How to create list of items to be included in an Index - Image by Michal Jarmoluk from PixabayIn my previous articles on Indexing, I have shown you how to mark a word so it appears in the index. How to create an index at the back of the document along with subentries and formatting. Here I would like to introduce you to creating a list of entries that will automatically be picked up by Word for you. It is called “Concordance”, this feature is started by creating a two-column table in Word. The left column will have a heading explaining what to include, the right has a heading of what to display in the index.

  • Begin by creating a two-column table in a blank document.
  • Save it as something like “My concordance list for document X” where X is the name of the final document that will have the index in it.
  • Type in something like this in the heading of column 1.

Words to be marked for indexing

  • For heading in column 2

What to display in the index

  • In the left column type down the table all the words that will be used for the index including all derivatives such as:
    • Home
    • home
    • abode
    • domicile
    • dwelling
    • habitation
    • hearth
    • hearthstone
  • in the right column (What to display in the index) type “Home” all the ways down that column.

Your list will look like this.

table of entries

For subentries type a colon between the main entry and the subentry.

Table with subentries

How to mark entries automatically

  • Start on a fresh page at the end of the document.
  • From the [References Tab] select the Insert Index Tool. Insert Index Tool

This dialog box appears. Index dialog box

  • After choosing all your preferences in this box, select the AutoMark… button, from the three located at the bottom right. Index Auto Mark

You are prompted to add a file. Locate the concordance two column file you have recently made (saved as My concordance list for document X) and press [OK].

And there you have a beautiful Index at the end of your document that refers to the concordance file that you can update if ever you need to. To update simply select (highlight) the index and update it by pressing [F9] key.

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