tried to puzzle my way through the concept of editing the index while the entries are being created, as opposed to saving most of the editing for the end of the indexing process. As I wrote, some indexers say that they save a lot of time by working like this, which I accept in principle while finding that it can be difficult to implement. 

Coincidentally (I promise I hadn’t recently checked the conference line-up), the first speaker at the Indexing Society of Canada’s conference in Ottawa last week was Anne Fifer, with a presentation titled “Edit Your Index Without Pain.” I did find Anne’s talk helpful for clearing up some of my questions and misconceptions, so I am going to revisit the topic with some of Anne’s insights. I thought you might find it helpful too.

First, to set expectations, editing is still required at the end of the indexing process. It is not possible to eliminate editing entirely, but the amount can be reduced. Anne said that often she just needs a day for the final edit. 

Anne’s approach seems to be two-fold. The first part is to use the full capabilities of her indexing software to streamline indexing. Specifically, extensively using labels to highlight entries that need different sorts of editing or extra attention, so that these are easy to find later on. Anne also discussed custom dictionaries for accurate spell check, which I can see to be helpful if one is working on a lot of medical indexes like Anne does, but I don’t really see the benefit for books that lack such specialized terminology. I don’t see myself making custom dictionaries for the books I typically index.

The second part to Anne’s approach is to lay the necessary groundwork for the index at the start. Part of this is making sure that all necessary resources are in easy reach, which is a good reminder that the details of our work environment can make a difference. The largest component is to establish the index structure from the start, which Fred Leise discussed in more detail in his talk (Fred also has an article in The Indexer 34(4)and has presented a webinar with ASI on his approach to structure, if you want to learn more). The benefit of this is that once established, the structure does not need much editing later on, if at all. It also provides the framework to slot entries within as one works through the text. Thinking through the structure upfront was my biggest takeaway from the conference, and something I will be adding to my indexing practice going forward.

Anne also discussed editing in small increments. Part of this is doing a small edit at the end of each day for a specific list of common issues that she looks for. Part of this is also isolating and editing in batches the previously labeled entries. This means that a lot of spelling, formatting, or other common issues are already dealt with by the time Anne reaches the final edit. As I wrote last week, I find it difficult to focus on editing at the end of the day, but I like the idea of being self-aware of issues I commonly need to fix and of proactively fixing them in batches. This could also be done at the start of the day, for example, if I don’t want to do it at the end.

All told, I think Anne has some practical tips to make editing easier. I hoped you learned something too, and are able to become more efficient in your indexing.

Article
July 3, 2019
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by Stephen

Editing the Index on the Go

With our income as indexers often proportional to the amount of work we can complete, efficiency is key. I want to consider today a practice that I know some indexers use, which is editing as the index entries are created. In theory—and I have heard some indexers say they manage this in practice—by the time you reach the end of the book, very little editing remains to be done. 

I have to admit that while I try to do this, I still tend to split indexing into two distinct phases. There are aspects of the editing-in-the-go approach that I struggle with. So this is more of a self-reflection than a how-to. Maybe you will get some ideas for what works for you. 

There are definitely a couple of advantages to editing as you go, which I try to keep in mind as encouragement. The main one for me is that the content is dealt with while it remains fresh in my mind, which means less going back and double-checking later in the indexing process. This should save time during the final edit, as most of the issues in the index will have already been dealt with. 

Still, I find there can be some barriers to putting this approach into practice. I often find that creating the entries and editing the index requires me to think in different ways, and it can be hard to switch back and forth between entry mode and editing mode. After several hours of entering entries, having to go back and edit can also seem too taxing for my tired mind. And sometimes, especially for more complicated texts, I find I don’t really understand the text until I’ve had a second look at a later date. In this instance, editing is very much part of my process for understanding the text. I also suspect that editing on the go requires a clear sense of what the final index should look like and what constitutes a good final draft.

When I find editing-as-you-go most helpful is for books that are organized into discrete chapters or sections. If I know that armadillos are primarily discussed on pages 34-63, then a quick edit of that one entry, before moving on to the next section, does save time later on. Unfortunately, not all books are this well organized, and a quick edit is still needed at the end to make sure the entry still holds together. Also, something I should do more of, and to avoid the excuse of tiredness, is to do a quick edit after every chapter, to clean up any obvious errors or redundancies. 

Another form of editing which can be done early in the indexing process is to establish consistent wording, particularly for elements like glosses. I may not always know what I want to use right away, but once I do, it can be worth taking a moment to go back and fix, and then be consistent going forward. This can also be done to consolidate subheadings, if I decide partway through to change the wording or how I am gathering locators.  

Otherwise, I have to admit that if I am not certain about a particular entry, I tend to just keep going. I will put in my best guess or use some sort of placeholder wording, and I may write a separate note for myself about the issue, and then I will come back later during the editing phase. There are elements of indexing on the go that I use and can better incorporate, but I do like the editing phase. I find that I view the index differently while editing, which is valuable in its own right. 

How do you index? Do you edit as you create the index entries? Why do you do it, and what works best? Let me know, if you have a moment. I am curious to know what works for you.

Article
June 27, 2019
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by Stephen

Why Correctly Identifying the Metatopic Matters

I have been reluctant to write about metatopics. It is already extensively discussed by Do Mi Stauber, Janet Perlman, and Margie Towery in their books, as well as, I assume, elsewhere. Appropriately handling the metatopic is also one of the trickier aspects of indexing to master. I am not sure what I can add to the discussion that is new. I also suspect that reading about the metatopic only goes so far. The best learning comes from taking theory and applying it to real books, though perhaps that is simply how I learn best.

Still, I was recently talking with a new indexer who was struggling with the metatopic, and a misconception came to light that might be worth highlighting. Specifically, this new indexer was feeling overwhelmed by the multiple metatopics which she had identified in the book. The misconception was that the metatopics identified were actually main topics, or what Margie Towery might call supermain headings. These are clearly important topics that need to be in the index, but they do not encompass the whole book, which is what differentiates main topics from metatopics.

I like what Janet Perlman says about the metatopic in her book, Indexing Tactics & Tidbits (Information Today, Inc., 2016):

“…The metatopic is intertwined with aboutness. When the indexer can make a cogent statement of what a book is about, whether it be a word, a phrase, or a sentence, he has identified the metatopic of the book.”

There is usually only one metatopic in a book, sometimes two if a book has dual subjects. It may be a complicated metatopic, requiring a sentence or three to explain, but it should still be a single topic or concept that encompasses the whole book.

Correctly identifying the metatopic is important because this impacts how the metatopic is handled in the index and how the whole index is structured. This new indexer was having trouble because she was trying to follow the advice to disperse information away from the metatopic entry. This is generally good advice, and the reasoning is, since everything in the book, theoretically, falls under the metatopic, all main topics should stand on their own as main entries. In this approach, the metatopic should be a signpost to the main entries via cross-references, and should only gather general information that are not able to stand alone. It is usually not a large entry. This approach works fine when there is a single metatopic, but not if you are trying to disperse information for multiple topics. As this indexer learned, if you are trying to disperse all of the information from all of the main topics, the index quickly loses all sense of structure and some information simply does not stand alone very well. 

The flip side to dispersal is gathering, and while gathering the whole book under the metatopic entry is not practical, gathering under individual main topics is. This is why we need to distinguish between the metatopic and supermain headings, because these different types of information and entries are handled differently. As I have discussed previously, entries should contain or direct readers to everything they need to know about that topic. Overly large entries can be split up into smaller chunks that are still meaningful, but we should see dispersal and gathering as complementary techniques for structuring the index. They each have their role, and the starting point is correctly identifying the different components of the book and how those components translate into the index.

The metatopic plays key role in the index, but only if it is first correctly identified.

Article
July 10, 2018
1 comment
by Stephen

Indexing Basics, Reflections on

Photo by Daniel Cheung on Unsplash

Last Saturday I presented my first webinar on indexing, hosted by the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. A couple of weeks ago I gave a similar presentation to the Editors Canada twig here in Edmonton. Many thanks to both groups for allowing me to present. I learned a lot, both about presenting and about indexing, as I reflected on my practice. Whoever said that teaching is the best way to learn was right.

As I thought about how to present indexing in under an hour, with time for introductions and questions, two themes kept reappearing.

The first is that indexing is about analysis. What is the text about? You cannot write a good index without understanding the text.

The second is audience. Who is the index for? How will they be using the index? How familiar are they with the subject? Do they typically use indexes? If the index is not written with the audience in mind, the index will also probably be poor.

These two themes are closely linked. I think that indexing can be described as analysis on behalf of the reader. In a way, both the text and the audience needs to be analyzed. As the indexer, we need to do some of the heavy lifting for the reader, so that using the index is a pleasant and easy experience. The index should also help guide the reader to what the text is about.

Ultimately, if the participants in both presentations took nothing else away, I hope they remember analysis and audience. If both are front of mind when indexing, I think the index has a decent chance of succeeding. Everything else is just detail and polish.

To close, I will leave you with my new favourite quote on indexing, from a recent issue of The Indexer (vol. 36 no. 1, March 2018). It is by Mary Coe, an indexer from Australia. I think she really nails what we attempt to do as indexers, bringing together both analysis and the reader, and the risk that we might get it all wrong. This is also what helps to make indexing so satisfying. Mary writes:

“As indexers, we have the very difficult task of putting ourselves in other people’s shoes (or heads). Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don’t; however, I think it is inherently our job to try.”