Pointing Readers in the Right Direction


Hello,

Welcome back to this mini-series on the basic elements of an index.

I’m currently looking at what makes up an entry, which I described as “what this thing is + where to find it.” In my previous email I discussed main headings and subheadings, which form the first part of that equation. Today, I’m writing about the second part, “where to find it,” also known as locators.

Locators are the portion of the entry which tells readers where to find information about the main heading and subheading. They are like directions for the reader to follow. To be effective, locators need to be clear, specific, and accurate.

There are three points that I want to make about locators.

The first is that a locator can be anything. Page numbers are usually the default locator, especially when indexing books, but other forms of locators can also be used, such as paragraph or policy numbers. The only criteria is that the locator is appropriate for the material being indexed.

My second point is that the locator needs to be clear and specific. Readers should understand how the locator relates to the text, and should be able to easily use the locator to find the desired information.

To give a few examples, page numbers are often augmented when referring to figures and tables or to footnotes and endnotes. For figures and tables, the page number may be placed in italics or bold, or have a fig. or t appended. For notes, the note number is usually appended to the page number, as in 253n43 or 265nn14-15. These allow the reader to more quickly pinpoint the information on the page.

For a cumulative index for a journal or multivolume series, the locator should probably include a volume or issue number alongside the page number, as in VII.343. For a policy document that I update every couple of years, I use unique policy numbers instead of page numbers, as in 20.2.1.2. These policy numbers both direct readers to the specific policy more quickly (especially if there are ten or more policies listed per page), and makes updating the index a whole lot easier as I don’t need to worry about the pagination shifting as policies are added, removed, and revised.

When augmenting page numbers or using something different for a locator, it may be helpful to explain your choice in a headnote so readers understand how to interpret the locator. Page numbers, being the default, don't need to be explained.

To give a few examples of locators:

conduction, 83, 84fig.
convection, 85, 84t, 234n43
safety protocols, 2.1.13.4, 3.3.1.12, 3.4.3.6
thermodynamics, VI.343, IX.23

The last point I want to make is that the number of locators in an array should be reasonable for readers to search. As a general rule of thumb, no more than 6-10 undifferentiated locators. Larger arrays, with more than ten locators, should have subheadings to sort the references and make it easier for the reader to identify the relevant aspects of the subject. The concern is that searching through a long string of undifferentiated locators is time-consuming and may discourage the reader from finding what they need. Better to set the reader up for success by presenting locators in smaller chunks.

In my next email, I’m going to take a little pause from this mini-series and write about a specific type of locator, the paragraph IDs from Oxford University Press. I’ve recently indexed a couple of titles for OUP and I have a few thoughts on that experience. I look forward to sharing.

Happy indexing,

Stephen

Stephen Ullstrom

2x award-winning book indexer and the author of Book Indexing: A Step-by-Step Guide. I teach you how to write excellent indexes, along with reflections on succeeding as a freelance indexer.

Read more from Stephen Ullstrom

Hello, I am back home and catching up on sleep after attending the Indexing Society of Canada/Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI)’s annual conference, held this year at the University of British Columbia (UBC), in Vancouver. I enjoy attending the Canadian conferences. Being Canadian myself, ISC/SCI feels like “my” society in a way that the American Society for Indexing (ASI) doesn’t, even though I am currently a member of both and ASI has a lot to offer too. It is a treat to see and...

Hello, I’ve been freelancing for almost thirteen years now, and I feel like I am at another juncture at which I am reassessing my business and contemplating how best to move forward. I periodically find myself here. This is partly driven by external factors, often the need to earn a little more due to changing financial needs. I’m no longer the twenty-something kid I was when I first began freelancing, renting a small room in a dilapidated former convent and cruising around Vancouver on my...

Hello, Thank you to all of you who replied to my brief survey on whether or not to create an audio version of Book Indexing: A Step-by-Step Guide. Your responses have been very helpful. So far the response is overwhelmingly, though not quite 100%, against an audio version, and for many of the reasons that I’ve been hesitant so far. Specifically, that it can be difficult to focus and follow along when listening to nonfiction (compared to fiction), and that being able to see the indexing...