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<ul class="navigation"><li class="prev"><a accesskey="p" class="prev" href="WS8721440D-5F68-4fd6-8115-CA3BEDACF001a.html" title="Creating an index"><img src="images/blank.gif" alt="Previous" width="17" height="17" /></a></li><li class="next"><a accesskey="n" class="next" href="WS4D8D5080-319E-4f09-9399-50F14900E6C7a.html" title="Index panel overview"><img src="images/blank.gif" alt="Next" width="17" height="17" /></a></li></ul><div class="hierarchy"><a href="WSa285fff53dea4f8617383751001ea8cb3f-6ccba.html">Long document features</a> /
     <a href="WS8721440D-5F68-4fd6-8115-CA3BEDACF001a.html"><b>Creating an index</b></a> 
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                <h1>
                    About indexing
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                <div><p>You can
create a simple keyword index or a comprehensive, detailed guide
to the information in your book. You can create only one index for
a document or book. To create an index, you first place index markers
in the text. You associate each index marker with the word, called
a <dfn class="term">topic</dfn>, that you want to appear in the index.</p>
<p>When you generate the index, each topic is listed, along with
the page on which it was found. The topics are sorted alphabetically,
typically under section headings (A, B, C, and so on). An index
entry consists of a topic (the term readers look up) paired with
either a page reference (page number or range) or a cross-reference.
A cross-reference, preceded by “See” or “See also,” points the reader
to other entries in the index, rather than to a page number. </p>
<div class="fignone"><img alt="" id="ct_toc03" src="images/ct_toc03.png" /><div class="figdesc">Parts of an index </div><br /><dl><dt class="dlterm">A.</dt>
<dd>Title</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">B.</dt>
<dd>Section
heading</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">C.</dt>
<dd>Index entry</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">D.</dt>
<dd>Subentry</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">E.</dt>
<dd>Topic</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">F.</dt>
<dd>Page reference</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">G.</dt>
<dd>Cross-reference</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p></dl>
</div><div class="section"><h4 class="sectiontitle">Tips for creating an index</h4><p>Creating a
well-planned and complete index can help make the information in your
document immediately accessible to your readers. Here are a few
guidelines to consider:</p>
<ul><li><p>Think about how you want your
index to look. How many topic levels will it have? Will it refer
the reader to other related topics? Will a simple keyword index
suffice, or do you want a more complex index with cross-references
to related topics and a well‑researched list of equivalent terms?</p>
</li>
<li><p>Anticipate the variety of ways by which your readers might
look up information. For instance, one reader may search for information
on animals by looking under <i>beasts</i>; another may look for <i>wildlife</i> or <i>fauna</i>.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Add index entries when the content of your document is fairly
stable. If you delete large portions of your text later, you may
lose some of your indexing work.</p>
</li>
<li><p>A well-planned index presents topics consistently. Common
indexing problems include mixing uppercase and lowercase (<i>cats</i> and <i>Cats</i>)
and singular and plural forms (<i>cat</i> and <i>cats</i>). Use
a topic list to keep terms consistent.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Review your index several times before you generate the final
index. Look for duplicate entries, weak subject areas, misspellings,
and inconsistencies in capitalization and wording; for example,
InDesign treats <i>Cheetah</i>, <i>cheetah</i>, and <i>cheetahs</i> as
separate entries.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="section"><h4 class="sectiontitle">Workflow for creating an index</h4><p>To
create an index, follow these basic steps:</p>
<dl><dt class="dlterm">1. Create a topic list (optional)</dt>
<dd>A topic list helps you maintain consistency in your index
entries. (See <a href="WS3B0FEED9-A06D-4ddd-A1BA-E3B15B3AD096a.html">Create a list of topics for an index</a>.)</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">2. Add index markers.</dt>
<dd>Add index markers on the pages in your document that you
want the index entries to refer to. (See <a href="WSF9291AEE-CDD3-4006-AB2E-E6183A9B676Fa.html">Add index entries</a>.)</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">3. Generate the index.</dt>
<dd>Generating the index creates a set of entries for markers and
their accompanying page numbers. (See <a href="WSBB6698B3-6E51-4d57-A6FF-3C478436C963a.html">Generate an index</a>.)</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p><dt class="dlterm">4. Flow the index story.</dt>
<dd>Use the loaded text cursor to flow the index into a text frame.
In most cases, you’ll want the index to start on a new page. After
you flow the index, you can format the pages and index.<p>You’ll
likely repeat these steps several times as you refine your index
prior to publication.</p>
<p>For a video on creating an index, see <a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/vid0220" target="_blank">www.adobe.com/go/vid0220</a>.</p>
</dd><p class="dlseparator"></p></dl>
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                    <p><a href="http://www.adobe.com/go/vid0220" title="http://www.adobe.com/go/vid0220">Creating an Index video (adobe.com)</a></p>
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