.
Uses and Benefits
of a Good Index

A good index helps users by:

• identifying information a user might look for
• distinguishing substantial information and passing mentions
• providing terminology that may not exist in the text
• analyzing concepts to produce headings
• directing a user, through cross-references, to appropriate terminology and concepts
• grouping together references to the same topic
• organizing entries systematically, e.g., hierarchically, alphabetically
• collecting different ways of wording the same concept
• providing subentries (rather than long strings of unanalyzed page references) to guide researchers directly to a specific aspect of a topic
• retrieving information for review by students
• filtering information for the reader in order to prevent burnout
• facilitating quotation by other authors, by the media, by students, by readers
• anticipating the reader's viewpoint; that is, entries are worded to be useful to non-experts asking questions or looking for information
• filtering the avalanche of information to reduce overload
• organizing "aboutness" for quick recall

A good index helps publishers/companies/authors by:

• reducing the number of calls to a support hotline
• ensuring your company's positive, interactive and ongoing presence on a permanent basis in thousands of customer homes and workplaces at minimal cost to the company.
• permitting a potential buyer to compare books to verify inclusion of secondary topics not mentioned in the chapter headings
• allowing professors to choose textbooks based on whether they or other known experts or researchers in the field are quoted or discussed in the book
• focusing the book's information gateways to a specific audience
• showing an author's pride in his or her own work, and a regard for researchers and readers
• determining whether a university library purchases the book at all