How to Write an Index

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PARTS
1Preparing Your Index
2Formatting Entries and Subentries
3Editing Your Index
OTHER SECTIONS
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Tips and Warnings
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Article Summary

Co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD

Last Updated: March 5, 2020 References
An index is an alphabetical list of keywords contained in the text of a book or other lengthy writing
project. It includes pointers to where those keywords or concepts are mentioned in the book—typically
page numbers, but sometimes footnote numbers, chapters, or sections. The index can be found at the
end of the work, and makes a longer nonfiction work more accessible for readers, since they can turn
directly to the information they need. Typically you'll start indexing after you've completed the main
writing and research.[1]

Part1

Preparing Your Index

1.
1. Choose your indexing source. When you start working on your index, you may want to use
printed proof pages, or work directly from the computer screen. A searchable PDF will help you
find the words you're indexing without disturbing the text.[2]
• Typically, if you index from a hard copy you'll have to transfer your work to a digital
file. If the work is particularly long, try to work straight from the computer so you can
skip this extra step.

Object 1

2.
2
Decide what needs to be indexed. Generally speaking, you'll want to index the entire text of
your work, including the introduction and any footnotes or endnotes that expand on the content
of the text. Typically, indexed items are nouns, like ideas, concepts, and things, that contribute
to the subject of the text.[3]
• If footnotes or endnotes are merely source citations, they don't need to be included in the
index.
• Generally, you don't need to index glossaries, bibliographies, acknowledgements, or
illustrative items such as charts and graphs.
• If you're not sure whether something should be indexed, ask yourself if it contributes
something substantial to the text. If it doesn't, it typically doesn't need to be indexed.

Object 2

3.
3
List cited authors if necessary. Some publishers may require you to index any authors cited,
either in text or footnotes. This may require a separate index, or they may be included in your
general index. Check with your advisor or editor if you're not sure.[4]
• In most cases, if you have a "works cited" section appearing at the end of your text you
won't need to index authors. You would still include their names in the general index,
however, if you discussed them in the text rather than simply citing their work.

4.
 4
Create index cards for entries if you’re indexing by hand. As you read through your work,
make a list of the keywords or main concepts discussed in the text. Many of these you may
already know off the top of your head. Creating an index card for each individual entry can help
you sort and organize the entries before typing them up.[5]
• For example, if you're writing a book on bicycle maintenance, you might have index
cards for "gears," "wheels," and "chain."
• Put yourself in your reader's shoes, and ask yourself why they would pick up your book
and what information they would likely be looking for. Chapter or section headings can
help guide you as well.

Object 3

5.
5
Use nouns for the main headings of entries. Nouns referring to people, places, objects, or
concepts are the most common nouns indexed. Typically the noun you use will be singular, and
will not include any adjectives or phrases.[6]
• For example, a dessert cookbook that included several types of ice cream might have
one entry for "ice cream," followed by subentries for "strawberry," "chocolate," and
"vanilla."
• Treat proper nouns as a single unit. For example, "United States Senate" and "United
States House of Representatives" would be separate entries, rather than subentries under
the entry "United States."

Object 4

6.
6
Include subentries for entries with 5 or more pointers. Unless you're working with an
extremely long text, a keyword or concept that occurs on more than five pages typically can be
broken into smaller parts.[7]
• Stick to nouns and brief phrases for subentries, avoiding any unnecessary words.
• For example, suppose you are writing a book about comic books that discusses Wonder
Woman's influence on the feminist movement. You might include a subentry under
"Wonder Woman" that says "influence on feminism."

7.
7
 Identify potential cross references. If you have entries that are similar to each other, you may
want to use cross references in your index to link the similar entries. That way your readers will
be able to dig further into similar information.[8]
• For example, if you were writing a dessert cookbook, you might have entries for "ice
cream" and "sorbet." Since these frozen treats are similar, they would make good cross
references of each other.

Object 5

Part2
Formatting Entries and Subentries

1.
1
Confirm the style and formatting requirements. Before you start building your index, you
need to know its maximum length and what style guide the publisher wants you to use.
Typically, you'll be expected to use the Chicago Manual of Style.[9]
• The style guide provides specifics for you in terms of spacing, alignment, and
punctuation of your entries and subentries.

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 Object 6

2.
2
Use the correct punctuation. Generally, you'll put a colon after the header or main entry, then
continue with the rest of the entry. If there is more than one subentry, place a semicolon
between them. Use commas between subentries and page numbers, and between non-
consecutive page numbers.[10]
• For example, an entry in the index of a political science book might read: "capitalism:
21st century, 164; American free trade, 112; backlash against, 654; expansion of, 42;
Russia, 7; and television, 3; treaties, 87."
• If an entry contains no subentries, simply follow the entry with a comma and list the
page numbers.

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Object 7

3.
3
 Organize your entries in alphabetical order. If you used the index card method, arrange your
cards in alphabetical order and then type the list of main entries into a computer document. You
also may be able to use your word-processing app to arrange the entries alphabetically.[11]
• People's names typically are listed alphabetically by their last name. Put a comma after
the last name and add the person's first name.
• Noun phrases typically are inverted. For example, "adjusting-height saddle" would be
listed in an index as "saddle, adjusting-height."[12]

4.
4
Fill in subentries. Once you have your list of entries, you'll add subentries for those entries that
have multiple subdivisions. Avoid articles such as "a," "an," and "the" in your subentries, and
use "and" sparingly.[13]
• Avoid repeating words in the entry in the subentries. If several subentries repeat the
same word, add it as a separate entry, with a cross reference back to the original entry.
For example, in a dessert cookbook you might have entries for "ice cream, flavors" and
"ice cream, toppings."
• Subentries typically are listed alphabetically as well. If subentry terms have symbols,
hyphens, slashes, or numbers, you can usually ignore them.

5.
5
Capitalize proper names. While generally you shouldn't capitalize the words in your index,
you should capitalize a person's name or the name of a place or event. Check your required style
guide if you're unsure whether something should be capitalized.[14]
• If a proper name, such as the name of a book or song, includes a word such as "a" or
"the" at the beginning of the title, you can either omit it or include it after a comma
("Importance of Being Earnest, The"). Check your style guide for the proper rule that
applies to your index, and be consistent.

6.
6
Include all page numbers for each entry or subentry. You'll copy the page numbers from
your index cards, formatting them according to the rules laid out in your style guide. Generally,
you'll include all the digits of the page numbers if they are nonconsecutive numbers.[15]
• When listing a series of pages, if the first page number is 1-99 or a multiple of 100, you
also use all of the digits. For example, "ice cream: vanilla, 100-109."
• For other numbers, you generally only have to list the digits that changed for subsequent
page numbers. For example, "ice cream: vanilla, 112-18."
 • Use the word passim if references are scattered over a range of pages. For example, "ice
cream: vanilla, 45-68 passim. Only use this if there are a large number of references
within that range of pages.

7.
7
Add cross references with the phrase “See also.” Cross references introduced by the words
"see also" direct your reader to other entries in your index that may include related or similar
information to that contained in the original entry.[16]
• Place a period after the last page number in the entry, then type See also in italics, with
the word "see" capitalized. Then include the name of the similar entry you want to use.
• For example, an entry in an index for a dessert cookbook might contain the following
entry: "ice cream: chocolate, 4, 17, 24; strawberry, 9, 37; vanilla, 18, 25, 32-35. See
also sorbet."

8.
8
Include “See” references to avoid confusion. Unlike "see also" cross references, "see"
references are used when you want to include a common term that a reader might use, but which
isn't technically included in your text for whatever reason.[17]
• For example, a beginning cyclist may be looking in a manual for "tire patches," which
are called "boots" in cycling terms. If you're writing a bicycle manual aimed at
beginners, you might include a "see" cross reference: "tire patches, see boots."

Part3
Editing Your Index

1.
1
Use the "search" function to check your pointers. If you are using either a PDF or a word-
processing document, you have a search function that you can use to locate specific keywords
or other terms.[18]
• You'll also want to search for related terms, especially if you talk about a general
concept in the text without necessarily mentioning it by name.

2.
2
in librarySimplify entries to suit your readers. The point of your index is to make your work
more readable and usable for your readers. All of your entries should include the terms or topics
readers would intuitively look for.[19]
 • If you have any entries that are too complex or that might confuse your readers, you
might want to simplify them or add a cross reference.
• For example, a bicycle maintenance text might discuss "derailleurs," but a novice would
more likely look for terms such as "gearshift" or "shifter" and might not recognize that
term.

3.
3
Include descriptions of subentries where helpful. If all the subentries have something in
common, you can include this after the main entry to help guide the reader. Usually this will be
helpful if the subentries all fall under the same category.[20]
• For example, you might include an entry in a dessert cookbook index that read "ice
cream, varieties of: chocolate, 54; strawberry, 55; vanilla, 32, 37, 56. See alsosorbet."

4.
4
Trim or expand your index as needed. Once you have all the entries and page numbers
included, you can more easily see which entries are too short and which are too long. You'll also
want to look at the length of the index as a whole to make sure it fits the publisher's guidelines.
[21]
• Generally, an entry should occur on two or three page numbers. If it's only found in one
place, you may not need to include it at all. If you decide it is necessary, see if you can
include it as a subentry under a different entry.
• For example, suppose you are indexing a dessert cookbook, and it has ice cream on two
pages and sorbet on one page. You might consider putting these together under a larger
heading, such as "frozen treats."

5.
5
Check your index for accuracy. Check every page you have listed in your index and make
sure the entry can be found there. Adjust any page numbers as necessary to accurately reflect
the content of your book.[22]
• You may want to run searches again to make sure the index is comprehensive and
includes as many pointers as possible to help guide your readers.

6.
6
Proofread your entries. Go line by line through your index and make sure all words are spelled
correctly and all punctuation is correct and consistent. Even if you use spell check, it's still
 important to go through the index yourself, since some mistakes may slip past spell checkers.
[23]
• Make sure any cross references match the exact wording of the entry or entries they
reference.

7.
7
Set the final dimensions. The publisher will have page dimensions and margins to which your
index should be set once all the proofreading and accuracy checking is complete. This may be
your responsibility, or the publisher may do it for you.[24]
• Indexes are typically set in 2 columns, using a smaller font than that used in the main
text. Entries begin on the first space of the line, with the subsequent lines of the same
entry indented.

Community Q&A
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• Question
What is a subentry in an index?

Christopher Taylor, PhD

English Professor
Expert Answer

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Subentries are words or concepts that fall under the broader heading of a standard index entry
(they're found below and indented from the main entry). In other words, subentries represent
specific concepts related to the main entry and are grouped together accordingly.
Not Helpful 0Helpful 0
• Question
What is an index in an essay?

Christopher Taylor, PhD

 English Professor
Expert Answer

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An index is a feature of a book; you actually will not find an index for an essay.
Not Helpful 1Helpful 0
• Question
How do you insert an index?

Christopher Taylor, PhD

English Professor
Expert Answer

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An index is placed at the end of a book and can be created using a regular word-processing
program.
Not Helpful 0Helpful 0
• Question
What is an author index?

Christopher Taylor, PhD

English Professor
Expert Answer

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An author index is an index dedicated to specific authors cited in the book project.
Not Helpful 0Helpful 0
• Question
Do I need to include the title on the index page?

Community Answer
Yes. It tells the reader what part of the book it is.
Not Helpful 2Helpful 8
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Tips
• If creating an index seems like too large of a task for you to complete on your own by the
publisher's deadline, you may be able to hire a professional indexer to do the work for you.
Look for someone who has some knowledge and understanding about the subject matter of your
work.
• Make the index as clear and simple as you can. Readers don't like looking through a messy,
hard-to-read index.

Object 8
Warnings
• If you're using a word processing app that has an indexing function, avoid relying on it too
much. It will index all of the words in your text, which will be less than helpful to readers.[25]

Video

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References
1. ↑http://www.ugapress.org/upload/indexing.pdf
2. ↑http://www.cpynebookindexing.com/about-indexes/#how-to-write-a-book-index
3. ↑http://www.cpynebookindexing.com/about-indexes/#how-to-write-a-book-index
4. ↑https://authornet.cambridge.org/information/productionguide/stm/Guide_on_Making_an_Inde
x.pdf
5. ↑http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/CHIIndexingComplete.pdf
6. ↑https://authornet.cambridge.org/information/productionguide/stm/Guide_on_Making_an_Inde
x.pdf
7. ↑http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/CHIIndexingComplete.pdf
8. ↑http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/CHIIndexingComplete.pdf
9. ↑http://www.cpynebookindexing.com/about-indexes/#how-to-write-a-book-index

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About This Article

Co-authored by:
Christopher Taylor, PhD
English Professor
This article was co-authored by Christopher Taylor, PhD. Christopher Taylor is an Adjunct Assistant
Professor of English at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his PhD in English Literature
and Medieval Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. This article has been viewed
235,162 times.
34 votes - 72%
Co-authors: 30
Updated: March 5, 2020
Views: 235,162
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Updated: March 5, 2020
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