13 Medical Indexes

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,).catheterizationCAT scan. See computed tomographycat-scratch diseaseCEA (carcinoembryonic antigen)cecumectopic ACTH syndrome, 106, 107, 109ectopic kidney, 2226ectopic pregnancy, 1947, 2055 2056Identical abbreviations are sorted by case; be consistent throughout the index, eg,HeV, 232HEV, 330 331PaO2, 464PAO2, 251Use cross-references and expansions with abbreviations, as in these examples (first set from Thomas).CAT scan. See computed tomographycomputed tomography (CT, CAT scan), 2715 2716CT. ...Less

Alphabetization in indexes begins with the first letter of the term, eg, G periodG phaseG proteinCommas precede letters in sorting order (examples from Thomas).cold, commoncold agglutinin disease Vibrio, noncholeraVibrio cholerae infectionOther punctuation is ignored. Omsk hemorrhagic fever virusO'nyong-nyong virusFor 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 110Abl1, 95, 100 103 Brca1, 112BRCA1, 54, 804 809When an identifier in parentheses is used to clarify similar terms, the identifier may be included in sorting (follow house style).Abl1 (mouse gene), 95, 100 103Abl1 (mouse ...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-fetoproteinAfp, 98AFP, 103Brca1, 112BRCA1, 54, 804 809breast cancer, 50 57, 110 113, 801 815Haemophilus influenzae Rd, 998hepatitis, 1015 1028HindIII, 698LPL. See lipoprotein lipaseLPL, 1092Staphylococcus 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 DNADNA dsDNA. See under DNAmtDNA. See under DNA DNA, 5, 300 310, 999 cDNA, 24, 356 dsDNA, 24 25, 356, 900 mtDNA, 660 DTH. See hypersensitivity reactions, type IVDTH skin test, 1010 1022, 1012f, 103110Cross-references are also used for synonyms: proaccelerin. See factor VStuart factor. See factor XT cell. See T lymphocyteIn the middle example, if Stuart factor were used in text concerning the history of factor X, a see also reference might be more appropriate: factor X, 410 425. See also Stuart factor ...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, 246TnC, 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, 550P-selectin, 551 Selectins E-selectin, 550 P-selectin, 551 Preferred:E-selectin. See under selectinsP-selectin. See under selectins Selectins Selectins E-selectin, 550 P-selectin, 551 ...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, 280The indented style is better suited for medical indexes because complex terms ...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 periodG phaseG proteinCommas precede letters in sorting order (examples from Thomas).cold, commoncold agglutinin disease Vibrio, noncholeraVibrio cholerae infectionOther punctuation is ignored. Omsk hemorrhagic fever virusO'nyong-nyong virusFor 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 110Abl1, 95, 100 103 Brca1, 112BRCA1, 54, 804 809When an identifier in parentheses is used to clarify similar terms, ...Less