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Include only abbreviations used in the text being indexed (ie, if a text uses only an expanded form, eg, National Institutes of Health, but never the abbreviation, do not include “NIH” in the index). Abbreviations are listed alphabetically among other entries (examples from Thomas,). catheterization CAT scan. See computed tomography cat-scratch disease CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) cecum ectopic ACTH syndrome, 106, 107, 109 ectopic kidney, 2226 ectopic pregnancy, 1947, 2055 2056 Identical abbreviations are sorted by case; be consistent throughout the index, eg, HeV, 232 HEV, 330 331 PaO2, 464 PAO2, 251 Use cross-references and expansions with abbreviations, as in these Less

Alphabetization in indexes begins with the first letter of the term, eg, G period G phase G protein Commas precede letters in sorting order (examples from Thomas).cold, common cold agglutinin disease Vibrio, noncholera Vibrio cholerae infection Other punctuation is ignored. Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus O'nyong-nyong virus For entries that are identical except for case, choose whether uppercase or lowercase will take precedence in sorting and be consistent throughout the index. abl1, 99, 106 110 Abl1, 95, 100 103 Brca1, 112 BRCA1, 54, 804 809 When an identifier in parentheses is used to clarify similar terms, the identifier may be included Less

Although main entries have traditionally featured initial capitals to distinguish them from subentries, The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, recommends lowercase, except when the entry term would begin with a capital, eg, proper nouns. This is especially worthwhile in biomedical publications, in which capitalization may be complex and may distinguish otherwise identical terms. AFP. See α-fetoprotein Afp, 98 AFP, 103 Brca1, 112 BRCA1, 54, 804 809 breast cancer, 50 57, 110 113, 801 815 Haemophilus influenzae Rd, 998 hepatitis, 1015 1028 HindIII, 698 LPL. See lipoprotein lipase LPL, 1092 Staphylococcus aureus, 1056 1077. See also staphylococci | Less

A text may not be consistent in style for particular terms, eg, italics or hyphens, but the index should be stylistically consistent. If no style predominates for a given term used throughout the text, the indexer should check with the editor or consult the publisher’s stylebook for the form to be followed in the index. It is hoped that authors will use, and publishers will recommend, official style when that is an option (consult , Nomenclature), eg, italicizing gene symbols (BRCA1). | Less

In indexing journals offering broad coverage of general medicine and specialties and in indexing sets of periodicals issued by different publishers, indexers usually rely on the external authority of a controlled vocabulary. Controlled vocabularies allow indexers to resolve variances in natural language systematically. The vocabularies establish preferred terms with cross-references from alternative forms of entry. Thus, all relevant references can be gathered under a single heading. Controlled vocabularies also establish hierarchical relationships among related terms. Such hierarchies most often take the form of a thesaurus in which narrower terms are entered as subentries beneath the broader terms to which they Less

Cross-references are valuable for terms that readers might seek in different alphabetic locations (last example from Thomas).cDNA. See under DNA DNA dsDNA. See under DNA mtDNA. See under DNA DNA, 5, 300 310, 999  cDNA, 24, 356  dsDNA, 24 25, 356, 900  mtDNA, 660 DTH. See hypersensitivity reactions, type IV DTH skin test, 1010 1022, 1012f, 103110 Cross-references are also used for synonyms: proaccelerin. See factor V Stuart factor. See factor X T cell. See T lymphocyte In the middle example, if Stuart factor were used in text concerning the history of factor X, a see also reference might be Less

Listing the same citation under 2 or more entries, known as double-posting, is helpful when readers might be expected to look equally frequently in more than one place.benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (BPH) BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) prostatic hyperplasia, benign (BPH) cTnC, 246 cTnC, 246 TnC, 345 [cTnC is listed in both the c’s and in the t's.] However, for entries that will also appear in a series of related subentries under a main heading, cross-references to the principal form of entry are preferred to double-posting.Acceptable: E-selectin, 550 P-selectin, 551 Selectins  E-selectin, 550  P-selectin, 551 Preferred: E-selectin. See under selectins P-selectin. Less

General classes, and specific members of a class, may require generic cross-references, ie, a cross-reference to a group of entries rather than to specific entries by name. The following examples are from Patton and Wyman. drugs  antihypertensive, 483  See also specific drugs by name medications. See drugs; specific medications pharmaceuticals. See products by name kidney, 18 43, 586 592. See also under nephro- or renal transplantation, 551 578 | Less

In indented style, main headings are followed by indented subheadings, each on its own line. In run-in style, subheadings appear continuously, not on separate lines, and are separated by commas.Indented: SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), 75 79, 145 148  in China, 187 189  drug therapy for   antibiotics, 18, 20   corticosteroids, 357   interferon alfa, 402  etiology of, 93, 105, 117  quarantine for, 167, 235  in Toronto, 280 Run-in: SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), 75 79, 145 148, in China, 187 189, drug therapy for, 18, 20, 357, 402, etiology of, 93, 105, 117, quarantine for, 167, 235, in Toronto, 280 The Less

The style of terms in the index must be the same as the style in the text. | Alphabetization in indexes begins with the first letter of the term, eg, G period G phase G protein Commas precede letters in sorting order (examples from Thomas).cold, common cold agglutinin disease Vibrio, noncholera Vibrio cholerae infection Other punctuation is ignored. Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus O'nyong-nyong virus For entries that are identical except for case, choose whether uppercase or lowercase will take precedence in sorting and be consistent throughout the index. abl1, 99, 106 110 Abl1, 95, 100 103 Brca1, 112 BRCA1, 54, Less