According to the MIT Press on how to create an index...
Quote:
Guidelines for Preparing an Index
The purpose of the index is to give the reader an informative, balanced portrait of what is in the book and a concise, useful guide to all pertinent facts in the book. These facts, in the form of an alphabetically ordered list of main entries and subentries, will include both proper names and subjects.
WHAT TO INDEX
As a general rule, only the body of the text is indexed. Front matter, back matter (glossary, bibliography, appendixes, notes, etc.), and footnotes are not usually indexed. Possible exceptions are an introduction that has been placed in the front matter, endnotes or footnotes that contribute substantively to the discussion, and appendixes that do much more than document the text. Figures, tables, and charts in the text are indexed lightly—only when items contribute significantly to the text discussion. Exceptions to this rule are certain art or architecture books that require a thorough coverage of illustrations in the index.
|