What to Know About Proofreading Indexes

As an editor or proofreader reviewing an index, you can fix typos, formatting errors, or hyphens that should be en dashes. But do you know how to spot issues related to the overall function of this part of a book? Learn what a non-indexer should know about indexing—including problems with term selection, structural red flags, best practices for length, and more.

This is not a presentation on how to index a book but rather a guide to understanding indexes as a person working on other steps of the publishing process. But to that end, it helps to have a solid understanding of what indexes do and how indexers get them to do it. This presentation takes the attendees through the basics of indexing on a conceptual level in order to lay the groundwork for understanding the logic behind best practices in proofreading and editing indexes.

There will be an interactive element where participants can live index a paragraph in order to better intuit ideas such as passing mentions that are central to good indexes. This presentation also discusses what kinds of edits are best done by the proofreader or editor and which ones are best brought to the attention of the indexer.

How to Attend This Event

MEMBERS: All PEN members will receive the access link for this meeting ahead of the event date—no registration required. However, registering does help us know how many attendees to expect.

NONMEMBERS: Registration is required to attend this meeting and closes two hours before the start of the event. Nonmembers may attend up to two free Professional Editors Network meetings before becoming a member, but access to recordings of our meetings is an exclusive benefit of PEN membership.

When you register, you will receive an immediate confirmation email indicating when you will receive the meeting link. If you registered but cannot find your confirmation email, or if you have any questions about this event, contact events@pensite.org.