What Does Index Mean In A Book?

A back-of-the-book index is a list of words with corresponding page references that point readers to the locations of various topics within a book . Indexes are generally an alphabetical list of topics with subheadings appearing below multi-faceted topics that appear numerous times throughout a book.

Why is an index in a book?

The purpose of the index is to give the reader an informative, balanced portrait of what is in the book and a concise, useful guide to all pertinent facts in the book . These facts, in the form of an alphabetically ordered list of main entries and subentries, will include both proper names and subjects.

What is an index in a book example?

Examples are an index in the back matter of a book and an index that serves as a library catalog. In a traditional back-of-the-book index, the headings will include names of people, places, events, and concepts selected by the indexer as being relevant and of interest to a possible reader of the book.

Where do you find the index of a book?

Also known as back-of-the-book-index, indexing is found at the end of the book and mostly sorted in alphabetical order . The main role of the index in a book is to identify the concept of the paper and guide the reader to information by gathering scattered relationships or references and to locate keywords and concepts.

How do you create an index?

1. Start with your topic headings. Add one or more index entries for each topic heading. ...
2. Consider other words that users might look for to find these topics. ...
3. Look for keywords in each topic. ...
4. Think of synonyms for the keywords. ...
5. Brainstorm other words users might look for. ...
6. Read the completed index.

How do you prepare a book index?

1. Read the book. The first step may seem obvious, but it’s important to do a thorough readthrough of any book before you start on the indexing process. ...
2. Use indexing software. ...
3. Mark up the book. ...
4. Address formatting questions. ...
5. Make index entries. ...
6. Order your index entries. ...
7. Edit your index.

How do you read an index?

Index numbers

An index starts in a given year, the base year, at an index number of 100. In subsequent years, percentage increases push the index number above 100, and percentage decreases push the figure below 100. An index number of 102 means a 2% rise from the base year, and an index number of 98 means a 2% fall.

What should be in an index?

• be arranged in alphabetical order.
• include accurate page references that lead to useful information on a topic.
• avoid listing every use of a word or phrase.
• be consistent across similar topics.
• use sub-categories to break up long blocks of page numbers.
• use italics for publications and Acts.

How long should a book index be?

The index length should be sufficient to cover all useful elements; however, you should aim to include no more than 70–80 terms (headings and subheadings) per 10,000 words of the manuscript (roughly equivalent to 4–6 typeset pages per 100 typeset proof pages).

What is the index at the front of a book called?

Index . A list of specialty terms or phrases used in the book, along with the pages on which they appear, so the reader can find them easily. The index is also usually in alphabetical order.

What comes first index or content?

While the table of contents is found at the beginning of the book , an index is usually placed at the end of the book or document. ... In contrast, the index is included in the document/book to help the reader find the topics within the main matter.

What comes after index in a book?

The only section that we advise to put after the Index section, is the “About the Author” section , then comes the back cover of the book.

Does my book need an index?

Since you’re the author, it is up to you whether you decide to include an index for your book or not. ... If your book is a non-fiction book then the reader will surely need an index for it, and the index should be well made. To convince you, you should know that a good index will help increase your book sales.

What is index of a project?

The Project Index is a way to organize the various formats of architectural records from the same project . Each horizontal row holds information about a project and the location of the project records.

What is an index form?

The index form of a number is that number written as an exponential expression , or a single number raised to another number.

What is index number with example?

Index numbers measure a net or relative change in a variable or a group of variables . For example, if the price of a certain commodity rises from ₹10 in the year 2007 to ₹15 in the year 2017, the price index number will be 150 showing that there is a 50% increase in the prices over this period.