BENEFITS OF AN INDEX

An index provides the reader with a tool to locate specific information quickly and efficiently. Some of the benefits of including an index in a publication are:

• Libraries and universities often look at the index prior to a publication being placed on their acquisitions list.
• Book revieweres often look at the table of contents and the index when writing their reviews.
• A consumer will peruse the index prior to purchasing a publication.
• The index can help sell more books.

When preparing to index a book the following are a few features that are key to creating a professional and usable index.

• Reader Appropriateness
• Main Headings
• Subheadings
• Double Posting
• Locators (Page References)
• Cross References
• Length of Book
• Type of Index
• Format