Indexing step by step

1. List the concepts reflecting the author’s intentions using the title, the abstract, the introduction, captions to figures, the conclusions, and words emphasized in the document by means of underlining or different type (print) faces. Ensure that no useful information has been overlooked. Indexing directly from the title or abstract alone is not good indexing.

2. Follow a logical approach in selecting those concepts, which best express its subject. Such a sequence might consist of such mental headings as location, phenomena, processes, properties, operations, equipment and so forth. (See Example - selecting concepts)

3. Decide which of the concepts would be most appropriate to reflect the author’s intentions and at the same time meet the potential needs of users.

4. Make sure the indexing covers all the concepts in a document that have potential value. It is important that the field should not be interpreted too narrowly, and all aspects of a subject should be considered as objectively and neutrally as possible.

5. Identify concepts as specifically as possible, at the most detailed level that the thesaurus allows, and only at that level.

6. Decide whether all these concepts are necessary for indexing into the system (See Example - refining concepts)

7. Translate the language used in the document into the indexing language of the descriptors, that is: the vocabulary of the InterWATER Thesaurus. Link the document record with a string of descriptors chosen from the thesaurus.

8. First examine the word-block of each selected descriptor, for it may happen that another descriptor associated with the selected one is even more appropriate for the immediate purpose.

9. Attempt to produce consistent results. This is helped by using the most specific appropriate descriptors each time one indexes. (See Example - most specific)

10. Make sure there is a suitable selection of reference books for ready consultation.