Jennifer Stephens Final Course Project April 13, 2013
FINAL PROJECT: INDEXING SOFTWARE REVIEW & WEB INDEX PRODUCTION NOTES Cindex 3.0 Review Overview Cindex is professional software developed by Indexing Research, a tech company located in Rochester, New York that also offers indexing and conversion services. Cindex 3.0 was released in May 2012, and is an efficient tool that can be used by novice and experienced indexers to produce quality indexes. It is largely utilized for indexing books, periodicals, and other standalone materials. However it is versatile enough to be used when producing indexes for web-based information. Cindex can also be used for creating glossaries and subject authority lists. Tool Selection Cindex 3.0 was chosen for this indexing project for several reasons. First, its free trial version is fully functional with the exception of handling a limited number of entries, which was not a hindrance for the size of the website being indexed. Next, it is available for both Windows and Macintosh operating systems and appears to function identically on both platforms. Finally, it includes a comprehensive manual in PDF format, which is an important tool when learning about an unfamiliar genre of software. User Interface and Functionality When beginning a new indexing project, the user defines rules and preferences that the index should follow. For instance, an index can be alphabetized letter-by-letter
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Jennifer Stephens Final Course Project April 13, 2013 or word-by-word. Subheadings can be sorted alphabetically or by page references. Rules can be created to tell Cindex how to treat numbers and symbols in entries. Cindex automatically ignores words that are not normally indexed, such as prepositions at the beginnings of entries, and can also be programmed to ignore any words defined by the indexer. The main screen displays the index as if it were printed in the back of a book. The contents of this window change as the user creates entries—or “records”—in a separate window. This is a nice feature, since it allows the user to visualize the final product and watch it change as entries are added or edited. Another welcome feature is a search field at the bottom of the main screen, which allows the indexer to quickly find keywords in an extensive index. The user can change the way the index displays, choosing between formatted and draft views, and whether or not entries are indented. Cindex performs many functions automatically. The user manual boasts several valuable features. The Automatic Formatting feature is a timesaving operation in which the software generates correct punctuation, adds and organizes see and see also crossreferences, and merges duplicate entries. Once the index is complete, it can be saved as XML and SGML, or embedded into a word processing document so that it automatically updates with correct locators as the document is edited. Arguably, the most important tool in Cindex is its spell checker, which helps the indexer to avoid making simple errors while entering information. Critique
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Jennifer Stephens Final Course Project April 13, 2013 Overall, I found Cindex to be a very powerful indexing tool, but not one that a newcomer can jump right into. For example, the Cindex manual is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it is extremely detailed, covering all functions of the software and totaling 338 pages. On the other hand, it is intimidating due to its size and complexity, and seems overwhelming for a novice indexer. I would recommend that the company add a “Quick Start” manual that is much more brief and gives a condensed overview of the software’s capabilities. Currently, a new user needs to invest a lot of time with the manual before getting a handle on all of Cindex’s tools. Indexing Research offers training for Cindex, however it is extremely inconvenient. According to the company’s website, individual or small-group tutorials are given by appointment, however, they are administered at their Rochester, New York office. A representative will travel to a business to provide training, but it can be assumed that this is only an option for their larger customers. Otherwise, the only other option is to try to catch them at conferences like the American Society of Indexers’ annual gathering. Indexing Research should try reach their customers in other ways, like placing video tutorials on their website or on a private YouTube channel. The automatic actions also have advantages and drawbacks. While an experienced indexing software user will be able to recognize when the software is correctly punctuating and organizing more complex entries, a novice can easily miss when an undesired action takes place due to a missing or incorrect rule that should have been properly set up at the start of the project. After experimenting with Cindex, I found that it was not an ideal tool for website indexing, and did much of the organization outside of the program. I was not able to
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Jennifer Stephens Final Course Project April 13, 2013 determine whether hyperlinks could be added to entries. I don’t think this is possible, as the tool is meant more for traditional back-of-book indexes with page numbers as locators. Once I built the basic structure of my index in Cindex I shifted to Microsoft Word to complete the formatting and hyperlinking process.
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Jennifer Stephens Final Course Project April 13, 2013
Bethlehem Public Library Website Index Production Notes I chose to index the Bethlehem, Connecticut Public Library’s website. The site has been completely rebuilt within the past year, and does not currently include an index. Because the site is in its infancy, there are some redundancies in information while using different terminology each time, so an index can greatly reduce confusion for a visitor. The index can be found here: https://sites.google.com/site/jenstephensils531siteindex/home The Bethlehem Public Library website can be found here: http://www.ci.bethlehem.ct.us/library.htm Index Rules and Guidelines After considering using some type of thesaurus or other controlled vocabulary, I decided to stay with the language used within the library’s own website, especially the terminology used in menus and headings. I chose this method so as to maintain uniformity between the web pages and the index, understanding that the users of the site and its index will be patrons of the library and will be looking for certain terms they may have seen while browsing through the site on previous visits. I set the following guidelines before creating the index: •
Users can browse index by first letter of entry
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Indexed terms use hyperlinks to locate associated web page
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Cross-references are designated with “See” or “See also” in italics preceding the preferred term
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Jennifer Stephens Final Course Project April 13, 2013
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Cross-references will appear directly after a period following the entry term
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The first word of each entry is capitalized with additional words in lowercase
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Each first letter of proper names are capitalized
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Ambiguous terms are clarified
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Entries can have subheadings when appropriate, which are indented under the main entry As noted in the Cindex review portion of this paper, I did have some trouble using
the application to create an index for this site. After reading through the user manual I found myself thinking that I could work more quickly if I created the index “manually” without an indexing tool. Despite this, I did use Cindex to create the basic formatted index and then moved to Microsoft Word to finish the process. I realize, however, that as the amount of data increases, the length and complexity of the index also increases, making a semi-automated indexing tool like Cindex proportionally more necessary.
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Jennifer Stephens Final Course Project April 13, 2013
References Indexing Research. (n.d.). Cindex software: Overview. Retrieved from http://indexres.com/soft.php Indexing Research. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions about Cindex. Retrieved from http://indexres.com/faqq.php#Q14 Indexing Research. (2012). Cindex for Mac 3.0: User’s guide. Retrieved from http://indexres.com/downloads/pdf/Mac_Guide.pdf
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