As a proofreader or editor 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? Or how to recognize what's an error and what's an affirmative choice by the indexer designed to aid the reader, even if it leaves the index out of alphabetical order?

Learn what a non-indexer should know about indexing, from how to edit an overly long index to how not to double-check every page number. 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. This 90-minute webinar takes you through the basics of indexing on a conceptual level in order to lay the groundwork for a deep dive into the best practices in proofreading and editing indexes. You’ll come away with a solid understanding of what indexes do and how indexers get them to do it.

Jolanta Komornicka (she/they) is co-president of the Indexing Society of Canada/Société canadienne d'indexation and co-chair of the Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph Twig of Editors Canada. They are a freelance indexer, copy editor, and proofreader, specializing in the academic humanities and social sciences and in ttrpgs.