Subheadings

Subheadings enable your readers to find detailed information quickly. They also give the reader an idea of how deeply a topic is covered. Subheadings provide more detail about the topic stated in the main entry. Effective subheadings represent distinct aspects of a topic.

Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2001). Articles>Indexing>Information Design

Synonyms

Including synonyms can be one of the most effective ways to improve the usability of an index. Synonyms assist users to navigate easily to the information they are looking for using their own terminology. In an index you use the terms that appear in the text of the document. But, the user may employ different words for the same concepts. This situation can happen when a user is familiar with another environment, for example when an experienced Microsoft Windows user is learning about Linux. The user may also be familiar with common terms while the document may use scientific or other official terminology. Different industries, organizations or product groups can also develop their own specialized vocabularies.

Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2001). Articles>Indexing

Value of Indexing

Recently on INDEX-L, the indexer’s listserv, there was a thread on quotes about the value of indexing. See the article for some select examples.

Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2001). Articles>Indexing>Assessment

Web Indexing

Much like the well-known back-of-the-book index, web indexes help users find information using a variety of keywords and gathering similar information under a single topic. Instead of page numbers, web indexes are hypertext-linked directly to the content with in the web site itself. Web indexes work particularly well in sites that have a flat structure with only one or two levels of hierarchy.

Brown, Fred. Allegro Time!. Design>Web Design>Information Design

Why an Index?

What indexes can do for you and your end-users.

Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2000). Articles>Indexing