The politics of indexing
Posted on: 27/03/2025
Indexers strive for equity and objectivity in their work, but indexes – like all other texts – have political implications. For our National Indexing Day blog, indexer Tanya Izzard looks at how indexing gets political, and how indexers respond to that. I was at a party a few years ago and was explaining what I
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Ask the Indexers: working efficiently, saving time
Posted on: 16/01/2025
As indexers gain in experience, they develop very efficient ways of working. We asked our panel of indexers for their best efficiency and timesaving tips. Christine Boylan, Advanced Professional Member Don’t over-think entries. Often your first instinct about what to include is correct and, if it doesn’t feel right, leave it out or mark it
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Ask the Indexers: can’t a computer do that?
Posted on: 29/10/2024
This is the first in a series of blog posts that ask a panel of experienced indexers questions about indexing practice and life as an indexer. These will be appearing regularly over the next few months as our indexers share their expertise and experiences. For this post, we tackle the question indexers field most often
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Indexing names: wrestling with the nobiliary particle
Posted on: 25/06/2024
Some names have that little bit extra, the nobiliary particle – a preposition or article in a name. The image above shows Alexandra, Freifrau von und zu Bodman, born Alexandra Offensandt von Berckholtz, who provides a good example of the form. How do indexers deal with names like this? Firstly, W. Stephen Gilbert sets out
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Passing Mentions
Posted on: 11/06/2024
One of the most frequent queries indexers get from clients is “Why is this term not in the index?” In this post, indexer Tanya Izzard explains what passing mentions are, why we sometimes leave them out, and how we make that decision. Definitions Passing mentions (sometimes called passing references or minor mentions) are usually defined
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Indexing Biographies
Posted on: 28/05/2024
In this post indexer W. Stephen Gilbert discusses one of the trickiest aspects of indexing biographical books: how to deal with index entries for the biographical subject, their works and activities. Most indexers will be called upon to index a volume that is more or less biographical. Such tasks pose particular and often quite ticklish
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Indexing and AI
Posted on: 27/03/2024
There’s rampant speculation about the impact of AI on many aspects of publishing. Here, indexer Tanya Izzard looks at the possible implications of AI for indexing. Definitions and how it works Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be defined as technology that can mimic cognitive functions associated with human intelligence. Generative AI is a type of AI
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Qualities of a Bad Index
Posted on: 27/10/2023
In this post, Ruth Martin outlines the things that shouldn’t appear in an index. Write a bad index… us?! Surely members of the Society of Indexers couldn’t write a bad index? Well, they could, but only in fun. In 2022, Society members took part in a peer review, indexing the same piece of text and
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Qualities of a Good Index
Posted on: 20/10/2023
In this blog post, Lyndsay Marshall looks at the qualities of a good index and identifies resources which discuss the topic in more depth. The post covers international standards, best practice guidelines and competition judging criteria. International Standards In order to define the qualities of a good index we can turn to the international standards
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Commissioning an indexer (Part 3)
Posted on: 24/03/2023
How to evaluate an index: guidance for authors and editors When you have commissioned an index for your book, either directly or via your publisher, there should be a moment towards the end of the book production process where you are asked to review the index. In the third and final post in this series,
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Commissioning an indexer (Part 2)
Posted on: 17/03/2023
The indexing process: before, during and afterwards In our first post in this series, we looked at finding and booking an indexer. In this second post of three, Tanya Izzard takes you through the indexing process. What does your indexer need from you? You’ve booked your indexer and are waiting for the work to take
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Commissioning an indexer (Part 1)
Posted on: 10/03/2023
Finding and booking an indexer The first series of posts for the new SI blog takes you through the process of finding an indexer, commissioning an index and reviewing it. Here, Tanya Izzard discusses the process of finding and booking your indexer. How to find your indexer When you need to find an indexer, your
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