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  - - -

… by me over recent years

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- - -   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)

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