Nigel D'Auvergne
Freelance
Indexing
(publications)
¨ ‘making information accessible’ §
- - -
What is an (‘Back-of-Book’) Index? -
- -
Index
(Latin): Pointer, Indicator.
• An index is a list of words
or phrases (headings) and associated locators -
- to where
useful material relating to those headings can be found in a publication.
The locators are usually page, section, or paragraph numbers in printed
publications, or clickable links in e-publications.
• An index is a systematic
arrangement of keywords and locators,
enabling users to identify and locate
information quickly and efficiently.
• An index is a ‘signpost’,
directing users to specific locations within a publication.
• An index is an overview of
a publication’s topics and their interrelationships.
- - -
Surely,
computers make indexes?
Computers can
find and list words but can’t make indexes.
And stop
calling me ‘Surely’.
- - - Benefits
of an Index - - -
An index is
beneficial to users because it is:
• Alphabetized/systematized.
• More detailed than a Table
of Contents.
• Quicker than directly
browsing a publication’s text.
• More precise than keyword
full-text searching.
Indexes can be
used in at least four ways:
• Finding information on
topics the user already has in mind.
• Browsing the index
will alert the user to topics s/he was unaware of.
• As a study revision aid:
students can test themselves on the listed topics.
• As a sales
aid: potential purchasers of a book can view its index
(via Amazon's
'Look inside' feature) to help their buying decision.
For examples,
see this page: List of Titles Indexed.
By adding value to a publication, and thereby
increasing sales,
a good index will pay for itself many times over.
- - -
Profile - - -
Indexer, providing 'Back of
Book' indexes for dead-tree books, and clickable indexes for eBooks.
Advanced professional member of the UK Society of Indexers.
Alpha(bet)-male of indexing.
Preferred subject areas include: Science • Technology • Medicine • Engineering • Commerce.
Educational levels of my indexing projects range from school textbooks, through
general interest/graduate publications to postgraduate research.
Clients range from self-publishing individuals through to multinational
companies.
My aim is to enhance the saleability (is that a word?
. . . it is now!) of publications,
by providing indexes of the highest quality.
- - -
Methods - - -
A fee for each project is
normally agreed in advance.
Using SKY Index
Professional™ software,
stand-alone indexes are produced in the file format of your choice, e.g.
Microsoft Word (.rtf); HTML; XML.
Using DEXembed
software,
embedded indexes are produced in Microsoft Word and DocBook
XML files.
- - - List of
Titles Indexed - - -
- - -
Contact - - -
Please contact me if you would
like more information, or to discuss a project:
Nigel D'Auvergne • Freelance Indexing
Steyning • West Sussex • UK
+44(0)7743 611935
nigel.dauvergne@gmail.com
- - -
‘Good order is the foundation
of all things.’
Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
‘The world is a great volume, and
man the index of that book.’
John Donne (1572-1631)
‘The trouble with quotes on the internet is
that it’s difficult to determine whether or not they are genuine.’
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
- - -
¨§