indexes: choice of terms

The wording of the entry should be as specific as possible for the prospective reader’s purposes. Popular or specialized terms may be used, depending on the reader and the nature of the work. When preparing an index, you can glean established nomenclature from the indexes of previous publications on the same subject or from thesauri, or you can create your own headings on the basis of the work at hand. In doing so, check the author’s terms for consistency and accuracy and, if necessary, use a standard term instead (e.g. when indexing medical publications).

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