About Indexing and Indexers

What exactly is indexing?

Looking for answers to basic questions about indexing? Start here!

Does your document need an index?

You expect a professional indexer will tell you how valuable indexes are, but here's proof. Read these book reviews that mention indexes (good, bad, and omitted).

Shouldn't authors index their own books? (by Back Words Indexing)

With the index being the bridge between the author and the readers, someone as objective as the author shouldn't be responsible for writing the index. Martha Osgood of Back Words Indexing (a colleague, friend, and darned-good indexer) explains here why author-prepared indexes are often of poor quality and less useful than indexes written by information retrieval professionals (like indexers).

Contracting With Indexers

Here are tips for finding indexers, choosing among those you contact, and a list of questions you should ask indexers before contracting with them.

Working With Freelance Indexers (by American Society of Indexers)

This online version of a print brochure addresses the following: why you need an indexer, finding an indexer, working with an indexer (size and length of job and negotiating fee and contract), receiving the index (quick checks, shortening the index, unsatisfactory indexes, mark up, last-minute changes), a note about indexing software, and wrapping up the job.

Indexing Evaluation Checklist (by American Society of Indexers)

Does your text have an index, but you're wondering if it's any good? Use this checklist to begin your evaluation.

Choosing Index Styles

This page explains some index styles for people who are new to working with indexers.

Index Length: Considerations and Examples

Rules of thumb about "average" lengths of indexes and a real-life example of how length constraints affect index quality.

Indexing the WWW (from University of British Columbia's School of Library, Archival and Information Studies)

Links to resources on the web about web site indexing are organized in the following categories: WWW Indexing; Web Site Indexes; Indexes to Books, Journals & Other Documents; Metadata Links on the WWW; and SGML, XML, EAD & TEI.

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