Formatting Indexes

Formatting your index attractively can improve readability and help your audience to locate information quickly. The following tips apply to printed indexes.

1. Fonts

Use the same font as the body text, only two points smaller. For example, if you are using 11 pt. Times New Roman for the body text, print the index using 9 pt. Times New Roman.

2. Indentation and wrapping

The following settings work well for most indexes:

Main entries wrap at 0.1 inches.
Indent subentries at 0.2 inches.
Subentries wrap at 0.3 inches.

Example:

main entry text 123, 678,
5678
subentry text 987,
4321

3. Main entries with only one subentry

Change the index marker so that the whole entry appears on one line with a comma separating the main entry and subentry. Then regenerate the index. For example:

Change:

ethics
in selling online 458–459

To:

ethics, in selling online 458–459

4. Bad breaks

Bad breaks in an index layout can confuse and slow your reader — the last thing you want if the person is already feeling harried about a computer problem. You can only correct bad breaks in the compiled index itself. Fix these bad breaks once you have generated the index for the last time. If you do regenerate the index, you’ll need to fix the bad breaks again as well.

4(a) Widowed or orphaned subentries

Readers can easily miss widowed subentries, at the end of column, or orphaned subentries, at the top of a column.

4(b) A list of subentries carries over to the top of the next column or page

Put a "continued" line at the top of the column or page to show what the main entry is.

Example:

- - - - -   top of page   - - - - -
data flow diagram (continued)
    expanded 8–87, 235–38
    files in 57–58
    guidelines 62–69

Note that "(continued)" is usually in italics.

4(c) Orphaned page references

A list of page references from one entry can sometimes be orphaned at the top of the next column or page. The reader could possibly miss these page references altogether.

Example:

- - - - -   top of page   - - - - -
184–185, 207, 222
data gathering
    basic research 169–170
    direct observation 168-169

You can prevent this problem by ensuring that the number of widow/orphan lines in the paragraph tag (FrameMaker) is set to two or more.

5. Checklist

Add the above tips to your final document checklist. And keep a copy of Nancy Mulvany’s "Indexing Books" on hand for other fine points.

Fred Brown
Allegro Technical Indexing
fred.brown@allegrotechindexing.com
(613) 728-9373

December, 2000
Allegro Time!