Indexing Mistakes to Avoid

Learn from common indexing pitfalls that make indexes frustrating and unusable. Avoid these mistakes to create professional, reader-friendly indexes.

Why This Matters

Poor indexes frustrate readers, reduce book value, and can prevent academic publication. These common mistakes are easily preventable with proper knowledge.

Most Critical Mistakes

The four most damaging indexing errors and how to fix them

❌ Indexing Every Word Mention

The Problem:

Creating entries for every trivial reference, making the index cluttered and unusable.

Impact on Readers:

Readers can't find important information among hundreds of minor entries

❌ Bad Example:

Dog, 1, 3, 7, 12, 15, 18, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 42, 48, 52, 58, 61, 67...

✅ Better Approach:

Dog training, 23-31 behavioral issues, 35-39 positive reinforcement, 42-48

✅ Solution:

Only index substantial discussions (2+ sentences) or key contextual mentions

❌ Using Author Language Only

The Problem:

Indexing only the exact terms authors use, ignoring how readers think and search.

Impact on Readers:

Readers can't find topics because they search with different vocabulary

❌ Bad Example:

Organizational restructuring paradigms, 45-67

✅ Better Approach:

Company reorganization, 45-67 see also Downsizing; Layoffs; Management changes

✅ Solution:

Include synonyms and terms readers actually use, with cross-references

❌ Inconsistent Terminology

The Problem:

Using different terms for the same concept throughout the index.

Impact on Readers:

Information is scattered, readers miss related content

❌ Bad Example:

AI, 23 Artificial Intelligence, 45 Machine Intelligence, 67

✅ Better Approach:

Artificial intelligence, 23, 45, 67 AI, see Artificial intelligence Machine intelligence, see Artificial intelligence

✅ Solution:

Choose one preferred term and cross-reference all alternatives to it

❌ Circular Cross-References

The Problem:

Creating reference loops where entries point to each other endlessly.

Impact on Readers:

Readers get stuck in loops without finding actual information

❌ Bad Example:

Leadership, see Management Management, see Leadership

✅ Better Approach:

Leadership, 23-45, 78-89 see also Management styles Management, see Leadership

✅ Solution:

Establish clear hierarchy: cross-reference FROM alternative terms TO preferred terms

Technical & Structural Mistakes

Formatting and organization errors that undermine professional quality

Entry Structure

❌ Vague main headings

Problems, 23-89

Fix: Specific topics with clear subentries

❌ Too many subentries

Marketing with 15 subentries

Fix: Group into logical subcategories, max 6-7 subentries

❌ Single orphan subentries

Dogs training, 45

Fix: Either promote to main entry or add more subentries

Page References

❌ Wrong dash types

Climate change, 45-52, 67-9

Fix: Use en-dashes and full page numbers: 45–52, 67–69

❌ Inaccurate page ranges

Topic spans pages 23-28 but indexed as 23-25

Fix: Verify all page references match actual content

❌ Overusing 'passim'

Leadership, passim

Fix: Use specific page ranges; 'passim' only for truly pervasive topics

Alphabetization

❌ Ignoring articles incorrectly

'The Art of War' under 'T'

Fix: File under 'A' (Art of War, The)

❌ Wrong name inversion

John Smith, 45

Fix: Smith, John, 45

❌ Inconsistent sorting

MacArthur before Macbeth

Fix: Choose letter-by-letter or word-by-word sorting consistently

Quality Issues That Hurt Usability

Systemic problems that make indexes difficult to use

⚠️ Bloated Index Length

Index is too long relative to book content (over 8% of book length)

Consequences:

Publishing costs increase
Readers overwhelmed by too many entries
Important topics get lost

Solution: Aim for 3-5% of book length; be more selective about what to include

⚠️ Inadequate Cross-References

Related topics aren't connected, making navigation difficult

Consequences:

Readers miss related information
Index feels disconnected
Poor user experience

Solution: Add 'see also' references between related but distinct topics

⚠️ Poor Entry Specificity

Entries are too broad or too narrow for practical use

Consequences:

Broad entries: too many pages to search
Narrow entries: too fragmented to be useful

Solution: Balance specificity with usability; test by asking 'Would I actually look this up?'

⚠️ Inconsistent Formatting

Mixed capitalization, punctuation, and style throughout

Consequences:

Looks unprofessional
Harder to scan and read
May confuse automated systems

Solution: Establish style guide early and follow it consistently throughout

Real-World Examples

Actual indexing mistakes and their corrections

Academic Textbook Index

Problem: Over-indexing every concept mention

❌ Before

Psychology, 1, 3, 7, 12, 15, 18, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 42, 48, 52, 58, 61, 67, 71, 78, 82, 89, 94, 101...

✅ After

Psychology behavioral approaches, 23-31 cognitive theories, 42-48 developmental stages, 67-78 research methods, 89-94

Key Lesson: Focus on substantial discussions, not every mention

Business Book Index

Problem: Technical jargon without reader-friendly alternatives

❌ Before

Organizational paradigm optimization, 45-67 Synergistic methodological frameworks, 78-89

✅ After

Company reorganization, 45-67 see also Restructuring; Management changes Teamwork strategies, 78-89 see also Collaboration; Team building

Key Lesson: Use language readers actually search for

Fiction Novel Index

Problem: Poor character and theme organization

❌ Before

John, 12 John Smith, 45 John (protagonist), 78 Love, 23, 67, 89, 134

✅ After

Smith, John (protagonist), 12, 45, 78, 134-156 Themes love and relationships, 23-28, 67-71 redemption, 89-94, 178-182

Key Lesson: Consistent naming and logical grouping improve usability

Prevention Checklist

Systematic approach to avoiding common indexing mistakes

Before You Start

Read the entire book first to understand scope and themes
Identify your target audience and their likely search behavior
Review 3-5 similar books to understand indexing conventions
Set realistic length target (3-5% of book pages)

While Indexing

Ask 'Would a reader actually look this up?' for each entry
Maintain a style guide for consistency
Keep a running list of preferred terms vs. alternatives
Group related concepts logically with clear cross-references

Quality Review

Test the index by looking up 10 random topics you remember
Check that all cross-references lead to existing entries
Verify page references are accurate (spot-check 20%)
Ensure alphabetical order is correct throughout

Final Check

Read through the complete index as a reader would
Remove or combine any obviously redundant entries
Check for orphaned subentries or overly long entry lists
Proofread for typos, formatting, and consistency

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