Welcome to another Q&A on this last Tuesday of the month! Today’s question is: A couple of times you referred to a mind map. Creating and using a mind map is a topic I’d benefit from your addressing in a future newsletter, if possible. Certainly. I’m happy to discuss mind… Read More »Q&A: How to Use Mind Maps When Indexing?
I recently finished indexing an Oxford handbook, which was the first Oxford handbook I’ve ever indexed. Definitely a challenge, particularly in regards to length—forty-five chapters, or about the equivalent of three or four regular-length edited collections. The time needed to draft and edit an index seems to grow exponentially the… Read More »Coralling Name Variants
Welcome to the last Tuesday of the month. It’s time for another Q&A. Today’s question comes from Clara, who writes: I’ve been learning indexing in my free time (and admittedly have plenty of it these days!) and would love some book recommendations to practice on — ideally titles that already… Read More »Q&A: How Can I Know if My Index is on the Right Track?
I’ve been thinking recently about why I enjoy writing indexes. Put another way, what would I lose if I handed the task over to an AI tool? Counterintuitively, I enjoy indexing because it is difficult. Sure, there are plenty of days I complain about a chapter being too obtuse or… Read More »Why I Enjoy Writing Indexes
Indexing contains a strong subjective streak. For all of the rules and conventions that govern format and term selection, among other elements, there are multiple ways to write an index. Each indexer interprets the text differently, and each indexer has their go-to structures and methods. I’ve been thinking about the… Read More »Embracing the Subjective Side of Indexing
How accurate does an index need to be? Repeating this out loud to myself, it sounds like a trick question. The value of an index is tied, in part, to its accuracy, right? Of course an index needs to be accurate. Considered another way, I don’t expect a human written… Read More »AI Indexes, Accuracy, and Trust
So, I won another indexing award. A couple of weeks ago the American Society for Indexing (ASI) announced that I won the ASI Indexing Award, in the scholarly/technical category, for my index for Dialectics of the Big Bang and the Absolute Existence of the Multiverse, by Gregory Phipps (University of… Read More »Indexing Hegel, the Big Bang, and the Multiverse
Welcome to this month’s Q&A. I have to admit I am enjoying these. You all are asking some great, practical questions, which are getting me to think. Today’s question comes from Reed, who asks, How do you manage the stress of lulls between projects? I’m still in my first couple… Read More »Q&A: Dealing with Lulls Between Projects
What is structure within an index and is it actually important? I’ve been thinking about this question over the last couple of weeks. There have been parallel discussions on the Indexer’s Discussion Group (IDG) and CindexUsers email lists about AI and indexing, in response to Ben Vagle’s announcement of his… Read More »Intentional Index Structure
How do you know when an index is finished? I think this is an important question, and also a question that is difficult to answer. “Good enough” can be subjective. Time and space constraints may be factors, as well as skill level or knowledge of indexing best practices. What an… Read More »When is Good Enough Good Enough?