RE: Testing an index

[Fred Ridder <docudoc -at- hotmail -dot- com>]

Responding to Wanda Phillips, Peter Neilson wrote (in part):
> Although entries that tell the reader to "See also" are occasionally 
> helpful, the entry that says, "See" rarely is. "Baked beans, see Beans, 
> baked" could have just as easily said, "Baked beans, 162."
 
 
Where "See..." entries *are* useful is to identify a more fundamental 
difference in terminology or to offer a close alternative. 
 
To continue with Peter's example, your cookbook index might include 
an entry "Boston baked beans, see Beans, baked" or "Cassoulet, see 
Beans, baked" if there is some discussion of baked bean dishes that 
mentions those specific preparations without actually giving recipes. 
In this case, the "see" entry provides a clue that the reference is 
not an exact match for the topic the reader is looking for.
 
Or your cookbook index might include an entry like "Legumes, see 
Beans" if all your entries for legume recipes are indexed as bean 
recipes. This is most appropriate where there are multiple entries
that use the different term you identify so that you really couldn't
pick just one to topic (recipe, in this case) to point to directly. 
-Fred Ridder
 
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