More importantly, the visual tags are distracting to the creative process.An index, on the other hand, can be helpful or disappointing, because the creation process isnt as established.There are few rules to determine what an author should or shouldnt include in an index.
Too many or too few entries will confuse and frustrate your reader. In this article, well discuss the process for generating a helpful index in Word and some of the choices youll need to make when deciding what goes in and what doesnt. Mark All For Index On In Word 2016 Download The ExampleWhen working through the indexing example, you can use any document -- or you can download the example.docx or.doc file. Figures and instructions are in Word 2010, but you should have no problem applying instructions to Word 2003 through 2013. A little background A good index is more than a list; a good index is intuitive and consistent, and that takes a specialized skill. Although Words indexing feature is powerful and easy to implement, the key to a good index is more plan than execution. Whats the difference A concordance is a collection of words whereas an index lists (related) items that have meaning within the context of the written work. An index shows the result of some analysis or knowledge of the work. Youll create a concordance only when you have a specific reason for doing so, and we wont cover the process for creating a concordance in this article. This type of index requires an expertise in the subject because you tag the entries in the actual document. When you generate the index, Word uses those tags to determine what makes the index. It takes more effort or your part, but the results are more helpful to readers. Youll often see cross-references, which come in two flavors: See and See also. A See reference points to the correct location for a reference that isnt defined at that location. Instead of finding nothing, the index refers the reader to another entry. If theres nothing of contextual value at that location, why include the entry at all See also references related entries that the reader might find useful in addition to the current entry. The documents length, subject, and complexity will drive your decision to use cross-references. Think ahead Before you start marking up the document, you need a plan. If your organization has index conventions, you have a plan already. If not, here are a few things to consider: Will you cross-reference If so, will you include See references How will you handle (grammatical) articles such as The and A How will you sort numbers -- alphabetically or numerically How will you display references that span more than a single page Will you index the table of contents and other headings Theres no right or wrong, unless your content dictates otherwise. Your readers will adjust to your choices quickly enough if youre consistent. Mark All For Index On In Word 2016 Full Attention AfterWhether you tag as you write or after the document is done is also up to you, although giving the index your full attention after the writing is done might produce a more thorough index.
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