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ASSESSMENT OF BACK OF THE BOOK INDEXES IN NATURAL

SCIENCE BOOKS PUBLISHED IN NIGERIA

BY

EZI O. NJOKU

PG/MLS/05/40442

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

JULY, 2011

i

ASSESSMENT OF BACK OF THE BOOK INDEXES IN

NATURAL SCIENCE BOOKS PUBLISHED IN NIGERIA

BY

EZI O. NJOKU

PG/MLS/05/40442

A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION

SCIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA

SUPERVISOR: PROF. M. AFOLABI

JULY, 2011

ii

APPROVAL PAGE

This work by Ezi Onwuka Njoku (Reg. No Pg/MLS/05/40442) has been

approved for the Department of Library and Information Science by

…………………………..

……………………………..

Prof. M. Afolabi Prof.V. W. Dike

Supervisor Head of Department

…………………………….

……………………………..

Internal Examiner External Examiner

……………………………………….

Prof. S. A. Ezeudu

Dean of Faculty

iii

CERTIFICATION

EZI ONWUKA NJOKU, a postgraduate student in the Department of

Library and Information Science, with Registration Number PG/MLS/05/40442, has

satisfactorily completed course work and research requirements for the award of

Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS). The work embodied in this

project is original and has not been submitted in part or in full for another degree of

this or any other University.

--------------------------------- ----------------------

Ezi O. Njoku

Prof.M.Afolabi.

(Student)

(Supervisor)

iv

DEDICATION

This Project is dedicated to my loving husband, Prof. O.N. Njoku, who, above

anything else, wishes me to be an academic; and to the memory of my loving mother,

Esther Mong who, amidst severe handicaps, ensured that I had secondary education.

v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researcher is most grateful to a host of people whose contributions -

directly and indirectly made this work to be successful. The people cannot all be

mentioned in full here, for want of space. However, a few deserve due recognition.

First and foremost among them is my supervisor, Prof. M. Afolabi, whose tutelage,

comments and guidance made it possible for me to finish this work. I wish to thank

the entire members of the academic staff of the Department of Library and

Information Science, who have been encouraging me in one way or the other to bring

this work to a successful conclusion.

I greatly cherish the useful comments and contributions made by the Head of

Department, Prof. (Mrs.) V. W. Dike; Dr. E. O. Omeje and Dr. A.J.C Mole during

the proposal stage. I thank Dr. R. E. Ozioko especially, for sparing time to read

through the first phase of this work and for his useful advice and comments that

helped to shape the background of this work. He also validated the instrument I used

for sampling. My sincere appreciation goes to Dr. (Mrs.) V.N. Okafor, who has been

truly a worthy academic adviser; I can hardly thank her enough for encouragement. I

also thank my friend and Minister- Rev. Dr. Sam Odachi for his efforts to see that I

finish this work. My thanks also go to my boss, Dr. Charles O. Omeku, the University

Librarian, whose constant prodding pushed me on, even when I was almost inclined

to discontinue with this topic.

Above all, I want to emphatically thank my loving husband, Prof. O. N. Njoku,

for persistently urging and pushing me to get this work to a successful end. I thank

him also for patiently reading my drafts and making useful editorial corrections. I

wish to thank Ifeoma and Okoro in a special way, and the rest of my family in

vi

general for accepting some neglect from me while this work was in progress. To God,

who granted me life and strength to do this work be the Glory.

Mrs. E. O. Njoku.

vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ........................................................................................................... i

Approval Page ................................................................................................... ii

Certification Page ............................................................................................... iii

Dedication ......................................................................................................... iv

Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. v

Table of Contents .............................................................................................. vi

List of Tables ...................................................................................................... vii

List of figures .................................................................................................... viii

Abstract .............................................................................................................. x

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Study ................................................................................... 1

Statement of the Problem .................................................................................... 8

Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................... 9

Research Questions ........................................................................................... 9

Significance of the Study .................................................................................... 10

Scope of the Study .............................................................................................. 11

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

Conceptual Framework ....................................................................................... 13

BOB Indexes in Locally Published Books in Nigeria .......................................... 17

Basic Indexing Elements .................................................................................... 19

Review of Empirical Studies ............................................................................... 28

Summary of Literature review ............................................................................ 31

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODS Research Design ................................................................................................ 33

Area of Study .................................................................................................... 33

Population ......................................................................................................... 34

Sample and Sampling Technique ....................................................................... 35

Instrument for Data Collection ............................................................................ 35

Validation of the Instrument .............................................................................. 36

Method of Data Collection ................................................................................. 36

Method of data Analysis .................................................................................... 37

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS ................. 39 Summary of Findings ........................................................................................ 52

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS

AND SUMMARY Discussion of Findings ...................................................................................... 54

Implication of findings ....................................................................................... 62

Recommendations ........................................................................................... 63

Limitations of the Study ..................................................................................... 64

viii

Suggestions for Further Research ....................................................................... 65

Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 65

References ......................................................................................................... 68

Appendix ........................................................................................................... 72

ix

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE PAGE

1. Provision of BOB indexes in Nigerian Published

texts in the Natural Sciences .................................................................. 40

2. Provision of Basic Indexing Elements .................................................. 42

3. The Page Percentages, Index Densities

of the Overall Books Sampled ............................................................... 45

4. Filing and Arrangement Pattern of the Index Entries .............................. 46

5. Summary of BOB index analysis for Sec. School

Texts in Natural Science ....................................................................... 47

6. Summary of Index Analysis of Tertiary/

GS books in the Natural Sciences .......................................................... 48

x

LIST OF FIGURES

Figures Page

1 Provision BOB indexes in Natural Science Books in Nigeria……………41

xi

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess the back of the book indexes in Natural

Science books published in Nigeria. But the specific objectives of the study were to

determine: how indexes are provided in the Natural Science texts sampled; the extent

to which basic indexing elements are provided; the depth of indexing; the filing and

arrangement pattern of the index entries and finally, if differences exist in the indexes

of secondary school texts and tertiary/general Science books. Four research questions

guided the study, and a structured checklist was adopted and used to obtain

information to answer the research questions. A descriptive design using document

examination was adopted for this research. The researcher used the accidental

sampling technique to sample books in the Natural Sciences. All the books published

in the Natural Sciences in Nigeria within the period 1990 – 2010 constituted the

population of the study. Sixty books were sampled, 35 of which had indexes, while 25

of them had no index. The data collected were organized in tables and analyzed, using

simple percentages, frequencies and histogram. The findings revealed that: many

Nigerian published books in the Natural Sciences lack back-of-the-book indexes;

most index entries lack sub-headed entries and semantic relationship; cross-references

– ‘see’ and ‘see also’ were very few; the filing order and arrangement patterns of the

index entries were in line with international standards and no outstanding differences

were found in the indexes of secondary school texts and tertiary /general Science

books. In view of these findings, the study recommends that book publication in

Nigeria should be assessed and controlled. Nigerian Information professionals should

set up standard indexing outfits to be manned by professional indexers who should

handle book indexing in Nigeria; public enlightenment programmes should be carried

out by information scientists from time to time to enlighten publishers and authors on

the importance of indexing in their work. Finally, further research in this area of study

was suggested by the researcher.

1

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The concept of book is derived from an early English word boc, which

means tablet or written sheets. A book consists of written or printed sheets of

paper or some other material fastened together along one edge so it can be

opened at any point. Most books have protective cover. According to

Ellenbogen (2004) Books are inexpensive and convenient way to store,

transport, and find knowledge and information. There are different forms of

books, namely, story books, textbooks, workbooks, comic books, novels,

almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedia, telephone books, etc. But the Natural

Science books and the general Science books or general non-fiction fall under

the category of books regarded as textbooks

The Natural Science is a systematized body of knowledge based on

observation and experimentation. It deals with the phenomena of the universe

and its laws – physical and natural. This branch of study is especially

distinguished from the arts due to its empirical method of enquiry. The subject

disciplines studied under natural science include: Physics-(Phy), Astronomy-

(Astr), Chemistry-(Chem), Biology-(Biol), Geology-(Geol), Paleontology-

(Paleo), Zoology-(Zoo), Botany-(Bot) and Microbiology-(MCB); ( LCSH:

Schedule, 1996).

2

With information explosion, (i.e. an extensive increment in the field of

knowledge and knowledge output in different disciplines) especially in the

Natural Sciences and their concomitant complex concepts; compounded with

the increasing reservoir of both books and non-books (that is, on-line

documents) that contain the information in demand, information retrieval has

become a daunting problem. In fact, not only is information retrieval

becoming more problematic by the day, but the retrieval systems are also

becoming complex too. Hence, the emphasis is the need for information

retrieval systems that will match the retrieval need of information documents

by end users.

Thus, Lancaster (1991) and Chowdhury (2004) have identified a number

of information retrieval subsystems namely: document subsystem, indexing

sub-system, user-interface and matching sub-system. However, among these

subsystems only the indexing sub-system can adequately perform an effective

retrieval operation. An indexing system, as observed by Lahtinen (2000) is a

set of prescribed procedures (manual/or machine) for organizing contents of

records of knowledge for purposes of retrieval and dissemination of

information. This is done by organizing an appropriate guide call index into a

database.

Indexes are extracted words and phrases joined together, and structurally

designed to make searching through millions of pages very fast. (Croft, 2004).

The British Standards Institute (BSI 3700: 1988) describes an index as a

3

systematic guide to the text of any reading matter or to the contents of a

collected documentary material comprising a series of entries with headings

arranged in an alphabetical order, or any other chosen order and with

references to show where each item indexed is located. The extracted words

and phrases which form the index entries, as pointed out by Croft, are not just a

list of words but serve as organized maps and guide through the several pages

of a text. Mulvany’s (1994) definition that seems to sum up the others, stated

that, an index is a structured sequence – resulting from a thorough and

complete analysis of the text---of synthesized access points to all the

information contained in the text. The structured arrangement of the index

enables users to locate information efficiently. Perhaps, this is why Walls

(2009) has also likened it to a complete body x-ray – an abbreviated, in-depth

view of every important topic and sub-topic, along with locators guiding the

reader to the actual pages for quick, deeper inspection of critical areas.

It is perhaps for this reason that Olason (2000) also concluded that the

primary purpose of an index is to support the user in practical application of

knowledge. It does this by providing the most efficient access map to

information – or data plus context – embedded in the material. It is therefore

pertinent to add here that an index is not only a guide but a search tool and a

mirror that gives at-a-glance view into the body of a document.

Indexes are therefore very important tool in information

retrieval, for they help to ease off the stress involved in research, by providing

4

easy access to information resources. This is particularly so for a good quality

and effective index which searches for pertinent data and ignores the irrelevant

ones. In other words, a good index distinguishes between substantial

(significant) and insignificant (i.e. one-time mentioned) information. At the

same time, it can provide some terminologies not explicitly present in the text

(Lukon, 2004). Accordingly, fruitful literature search is guided by the index.

This is because it enables the reader to achieve direct information retrieval with

minimal or no strain at all. An effective index also leads the user to all the

pertinent information on a given topic in the work or works indexed (Knight

1979). Furthermore, indexes have been observed to contribute significantly to

works of knowledge or imagination (Afolabi, & Daudu, 1994). Indexes

provide a gateway to the author’s ideas and serve as a road-map to the contents

of a book. In other words, an index, as an information retrieval system, serves

as a bridge between the world of creators or generators of information (i.e.

authors) and those of the users of that information, i.e. the end users. Also, a

good index can give the author a new perspective on the effectiveness of

his/her presentation (Osgood, 2008). According to Pyne (2007), the quality of

an index also affects marketability of non-fiction books. In other words, high

quality index promotes the marketability of such books, while poor quality

index or even absence of it has a reverse effect.

In fact, poor quality index does not, unfortunately, provide the easy and

fast access they are expected to give. Rather, they are either too scanty or too

5

lengthy and clumsy and seem to rewrite the book itself. A lengthy index could

force the user to study the index structure before proceeding to the main work.

As Knight has argued, if an index cannot lead its user to the information sought

for, or omits and fails to point out information not suited to the user’s needs,

the index has failed its purpose. This sort of situation often is frustrating to the

user of the index. Inadequate or poor quality index makes retrieval of specific

information very difficult. It also makes the work of librarians who deal with

users’ queries and constantly make use of indexes to trace information in a text

less effective (Lancaster 1991).

However, with the functions of indexes indicated above, arise their

relevance or necessity. Indeed, the usefulness of an index is too central to be

overlooked. This is why experts lay stress on this matter. For instance, Knight

(1979) suggests that any publication beyond the size of a pamphlet is

incomplete if a full index is not added to that publication. Also, Preschel (1981)

in Lancaster, 1991), in discussing the issue of indexable documents stressed

that,

All text information of a substantive nature should

be indexed. ‘Substantive’ is here defined as

information that covers 8-10 text lines or that is

unique or outstanding and will almost certainly not

occur elsewhere in the encyclopedia. P13.

Due to the importance of book indexes, publishers, authors, critics and

indexers are generally agreed that certain classes of books must be indexed.

6

These may include text books, in all fields of knowledge, and at all levels of

academic pursuits, (Afolabi & Daudu, 1994).

Unfortunately, in spite of these admonitions, guidelines, suggestions and

agreement, serious indexing lapses have been observed in many a text.

Publishers and authors have been known to neglect to add index to some of

their books. When this happens, most information in such books become

difficult to access quickly and so is easily forgotten. Such books are often held

in low esteem by users. Suffice it to add that, it is not only the absence of an

index that may cause a text to be held in low esteem but poor quality of the

index could make the text unpopular because it lacks a good and concise index.

This is why Bella (1996) has stressed the need for indexes to be as precise and

direct to the point as possible. In this regard, he argued that the system that

meets the basic criterion of satisfying the reader’s need is the Back-of-the-

Book (BOB) index; which has a simple structure and provides access to natural

language terms. (This is an index term that uses direct language of the

document)

The Book Index, also known as the back-of-the-book index, (BOB refers

to the content summary at the back of non- fiction books. The BOB is a type of

printed index that offers ready access to items of information in a book. Entries

may be the names of persons, corporate bodies, places or concepts to represent

subjects, (Tulic, 2008), followed by page numbers on which information is to

be found. Terms must reflect the contents of the book and vary from one book

7

to another (Rowley, 1992). Though other indexes abound, the researcher is

paying particular attention to back-of-the-book index, also call “BOB” because

of its variations in style of indexing; and its usefulness in providing access

points to important information in a book document, particularly its use in the

provision of access points to information in natural science books, which often

have complex concepts.

From the on-going, discourse, BOB index is a unique information

retrieval system which may vary in design and style according to the indexer.

But no matter the variations and styles employed, the critical thing is that the

whole essence of indexing is observed. That is to provide access to

bibliographic information; using basic indexing elements or variables, and

making the index as simple and straight to the point as possible. Some of these

indexing elements or variables for back-of-the-book indexes include: Scope

Note, Heading (indexing word or phrase), Sub-headings, Control Devices-

Locators and Cross references, Index Density, Arrangement/ Filing Order,

Physical Appearance, etc. The use of any of the listed characteristics depends

on the choice of the indexer and is acceptable as long as they conform to global

standards and are approved by standard bodies such as American National

Standard Institute (ANSI, 1984) and British Standards (BS: 37OO, 1988) that

moderate indexing standards. The above listed basic indexing elements or

criteria are also used to analyze and evaluate or assess the quality and

effectiveness of an index in information retrieval.

8

Statement of Problem

It is common knowledge that, one of the qualities of a good book is the

availability of quality back-of-the-book index. This facilitates access

to/retrieval of specific information within the document. And by so doing,

helps to ease off the stress involved in research by enabling direct information

retrieval, with minimal or no strain.

From the perspective of information retrieval, a book without an index is

more difficult to use than another that has an index. Also, such book may be

seen as being of inferior quality to another that has an index. (Daudu &

Afolabi, 1994). This is because retrieval of specific information in such a

book/document is very difficult. Secondly, poor quality index, makes the use of

such document less effective because of the inconveniences such poor index

causes the user of the index.

Very little is known about the quality of indexes of books published in

Nigeria, a fact recognized by some scholars such as Nwafor (1991). Who

acknowledged that even the very little that is known, the quality of indexes of

books published in Nigeria appears generally below acceptable standard. More

so, not much is known about the indexes of Natural Science books that use a lot

of scientific concepts. The poser that this study is seeking to address is

whether the quality of indexes of books published in Nigeria, particularly so,

the Natural Science books, conforms to international standards. This study is

9

being conducted to fill this gap in knowledge, by assessing the back-of-the-

book indexes of Natural Science books published in Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this work is to assess the quality of back- of- the book

indexes of Natural Science books published in Nigeria. The study aims

specifically to achieve the following objectives:

1. Determine how BOB indexes are provided in Natural Science books

published in Nigeria.

2. Find out how basic indexing elements such as (i) Scope notes, (ii) Sub-

headings, (iii) Control devices- locators and cross-references are

provided in Natural Science books.

3. Determine the average index densities of the various indexes.

4. Establish the pattern of arrangements of the indexes

5. Examine the differences that exist in the indexes of secondary school

textbooks and those of tertiary/ general science books.

Research Questions

The study was guided by the following research questions.

1. How are indexes provided to locally published books in the Natural

Sciences?

10

2. How are basic indexing elements provided in the BOB indexes in

Natural Science books?

3. What are the index densities of the indexes (i.e. the length statistics)?

4. What are the patterns of arrangement of the index entries?

Significance of the Study

This work is expected to be beneficial to various groups of people.

These include: Students, Lecturers, Authors, Indexers and Publishers. First,

students of Library and Information Science are expected to find this work very

helpful as a research material in their training as information scientists and

future indexers. This is because the information in this work will make them to

appreciate the important position of BOB index in a book and its usefulness.

Second, lecturers and research fellows are also expected to find the work useful

as reference materials in their teaching and research. This may also serve as a

stimulant to other future researchers for further work in this area of study.

Thirdly, it is hoped that through this work, Indexers, Authors and

publishers would become more aware of the central place of a good index in

the assessment of the quality of their products. This work should therefore,

make such authors and publishers, to appreciate and understand the

requirements and qualities of a good BOB indexes in their publications.

11

Scope of the Study

This work focuses on back-of-the-book indexes of books published in

Nigeria, in the Natural Sciences. The work assessed the availability of BOB

indexes in Nigerian published books in the Natural Sciences; and the quality of

indexes of books in the various subject disciplines in Natural Science, using a

checklist as an instrument for data collection. These subject disciplines include:

Biology, Biochemistry, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Mathematics,

Microbiology, Physics, Zoology and General Science books in Natural

Sciences. The study covered books for tertiary and secondary levels of our

educational system in Natural Science within the period 1990 to 2010,

available in libraries and bookshops in Enugu state. This work further tried to

examine if differences exist in the indexes of secondary and tertiary/general

science books.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter contains the review of literature under the following

subheadings:

Conceptual framework.

BOB indexes in locally published books in Nigeria.

Basic indexing elements

Review of empirical studies

Summary of literature review

Conceptual Framework

The back-of-the-book index as an information retrieval system has been

an age old concept, which has gone through a series of structural changes over

the years. Though it is probably as old as recorded knowledge, but the first ever

recorded index was developed as early as the 3rd

century B.C; by a Greek poet

called Calimacus (Tauber, 2000). The indexes were little papyrus slips attached

to scrolls in the Alexandrian Library. These slips were in the form of guides to

the contents of the papyrus rolls, and allowed the identification of the scroll

without opening it (Csomai & Mihalcea, 2007). Since then, there has been

steady progress in the field of indexing. For instance, in 1878 Henry B.

13

Wheatley tried to define and formulate a theory of indexing (Knight, 1979;

Tauber 2000). And continuously, indexing and indexes have progressively

increased in nature and in structure, especially in this era of information

explosion where retrieval need of information is also getting complex.

This need led to more researches in the field of indexing so as to

facilitate access points to complex concepts in different subject disciplines.

These numerous researches in the field of indexing gave birth to two broad

categories of indexing systems namely: Pre-coordinate and Post-coordinate

indexing systems. In the pre-coordinate indexing system, a document is

represented in the index by a heading consisting of a chain of terms. The lead

term determines the position of other entries, and qualifying terms are

subordinate to the lead term. And due to the fact that coordination of index

terms in the index description is decided before any particular search is made,

thus, the index is termed pre-coordinate index. (Lancaster, 1991; Rowley,

1992; Aina, 2004). On the other hand, the post-coordinate indexing system

(also known as coordinate indexing system) starts with identification of multi-

concept subjects and their component unit concepts, as do pre-coordinate

indexing systems. However, according to Rowley (1992), once the multi-

concept subject has been analyzed into its component concepts or units, the

similarity in the two systems diverge. Entries in a post-coordinate index are

made under terms which represent the unit or elementary concepts. No attempt

is made to establish index headings or search keys which reflect all the

14

components or elementary concepts simultaneously. This system is referred to

as post-coordinate because coordination is only made during the search stage

after a request for a search has been initiated. Examples of this indexing system

are common in on-line searching of computer databases. The pre-coordinate

indexing system mentioned above, yielded a number of indexing styles as well

as indexes such as:

• Chain indexing / indexes. This system was developed by Ranganathan.

It is a system in which for each item included in a collection, a series of

entries are made in a subject index corresponding to the several stages of

division in the classificatory process. In other words, in a chain indexing

only one entry displays the full range of concepts. It is used to generate

subject indexes to classified catalogues. (Craven, 1986)

• The Precis Indexing system (Preserved Context Indexing System) is a

set of procedures for producing index entries. Marcella and Newton

(1994) observed that the Precis is a system designed to delimit the

number of entries deemed necessary and to carter for the preferred

approach of the user. The Precis was used to produce subject indexes to

the British National Bibliography (BNB) up till 1991.

• Compass (Computer Aided Subject Indexing System) is another

indexing system which is based on Precis, but reduces the latter to its

basic components as a subject authority system. Compass focuses on

15

those elements of précis that are valuable in the on-line mode. It

replaced précis of the British National Bibliography. (Lancaster, 1991)

• Book indexes (Back-of-the-book index) also called BOB (see chapter

one, page 6 for details).

All these researches and innovations in indexing styles and indexes

are in a bid to develop acceptable access points that can satisfy the readers

need. According to Bella (1996), back-of-the-book index (BOB) meets this

need. The richness and usefulness of BOB has been variously expressed by

different authors. For instance, Mulvany, (1994), opined that BOB is a product

of a well analyzed documentation not just a list of terms but also more general

abstracts or concepts, not specifically found in the document but guides the

user of the document to easily locate needed information within the document.

Also, authors such as Rowley (1992), Lancaster (1991) and Prasher (1989)

have defined the term back-of-the-book indexes, in different ways, though their

definitions have common underpinnings. The various definitions are

summarized by Ait El Mekki and Nazarenko (2007) thus:

Back of the book indexes consist of alphabetical

list of words called descriptors, associated with

page numbers or page ranges also called

pointers to where those words or descriptors are

found in a document. The descriptors or index

entries give access to the document’s contents.

In their write up, Ait El Mekki and Nazarenko observed that BOB

indexes are precious information retrieval devices that offer an easy way to

16

locate a given piece of information in a large document. Pyne (2007) adds that

a BOB index offers quick access to ideas contained in a book. In addition to

this, Pyne (2010) further explains that an index is a creative network of inter-

relationships of concepts, names and ideas using headings, subheadings,

locators and cross-references or double postings, to provide quick access to

information in a document. According to Wikipedia (2007), “An index is a

guide to the contents of a book, publication or multimedia collection; arranged

in such a way as to help the reader more quickly and easily find required

information”

From these definitions, it is clear that the basic concept underlying BOB

index is to provide not just access to the contents of an information document

but fast and easy access. This is because indexers manipulate words in the text

to create headings and subheadings with page locators which act as a pathway

for quick, efficient access to specific information in the text (Pyne, 2010).

These headings and subheadings which consist of the subject matter of the

book are arranged at the back of the book in such a way as to reveal in a

detailed but condensed form, all the contents of the book. From the fore-going,

the basic conceptual underpinning in ‘BOB index’ is quick and easy access to

information. In fact Meyers (2005) is of the same view when he opined that a

good index is not just a list of words with pointers (locators) but a structure

optimized to help two human minds meet.

17

It is also important to understand that most documents contain numerous

concepts and topics; and accessing such concepts and topics from content

listing alone is extremely difficult; indeed, impracticable. But Maisilin (2008),

observes that this difficulty is greatly minimized, if not completely erased, as a

result of availability of BOB indexes. Thus, Wikki (2007) concludes that BOB

indexes complement the table of contents, by enabling access to information by

specific subject, through broad divisions of the text arranged in the order they

occur, i.e. the headings and sub-headings which show the hierarchical

relationship of the subjects or concepts, via the index entry. Thus, subject

headings summarize the contents of documents, while book indexes provide

access to the detailed information. (Taylor, 1994)

BOB indexes in locally published books in Nigeria

From the foregoing discussion, the progressive increase in nature and

structure of indexing and indexes have not been witnessed in the Nigerian

scenario. This is because indexing in Nigeria, according to Nwafor (1991), is a

recent venture dating to only around 1959, and by the birthed West African

Library Association (WALA), which tried to investigate the practicability of

publishing an index to periodical literature relating to West Africa. This

exercise was not conclusive. Nwafor (1991) though, reported that more

attempts have been made towards indexing in recent times in Nigeria, but these

were also geared towards serials indexing, but added that the quality of the

serials indexes and those found in Nigerian imprints are not known. Three

18

significant observations made by Nwafor deserve special mentioning. One is

that serials indexing have received more attention than back-of-the-book index

in Nigeria. Second, is that, even the attempts to index serials have not been

coordinated, rather these have been disparate. Thus, the little efforts being put

forward are clouded by several shortfalls such as lack of systematic/consistent

application of subject headings and little knowledge of indexing. On this

matter, Nwafor stressed that

From the samples, seen, it was evident that

systematic/consistent application of subject

headings was rare. In almost all cases, the subject

headings used were devised by the library: no

consistent use was made of known published

subject headings/thesauri. Secondly, it also

appears, in many instances, that the indexers have

little knowledge of indexing. p188

Thirdly, gaps occur in the indexes of periodicals in several libraries.

He observed that some libraries have discontinued any further serials indexing

for a variety of reasons. Nothing much was said about Nigerian published

book indexes, but, Nwafor acknowledged that more and more books with

Nigerian imprint now carry indexes though the quality of the indexes is

questionable.

Furthermore, Nwodo and Otokunefor (1991) in V. Diodato (1991)

found that the inclusion of cross references in Nigerian books decreased from

1980s when compared to the 1960s.

19

Another good insight into the nature of BOB indexes in locally

published books, could be seen from the work of Daudu and Afolabi (1994)

titled, comparative study of indexes of books published in Nigeria in the

Humanities, the Social Sciences and the Sciences. Their research revealed the

following: (a) Out of 322 books examined, only 85 (26.4%) contained indexes,

while the rest had no indexes. (b) Most of the books had no introductory notes

to indicate the scope of the indexes. (c) Most of the indexes had single

alphabetical pattern of arrangements. (d) The books in the Sciences had better

indexes than those in the Humanities and the Social Sciences. The duo

attributed this to the fact that most science texts are published by renowned

publishers or publishers with foreign bases such as Heinemann and Longman.

Some of the findings of Daudu and Afolabi, alongside the report of Nwafor,

about the state of BOB indexes in Nigerian published books, indicate a serious

inadequacy and a question mark on the level of improvement in BOB indexes,

which will be answered by the end of this work.

Basic Indexing Elements

It will be recalled that in the statement of problem of this study, it was

categorically stated that quality of the index can raise or mar the quality of the

document. It is also apt to remember that the basic function of a good index is

to allow the information contained in the book to become easily accessible to

the user, by providing a good “roadmap” to pertinent information contained in

the book. (Wordco Indexing Service, 2009). The road maps here are the

20

presence of the headings and subheadings called descriptors, along with their

navigation tools such as the locators and cross references, which show where

important information is found in the text. A more detailed explanation of these

concepts termed here as basic indexing elements is presented below.

• A heading, is an extracted word which serves as a pointer to key

concepts described in the text (Knight, 1979; Csomai and Mihalcea,

2007). These key concepts are reflected as headings and subheadings.

In fact, Csomai and Mihalcea, further observed that, the subject

headings or index headings are usually domain specific and consist of a

simple noun, a phrase, or a combination of phrases with some additional

explanatory information, generally increasing in specificity. This

specificity of index heading may include names of people, places, events

and concepts selected by the indexer as being relevant and of interest to

a possible reader of the book. (Csomai & Mihalcea, 2007; Tulic, 2008).

• Subheadings, also known as sub-entries are index descriptors, which are

structured hierarchically and present explicit semantic relations between

descriptors. The specific descriptors are presented as sub-entries. And,

according to Ait El Mekki and Nazarenko (2007), they correspond to

more generic descriptors. Pyne (2010) and Connolly (2009) describe the

subheadings as the real meat and potatoes of an index. The subheadings

also usually break down major concepts into manageable sub-concepts

(Wordco Indexing, 2009). It is important to note here that index entries

21

more often than not compose of more than one word which results in

compound headings. A concept may be included in regular and inverted

forms in the index. For instance, Saint Francis of Assisi, “under S”, and

Francis of Assisi, “under F”. (Lancaster, 1991). Also important to

mention here, is that, the style of presentation of the subheadings may

contribute to determine the effectiveness of the index-use. For instance,

Olason (2000), in her Index Usability studies, discovered that indented

or line by line style has overall higher efficiencies and higher usefulness

rankings compared to run-on-style. Indented indexes (subheadings) are

also ranked as user-friendly. On the other hand, run-on style was never

ranked in this category.

• Locators are a part of an index entry that tells the user where to look for

information. Locators act as an invisible thread that links pieces of

information in the text together. The links can be headings or sub-

headings of the index entry. Bell, (1992) has observed that an excessive

number of locators contribute a major flaw in a book index, although a

string of page numbers is considered acceptable by some to indicate

minor mention.

• Cross references are directions from one heading or subheading to

another. There are two main types of cross-references namely ‘See’ and

‘See also’. According to Ait El Mekki and Nazarenko (2007), they are

synonymous relations or variations or association links. Connolly,

22

(2009) points out that a ‘see’ reference indicates that there is no

information contained at that entry point; but points to the reader the

correct location to find information on that topic. On the other hand, a

‘see also’ reference directs the reader to related information in addition

to what is found at that entry. Though these two terms are closely

related, they are not quite similar. They perform at least two functions

such as: directing users to the main headings that contain vital

information, e.g. “FRN” see “Nigeria”. “See also” references direct the

user to different but main headings e.g. “Nigeria” see also “Abuja”; or

“Federal Capital Territory”, see also “Abuja”. Cross references prevent

users from having to jump around the index to find a specific concept.

Pyne (2010) has also observed that “see” and “see also” references are

useful navigation routes for the user.

Cross-references, as argued by Connolly (2009), provide alternate path

ways to the information contained in the index. An indexing publisher-

(Wordco, 2009) also opined that the correct and appropriate use of cross-

references is one of the key indications of a good index. Fillmore, (1995)

believes that ‘cross-reference’ and ‘sub-sub entries’ help to create a rich

semantic network of meanings for the book. But one of the major flaws in

cross referencing, as observed by Browne and Jermy (2004), is the use of

circular cross references. For instance, maize – see corn; corn see maize.

23

Double-posting is another form of control device use in place of cross-

referencing. Double-posting, according to Connolly, (2009)creates a duplicate

entry under another often synonymous term, but adds that double-posting is

commonly avoided in favour of ‘see’ references, because of frequent space

limitations in an index. Pyne (2010) has added that indexers may double-post

related or synonymous terms instead of using “see” and “see also” in order to

enhance access to information for readers. Cross references or double posting

are used to keep information consistent. They link related subjects and

synonymous terms, thereby improving the usefulness of the index.

It is also important to add here that the extent of use of index entries –

headings and subheadings and their control devices such as cross-references

and locators- determines the length of the index, usually referred to as the

index density. Index density defines the length of an index as a ratio of the

number of pages of the index to the number of pages of the text. This could

also be expressed in percentage. Csomai and Mihalcea (2007) pointed out that

length is typically affected by several factors, including the topic and

specificity of the text. Less domain specific texts such as children’s books or

elementary school textbooks, require indexes with length, accounting for about

1-3% of the length of the book. Highly specialized monographs on scientific

topics may require indexes with a length of up to 15% of the text. History,

biography, and undergraduate textbook indexes usually fall within 5-8% range.

The length of the index entries can influence the accuracy of the index.

24

Also important in this discourse, is the order of arrangement of the

index entries so as to produce an orderly coherent readable index. According to

Chicago Guide on indexing, the index entries should be arranged in a

recognizable or stated searchable order, such as alphabetical, classified,

chronological or numerical order (Mulvany, 1994). Though most indexes are

arranged in an alphabetical order, sometimes, another order, such as

chronological order, may be more appropriate. This is particularly so in some

web indexes or parts of some indexes such as sub-headings (Browne & Jermy

2004.). Alphabetical filing also often gives chronological filing. For instance,

Web Indexing Prize 1998 is filed first before Web Indexing Prize 1999. Also,

some important information is usually filed at the top of a list of sub-headings,

even though this puts it out of alphabetical order. But a technique commonly

used to avoid breaking the alphabetical order is to index general information on

a topic under a sub-heading called “about”. ‘Aboutness’ here, according to

Lancaster (1991) simply means the same thing as what a document covers.

Both alphabetical and hierarchical arrangements are important in

accessing information as Browne & Jermy, (2004) pointed out that alphabetical

access and hierarchical access complements each other. While an alphabetical

index gives direct access to specific subjects by name, hierarchical access

classifies information by allowing the user to search from broad concepts to

narrower ones and to see related materials together. Arrangement and

organization of indexes can also come in different patterns such as single,

25

double or more columns, depending on how the indexer wants the index to

appear and the space available for the index. But one important thing to bear in

mind is that an effective use of the index also depends on the arrangement. This

is why Mulvany (1994) concludes that the value of an index lies in its

organization.

Having seen how the interrelated roadmap of concepts can ease or

hinder index use, it is also appropriate to mention that there are other

limitations which may hinder back-of-the-book index from providing the much

needed “roadmap” and quick access to the document. For instance, on the part

of the indexer, inadequate knowledge of the subject matter may hinder him/her

from getting across to his/her audience and thereby impede access to the

information in the document (Tatham, 1972). An analysis of this analogy

should explain this fact well. Take for instance, a grass-cutter (an animal) could

be wrongly indexed as a human being who cuts grass with a knife. Or

Olusegun Obasanjo, a name found in a book, could be wrongly indexed as the

former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when the bearer of the

name is a fortune teller. These hypothetical examples/mistakes could result

from lack or shallow knowledge of the subject background by the indexer.

Furthermore, an author’s or an indexer’s inability to get across to users

of the index, or the users’ inability to understand the concepts, keywords or

index terms used, could result from wrong use of descriptors (i.e. index terms),

and this may impair the use of the index. Other factors such as lack of adequate

26

time to organize the index neatly, as well as space constraints could contribute

to poor BOB index. However, the major faults always result from poor

application of the basic indexing elements enumerated above, which will

definitely produce inadequate and poor quality index.

Furthermore, this issue of adequacy and quality of indexes in

information retrieval has been a topic of vexed argument. For instance,

Anderson, (1994) recalls that in the 1992 annual meeting of the American

Society for Information Science (ASIS), Elizabeth Liddy lamented that: we are

proceeding with a new standard for indexes when there is little research and so

much ignorance about indexing, especially on how people use indexes and

what constitutes good and useful indexing.

However, authors such as Anderson (1994), Lancaster, (1991), Rowley,

(1992), Afolabi and Daudu (1994), Olason (2000), among others, all agree that

the usability of a document, especially a printed document, depends on the

adequacy and quality of its BOB index.

It is this researcher’s opinion that this lack of consensus among the

experts/practitioners may have arisen from the fact that book indexes are

produced neither by a particular person, nor a particular group of persons; nor,

are there any laid down fast rules guiding the construction of book indexes. In

fact, indexes are characterized by variability. Rowley (1992) underscored this

point when she said, “Book indexes are compiled either by specialist indexers

or by authors themselves, and their quality can vary considerably”. Also, Ait El

27

Mekki and Nazarenko (2007) in their article, ‘An Application Oriented

Terminology Evaluation, the Case of Back of the Book Indexes’, opined that, it

is difficult to evaluate the quality of indexes since there is no objective

yardstick, and since two indexers do not produce the same index for a given

document. To further buttress this argument, Lancaster (1991) in his book-

Indexing and Abstracting: Theory and Practice, adds that, a set of index terms

assigned to a document cannot be judged ‘correct’ or ‘incorrect’ in any

absolute sense. That is, there is no one ‘best’ set of terms. Wyman (2005)

agrees that indexers lack systematic evaluation protocols.

However all this may be, it is germane to observe that the field is not as

chaotic and uncharted as it may seem at a glance. As discussed earlier, there

exist accepted criteria by which indexes are evaluated. The quality of book

indexes can also be evaluated by carrying out a comparative analysis of

different indexes (El Mekki and Nazarenko; 2007). Also, through the analysis

and evaluation of some book indexes, some reference points about the

characteristics of good quality indexes can be established, as this work intends

to do.

This research is therefore an attempt to address this problem and

contribute to filling the existing lacuna. So, by using the accepted criteria or

basic indexing elements for assessing a good quality index, this work will

evaluate the index quality of books in the Natural Sciences, published in

Nigeria. In other words, the focus is to determine the extent to which the

28

indexes of the said books from this branch of knowledge conform or do not

conform to the accepted criteria or international standards. Although this work

bears close relationship with that of Daudu and Afolabi, it is to be stressed that

the present effort more or less takes off from where that of Daudu and Afolabi

stopped. The idea is to establish whether there have been any improvements or

not, in the situation which these scholars discovered in Nigerian published

Back- of- the- Book indexes.

Review of Empirical Studies

There is clear paucity of literature on the subject of BOB indexes

published in Nigeria. Of the little that exists, none has focused on the specific

subject of this current research. Nevertheless some of these literatures have

some relevance to and shed some light into the present research. Accordingly,

it is worthwhile to take a panoramic view of them. Diodato and Gandt (1990)

in a work titled, Back of the book indexes and the characteristics of author and

non-author indexing: Report of an exploratory study, examined the contents of

back- of- the- book indexes produced by 37 authors and 27 non- authors. The

aim was to find out if there were differences between the groups of indexers by

counting the occurrence of certain characteristics in their indexes. Their

research showed that the non-authors (who were mostly professional indexers)

provided more index pages, modified headings, and modifiers than did the

author indexers.

29

In another development, Diodato (1991) analyzed 447 books in

Arts/Humanities, Science/Technology, the Social Sciences and Generalities to

determine how frequently, and for what purpose cross-references were used in

BOB indexes. He revealed that, of the 376 indexes examined, 300 included

cross-references. He also observed that of the three major subject areas, cross-

references most commonly occurred in Science/Technology- indexes, and that

‘see’ references were surprisingly dominant over ‘see also’ , especially in

Science / Technology and Social Sciences. He concluded that indexers and

writers of standards have agreed that the major reason for cross-references

links are to link a pair of synonyms, or a class-member with its class, or an

activity with its agent or product. Diodato agreed that indexers can find many

other reasons to create a cross-reference link.

Furthermore, Diodato conducted another research in which he sought

the opinions of 255 librarians and college professors, of three (3) elements of

BOB indexes. His report appeared in 1994 in an article entitled, User

Preferences for Features in Back- of- the- Book Indexes. His findings were as

follows: (a) both groups preferred line by line sub-headings to run-on

arrangements, although many books use the later. (b) All librarians preferred

the word by word alphabetization to letter by letter method; but 2/3 of the

professors shared this preference. (c) Most of the librarians preferred ‘see

references’ to duplicate entries or what is called double posting; while most of

the professors preferred duplicate entries.

30

Olason (2000) has examined the usability of indexes from a systems

engineering and human factor perspectives. She found users complaining that

indexes are confusing, and felt we may have fallen into the trap of indexing for

indexers at the expense of users. Her study also examined the importance of the

following features for index efficiency:

i. Run- on versus indented style.

ii. Sub-entries beginning with prepositions and conjunctions.

iii. Access paths.

A significant observation Olason made is that, in systems engineering,

the most important factor in determining quality is involvement of users

throughout the life cycle of the product. The usability of a book throughout its

life cycle has also been pointed out, depends on the quality of its index which

has to be made usable for its users.

In 2001, Connolly and Laudeen published an article entitled Towards a

Standard Measure of Index Density, where they tried to measure index density.

They tried different methods such as word by word count of the number of

pages of the text vis-à-viz the number of pages of the index terms or

descriptors; and line by line methods. The line by line count eventually

culminated into the two methods they used to achieve their aim. These two

methods were page percentage (pg %) measure and text lines/locators (L/L)

methods. Connolly and Laudeen found that the lines (of text) per locator (L/L)

31

method appeared to offer the best solution to determine the depth/length of the

index, as it met the preconditions for good density measure. They observed that

line by line count was the most appropriate method for measuring index density

because, according to them, it is easy to implement, and calculate, convenient,

conceptually easy to understand, accurate and consistent.

Summary of Literature Review

The foregoing discourse has briefly highlighted the extent of work done

generally on different aspects of back of the book index. From the literature,

there is no doubt that back- of- the- book index is a well established

information retrieval system. Most authors agree that it is not just an

information retrieval system, but a system that facilitates fast and easy access

to sources of information. They also agree that this effectiveness in retrieval is

possible because an index, being a condensed and detailed summary of the

contents of a document, makes retrieval easy and fast. This may, though, be

hindered by scanty and inadequate index; or long and loopy index’ and/or lack

of in-depth knowledge of the subject matter by the indexer. Furthermore, some

of the relevant works studied indicate the usefulness of the indexing elements;

and also show how the different versions of these variables are preferred to the

other in indexing works and index uses.

However, from the available locally published works relating to this

study, some serious gaps do exist in the area of indexing knowledge in Nigeria,

particularly so in book indexing. These gaps were found first, in the report of

32

Nwafor, which revealed that, there is no systematic/consistent application of

subject headings in the indexes, and that the indexers have little knowledge of

indexing. Second, in the work of Daudu and Afolabi, which revealed that: less

than 1/3 of 322 books assessed were not indexed, the indexes were mostly

single alphabetical arrangement, indexes had no scope notes, etc.

These revelations pose a serious inadequacy and a big question mark on the

level of improvement in providing BOB indexes in local imprints after the

work of Daudu and Afolabi since 1994. This inadequacy and doubts will be

addressed by the end of this work. This is because this work is out to evaluate

the quality and determine how indexes are provided to books in the Natural

sciences published in Nigeria. The researcher will use books from the Natural

Sciences to determine this and assess the quality of the indexes. This work

intends to fill this gap in knowledge.

33

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODS

This chapter lays out the various methods used in carrying out this work.

It has the following sections: research design, area of study, population, sample

and sampling method, instrument for data collection, validation of the

instrument, method of data collection and method of data analysis.

Research Design

The design used in this research is a descriptive survey, applying

document examination procedure for data collection. This is a type of design

which after examining briefly a number of cases, describes the situation as it is,

using books as the population. Books were used as the population for this study

because they are the only source of gathering information and data (related to

back of the book indexes) for analysis.

Area of study

The area of study is Enugu State, one of the 5 states that make up the

south-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria. This state has about four academic

libraries namely: Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, UNN and its branches at Enugu

campus of the university; Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT)

Library; Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Library; Enugu State

College of Education, Enugu and Federal College of Education Library,

34

Ehamufu. The state has one major public library at Enugu with branches

scattered in various local government areas. It also hosts a branch of the

National library.

Population

The population of the study consists of all the books in the Natural

Sciences published in Nigeria during the period 1990-2010. Textbooks from

the following subject disciplines made up the population of the books in this

area of study: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Biochemistry,

Biology, Botany, Microbiology, Zoology and General Science books- GS.

(LCSH: Schedule, 1996)

It was not possible to determine the actual number of Nigerian published

texts in the Natural Sciences because of lack of concrete records on Nigeriana

documents in Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, UNN, Enugu State Library, Enugu

State University of Technology (ESUT) Library and some secondary school

libraries visited. Efforts to extract the population of Nigeriana texts in the

Natural Sciences from the National Library Enugu, yielded no positive result.

This is because most of the books found there, in the Natural Sciences were

either primary school texts, or were published much earlier than the period of

time stated for selecting the samples of the books for analysis. Furthermore, a

head count of individual Natural Science texts in Nnamdi Azikiwe Library,

UNN, suggests that the Legal Deposit law seems not to be strictly obeyed by

35

publishers. This may be the explanation for the scantiness of Nigerian

publications in this area of study observed in these two depository libraries.

Sample and Sampling Technique

A total of sixty (60) books were sampled. Due to the scantiness of texts in

the various subject disciplines under Natural Sciences, the sample of this study

embraced all the available texts in this area of study, found in major libraries

and bookshops in Enugu State. Hence, accidental sampling technique was used

in this work. This method of sampling enabled the researcher to include only

the elements which the researcher could meet (Nworgu, 1991). This method

was applied due to the difficulty in getting access to Nigerian published texts in

the Natural Sciences. Actually, Nworgu, (1991) and Ali, (2005) have warned

against using the accidental sampling method unless the characteristics of the

population is known. This is because of the fear that the sample (e.g. where

human beings are involved) may not contain all the required regimes or factors

needed in case of any interview. However, in the present, the researcher is of

the opinion that, since the characteristics of the population are alike, (i.e. books

published in Nigeria and in the same discipline) this sampling method can be

legitimately applied.

Instrument for Data Collection

The instrument that was used for collecting data was a checklist,

developed by the researcher. The idea used to develop this instrument was

36

inspired by a journal titled Forum: A journal for the teacher of English, a

literary journal of English Teaching Forum published in (1998). The checklist

consists of structured questions based on the research questions and the basic

elements or criteria to be tested as shown in appendix 1. These basic elements

include: scope note, sub-heading, control devices such as locators and cross-

references; index density and arrangement of index entries.

Validation of the Instrument

Two senior academic members of staff in the Department of Library and

Information Science, UNN; did a face validation of the instrument. They made

some inputs through their useful questions and suggestions. Their suggestions

helped to modify the instrument to be in line with the research questions.

Method of Data Collection

The data were personally collected by the researcher, through the use of

checklist (Appendix. 1) and document examination. The researcher examined

the books one after the other and isolated books without BOB indexes and

recorded their number. But the books with indexes were closely studied, using

the checklist to record information obtained on basic indexing elements, depths

of indexing, filling order and arrangement of the indexes.

37

Data Analysis

Descriptive statistics, particularly percentage, frequency table and

histogram were used to analyze the data. The determination of index density

(length statistics) was achieved through the application of the following

mathematical steps shown below: Index Density = Total Text lines / Total entry

locators. In determining the total text lines and entry locators, the following

procedural steps were adhered to.

Text:

The number of text pages = a

The number of Lines on a full text page = b

Lines per page x total number of text pages = Total Text Lines. i.e.; a

x b = ab (i.e. the text

lines)

Index:

The total number of locators in two random full columns of the index = y

The average number of locators resulting from the two columns = y2

The total number of index columns = z

Entry or total locators = Average number of locators x Total number of

index columns. i.e.; y2 x z = y2z (i.e. the entry locators)

38

The combination of the products of the two mathematical operations above

gave the index density as shown below:

Index Density = Total Text Lines / Entry Locators, (L/L) i.e.

Lines/Locators. i.e. ab/y2z.

It is important to state here that, while counting the entry locators, it is

only a single page or a single page range that is counted as one locator.

Furthermore, to obtain the page percentage (pg %) measure, the following

mathematical procedure was also applied.

Index Pages/Text Pages x100.

The mathematical operations shown above gave rise to table 3 in chapter 4.

(Adopted from Connolly and Laudeen, 2000).

39

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

The data collected from the checklist and their analyses, using simple

percentage, frequencies and histogram are presented in this chapter. The

presentation and analysis of the data were done in line with the research

questions which guided the study

Research question 1

How are indexes provided to books published in Nigeria in the Natural

Sciences?

To answer this question, a checklist was used to obtain relevant data.

There were two categories; the first category consisted of sample of books with

back-of-the-book index. The second category consisted of sample of books

without back-of-the-book index. Table 1 and Figure 1 show these two

categories.

40

Table 1: Provision of BOB Indexes in Natural Science Books – Frequencies and

percentages of indexed and un-indexed books Disciplines FREQ.

& %

GS

MATH

PHY

CHEM

GEOL

BIO

BIOCH

BOT

MCB

ZOO

TOTAL

No of indexed

books

F 2 3 7 6 2 4 5 1 3 2 35

% 40 50 78 55 67 44 71 25 75 100 60.5*

No of Un-indexed

books

F 3 3 2 5 1 5 2 3 1 - 25

% 60 50 22 45 33 56 29 75 25 0 39.5*

Total no of books

sampled in each

subject discipline.

F 5 6 9 11 3 9 7 4 4 2 60

% 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100*

* Average percentage (%)

Key: BIO = biology, BIOCH = biochemistry, BOT= botany; CHEM = chemistry, GS

= General Science, GEO = geology, MATH =mathematics, MCB =

microbiology, PHY = physics and ZOO = zoology.

The data presented in Table 1 gives detailed information about the

frequencies and percentages of the indexed and un-indexed books in each

subject discipline. For instance, out of 5 books sampled in GS books, 3 (or

60%) were un-indexed while 2 (that is 40%) were indexed. In Mathematics, 6

books were sampled, 3 (or 50%) were indexed and 3 (or 50%) were not

indexed. In Physics, 9 books were sampled out of which 2 (that is 22%) had no

indexes and 7 (or 78%) had indexes. Out of 11 books sampled in Chemistry, 6

(that is 55%) were indexed, while 5 (or 45%) were un-indexed. In Geology, 1

out of 3 books, (that is 33%) had no index while 2 (or 67%) had indexes. Nine

books were sampled in Biology, out of which 4 (or 44%) were indexed and 5

(or 56%) were un-indexed. Likewise, 2 (or 29%) out of 7 books sampled in

Biochemistry had no indexes, while 5 (that is 71%) were indexed. Out of 4

books sampled in Botany, 3 (or 75%) were un-indexed, while 1 (or 25%) had

41

index. In Microbiology (MCB), 1 or (25%) out of 4 books sampled had no

index, while 3, (75%) had indexes. It is only in Zoology that the 2 books

sampled had BOB indexes. In all, a total of 60 books were sampled, out of

which number, 35 books (58%) had BOB indexes while 25books (42%) had no

BOB indexes.

Figure: 1:

Provision of Back-of-the-book indexes in Natural Science Books

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

GS MATTH PHY CHEM GEOL BIOL bIOCH BOT MCB ZOO

Subjects

pe

rcen

tag

e

Indexed Books

Un-indexed Books

The presentation given above in Table 1on how indexes are provided in

Nigerian published books in Natural Sciences, are better understood with a

pictorial view of the histogram of Table 1, and shown as figure 1 above.

Research Question 2

How are basic indexing elements provided in books published in Nigeria

in the Natural Sciences?

Indexed Books

Un-indexed Books

42

Table 2 presents the data on research question 2, that is, the provision of

basic indexing elements as follows:

Table 2: Provision of Basic Indexing Elements

GS MAT PHY CHM GEOL BIO BIOCH BOT MCB ZOO TOTAL %

1 Total No. of

books sampled

5 6 9 11 3 9 7 4 4 2 60 100

2 No. of books

with indexes

2 3 7 6 2 4 5 1 3 2 35 58

3 Basic Indexing

Elements.

4 Provision of

scope note

- - - - - - - - - - - -

5 Provision of

sub headings

i Indented style 2 3 7 5 2 4 5 1 3 2 34 97.1

ii Run-on-style - 1 - 1* - - 1* - - - 3* 8.6*

iii Use of about - - - - - - - - - - - -

iv Descriptors

with sub-

headed entries

- 227 291 66 9 384 59 - 73 61 1370 10.6

v Descriptors

without sub-

headed entries

391 608 1978 794 595 3297 1208 1326 553 857 11607 89.4

6 Control

devices

A Cross

references

i ‘see’ - - - 1 - 1 2 - - - 4 11.4

ii ‘see also’ - - 1 1 - - - - - 1 3 8.6

iii Multiple/double

posting

- - 1 - - - - - - - 1 2.9

B Locators -

i Strings of page

no. locators

1 3 5 6 2 4 4 1 3 2 31 88.6*

ii Page Range

versions

locators

- 1 4 6 2 4 3 1 3 2 26 74.3*

iii Bold face

locators

- - - - - - - - - - - -

iv List of

descriptors with

single page

1 1 1 - - - - 1 - 1 5 14.3

43

i) Scope Note:

In table 2, above, there is no indication of the availability of this

variable. In other words, no evidence of the provision of introductory note (pre-

index instruction/ information) about the scope of the index was seen in any of

the sampled books.

Provision of Subheadings:

On table 2 figures representing the number of sub-headed index

descriptors (entries) for each group of subject discipline are shown. The second

group of figures represents the number of index descriptors (entries) without

sub headings. But the overall percentage provision of sub-headed index entries

for all the subject disciplines sampled is 10.6%, while the overall index entries

(descriptors) with no sub-headed entries are 89.4%. (See table 2)

Style of Sub Headings: All the books in GS, Mathematics, Physics, Geology,

Biology, Botany, Microbiology to Zoology (about 97%) used the indented ( or

line by line) style, as shown in table 3. Exceptions are 1 sample each from

Mathematics, Chemistry and Biochemistry, making a total of 3 books (or 8.6%)

which used run-on style paripasu with indented style. In table 3, these figures

are asterisked. This is significant, and indicates that these figures are not

standing alone but share some features or precisely feature some indented

styles as well as run-on style.

Control Devices:

(a) Cross-references: Only 4 books, which are in Physics (1) Biology (1), Biochemistry

(2), used Cross-reference – ‘see’, and these constitute 11.4% of the indexed sample. But

44

cross-reference – ‘see also’ was used, as indicated: Physics 1, Chemistry 1 and MCB 1,

making a total of 3 books that is 8.6% of the indexed samples. Furthermore, one book in

Physics, (or 2.9%) of the sample, used the multiple/double posting. This device is used in

place of see or ‘see also’ (See table 2).

(b) Locators: Table 2 also presents the result on index locators as follows: Thirty one

books,( that is about 88.6% )of the total indexed sample used strings of page numbers to

indicate index locators (entries). The table also shows that 26 of the sample, about 74.3%

of the total indexed sample, also used range-version locators paripasu with strings of

page numbers to indicate locators (index entries) Also about 5 samples, one from each of

these subject disciplines, GS, Math, Physics, Botany and Zoology, which made up of

about 14.3% of the indexed sample, used single page number to assign locators (index

entries)

Research Question 3

What are the index densities of the indexes of subject disciplines?

Checklist was also used to obtain the data to answer this research question. The

checklist was intended to find out the depth or length of indexing in the

sampled books.

45

Table 3: The page percentages and index densities of the overall books

sampled

Natural Science

Subjects

Page %=

Index pages /text

page x100

Rank

Index density=L/L

Textlines/index

locators

Rank

Mathematics 1.3 10th 33.7 7th

Physics 2.3 7th 68.2 10th

Chemistry 4.4 3rd 18.4 3rd

Geology 2.2 8th 37.4 9th

Biology 3.6 5th 20 4th

Biochemistry 3.3 6th 31.8 6th

Botany 9.6 1st 5.1 1st

Microbiology 4.2 4th 22.4 5th

Zoology 8.3 2nd 15.2 2nd

General Science 1.6 9th 35.9 8th

The two methods used, that is, page percentage (page %) and

line/locator (L/L) yielded the results on table 4 above. The table therefore

portrays the length statistics or depth of indexing simply referred to as index

densities, when these two methods namely, the page percentage (pg %) and

text-line/index locators (L/L) are applied (see chapter 3 for details). The page

percentages (pg %), the index densities and their rankings are shown on table 4

above. The table shows that Botany is the most densely indexed sample both

in page percentage measure, at 9.6% and in L/L measure at 5.1index density.

Zoology came second as most indexed, for both pg% and in L/L measurement.

Chemistry is the third most densely indexed in both its pg% and L/L, while

Biochemistry is the 6th

most densely indexed discipline in both the page %

measure and L/L measure.

It can be observed that after the above listed disciplines, disparity is

seen in both the page % and L/L measures. For instance, while Physics

46

measured the 7th

densely indexed discipline under page % measure, it, on the

other hand, measured 10th

and the least densely indexed discipline under L/L

measurement. Biology is ranked 4th

under L/L measure but measured 5th

under

pg% measure; and so on (see table 3). It is important to note that while page %

measure goes in a descending order in their ranking, from highest to the least;

text-lines/locators (L/L) measure of index density follows the ascending order

that is, ranking starts with the least scorer to the highest. (That is, the least

scorer is ranked as the most densely indexed; see table 3). Also of note is that

the L/L index density actually measures for number of text lines per index

locator.

Research question 4

What is the pattern of arrangement of the index entries?

Table 4 answered research question 4, on filing order and arrangement pattern

of the index descriptors (i.e. index entries).

Table 4: Filing/ Arrangement Pattern of the Index Entries.

S/N Variables GS MA

T

PHY CHM GEOL BIOL BIOC

H

BOT MCB ZOO TOT

AL

%

A Filling order

i Alphabetical 2 3 7 6 2 4 5 1 3 2 35 100

ii Chronological - - - - - - - - - - -

iii Nouns separated

from concepts

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

iv Concepts not

separated from

nouns

2 3

7 6 2

4 5 1 3 2 35

100

v By titles - - - - - - - - - - -

vi By concept only - - - - - - - - - - -

B Arrangement pattern

i Single order - - 1 - - - - - - - 1

ii Double line order 1 2 4 6 2 2 5 1 2 3 28 2.8

iii Triple line order 1 2 2 - - 1 - - - - 6 16.7

iv Quartet line - - - - - 1 - - - - 1 2.8

47

The result shows the filing order or arrangement of the index entries.

The index entries arranged alphabetically scored 100%, as there was no

indication of chronological filing arrangement. Also in the arrangement of the

entries, concepts and nouns not separated scored 100% percent as there was no

arrangement of nouns separated from the concepts and there was no

arrangement by titles and concepts alone. Furthermore, the pattern in which the

index entries are arranged showed that entries on single columns scored 2.8%

while entries on double columns scored 77.8%. The entries arranged in triple

line columns scored 16.7% while those on quartet line columns scored 2.8%

Table 5: Summary of BOB Index Analysis of Secondary School Texts in

Natural Sciences. Samples Math Phy Chem. Bio Total %

1 No books sampled 4 6 4 7 21 36

2 No of indexed sample 2 4 - 5 12 57

3 No of un-indexed sample 2 2 4 2 9 43

4 Provision of scope notes - - - -- - -

5 Provision of sub-headed index entries. (descriptors) 172 375 - 583 1130 14.9

6 Provision of non-sub headed index entries.

(descriptors)

377 1744 - 4357 6478 85.1

7 Style of sub headed index entries.

i -indented style 2 5 - 4 11 91.6*

ii - run–on style - - - - - -

iii -‘about’ - - - - -

8 Provision of cross reference

i -‘see’ - - - 1 1 8.3

ii -‘see also’ - 1 - - 1 8.3

9 Multiple/ double posting - - - - - -

10 Use of locators

i -string of page nos 2 5 - 4 11 91.6*

ii -range version 2 4 - 4 10 83.3*

iii -bold face locators - - - - - -

11 Index density 1.4/38.4 43.2/28.1 - 3.6/20 28.8 2.4

12 Filing order/ arrangement

i -alphabetical 2 5 - 5 12 100

ii -chronological - - - - - -

iii -by concepts - - - - - -

iv -by titles - - - - - -

v -concepts and nouns combined 2 5 - 5 12 100

13 Pattern of arrangement

i -single line order - 1 - - 1 8.3

ii -double line order 1 2 - 2 5 41.6

iii - triple line order 1 2 - 2 5 41.6

iv -quartet line order - - - 1 - 8.3

48

Table 6: Summary of BOB Index Analysis of Tertiary and General

Science Books in Natural Sciences Samples Maths. Phy. Chem. Geo. Bio. Bioch

.

Bot. MCB Zoo. GS Av

total

Av

%

1 Total no. of books

sampled

2 3 7 3 2 6 4 4 2 5 38 64

2 No. of indexed sample 1 2 6 2 - 5 1 3 2 2 24 63.2

3 No. of un indexed sample 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 - 3 14 36.8

4 Provision of scope notes - - - - - - - - - - -

5 Provision of sub-headed

index descriptors

- 116 66 9 - 5 - 73 61 - 384 5.8

6 Provision of non sub-

headed index descriptors

(entries)

51 435 880 595 - 1208 1326 553 798 391 6237 94.2

7 Style of sub-headed

descriptors/ entries

i - indented style 1* 2 5 2 - 4 List of

words

3 1 2* 20 83.3

*

ii -run-on style - - 2 - - 1 List of

words

- - - 3 12.5

iii - double posting - - - - - 2 - 3 - - - -

8 Cross-reference- “see” - - 1 - - 2 - 3 - - 6 25

9 Cross-reference “see also” - 1 1 - - 1 - - - - 3 12.5

i -multiple/double posting 1 - - - - - - - - - 1 4..2

10 Locators – strings of page

Numbers.

1 2 5 2 - 5 1 3 2 2 23 98.5

*

i -range version locator 1 1 5 2 - 4 1 3 2 2 21 87.5

*

ii -bold face locators - - - - - - - - - - - -

11 Index density (length

statistics)

0.8/19.

9

2.2/14

8.3

4.4/18

.4

2.2/37

.4

- 3.3/31

.8

9.6/5.1 4.2/22

.4

8.3/15

.2

1.6/

35.9

37.2 4.0

12 Filing order/arrangement

pattern

i -alphabetical 1 2 6 2 - 5 1 3 2 2 24 100

ii -chronological - - - - - - - - - - - -

iii -concepts separated from

nouns

- - - - - - - - -- - - -

iv - concepts and nouns

combined

1 2 6 2 - 5 1 3 2 2 24 100

v -arranged by title only - - - - - - - - - - - -

13 Arranged by concepts only - - - - - - - - - - - -

14 Patterns of arrangement

15 Single line arrangement - - - - - - - - 1 - 1 4.2

i -double line arrangement 1 2 5 2 - 5 1 3 1 1 21 87.5

ii - triple line arrangement - - 1 - - - - - - 2 2 8.4

Iii - by quartet line

arrangement

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Note: In tables 5and 6, two groups of figures are found in each cell of

the row for index density. The upper case figures represent the page percentage

(pg %) measure, while the lower case figures represent the text Line/Locator

L/L) measure.

49

Tables 5 and 6 emanated from the summary of data collected from the

checklist. These two tables try to separate secondary school texts and those of

tertiary/general science. The Tables then summarized the overall BOB index

analysis of secondary school texts and tertiary/general Science sampled books

respectively. This was done in other to find out whether differences exist in

secondary school texts and those of tertiary/general science books. Results

obtained are outlined below:

(1) Books sampled: Table 5 which shows the data related to secondary school texts

indicates that 22 texts were sampled from secondary school texts. This is about 37%

of the entire sample. Out of this sample, 12 books (55%) of the secondary school

texts were indexed, while 10 (about 45%) were not indexed. On the other hand, table

6 relates to tertiary/general Science books. The table indicates that 38 books were

sampled, and these make up 63% of the entire sample. But out of these 38 samples,

only 24 texts were indexed and this represents 63.2% of the indexed sample in

tertiary/GS. Fourteen of the sampled books (or 36.8%) were not indexed (table 6).

2) Provision of Scope Notes: Both tables 6 and 7 indicate no provision for scope

notes for any of the samples in secondary and tertiary/GS books.

3) Provision of Subheadings: Table 6 shows that only 14.9% of secondary school

texts were provided with sub-headings while only 5.8% of tertiary/GS books had

subheadings. But the index descriptors (index entries) without sub- headed entries

constituted 85.1% for secondary texts (table 5) and 94.2% for tertiary/ GS books.

50

(4) Style of Sub-headed Entries: In table 5, secondary school texts had the

following scores for style of sub-headed index entries: indented style

91.6%, and zero score for run-on style. For tertiary/GS books, the

samples that had indented style scored 83.3%* (with asterisk), and

12.5% for run-on-style (table 6). These figures indicated with asterisk

(*) are significant because there are shortfalls due to some of the indexes

that had neither indented style, nor run-on style. They are just list of

words without any sub headings. Examples of such indexes can be seen

in table 6 for Mathematics, Botany and GS columns where sub-headed

entries are completely absent. But generally, the indented style of index

entries predominates in both secondary school texts and tertiary/GS

books

(5) Cross references: The element of cross-reference- ‘see’ scored 8.3% for

one sample in biology (see table 5). However, in table 6, ‘see’ reference

scored 25%. (that is 6 samples out of 24, in Chemistry 1, Biochemistry 2

and Microbiology 3 (see table 6). Also, for the cross reference – ‘see

also’, only 1 sample in Physics (8.3%) of the entire sample used ‘see

also’ (see table 5). But in table 6, i.e. tertiary/ GS books, 3 samples (Phy

1, Chem 1, and Bio1) out of 24, used ‘see also’. And that is 12.5% of the

sample. The same table (6) indicates that 1 sample in Maths used

multiple/double posting, that is, 4.2% of the 24 samples.

51

(6) Locators: Table 5 indicates that secondary texts with strings of page

number index locators scored 91.6%* and 83.3% *for range version

locators. In Table 6 for tertiary/GS books, samples with strings of page

number locators scored 95.8% *and those with range version locators

scored 87.5%

The asterisks on these figures are significant. They are used to indicate

that scores are not static. That is to say that the strings of page numbers and

range versions are used paripasu with each other. No version was used

separately from the other in the index entries. Also none of the tables, that is 5

and 6, showed results for use of bold face ( i.e. darkened letter) index locators.

Index Density: In Table 5, the results on index density gave the page

percentage average at 2.4 and the index density L/L at 28.8 for secondary

school texts. However, that of tertiary/GS has the page percentage (pg%) as

4.0, and the index density (L/L) as 37.2 (see table 6).

Arrangement/Filing Order: Both tables 5 and 6 have similar results for this

variable. Samples whose index entries were arranged or filed in alphabetical

order were 12, (that is 100%) for secondary texts and 24 samples (100%) for

tertiary/ GS books. Also the arrangement of the index entries whereby concepts

and nouns are weaved together in an alphabetical order without separation

scored 100% for all the samples of this study. There was no indication from the

tables of any chronological arrangement, or arrangement by titles, or

arrangement where nouns are separated from concepts.

52

Pattern of arrangement of the index entries: Table 5 indicates the following

results for the arrangement of index entries of secondary school texts: Single

column arrangement, Physics 1 ( 8.3%); double columns- Mathematics 1,

Physics 2, and Biology 2, making a total of 5 samples – 41.6%. Those with

triple columns include Mathematics 1, Physics 2, Biology 2, making a total of 5

samples, and 41.6%. One sample in Biology used the quartet order arrangement

and this translates to 8.3%.

In table 6, index samples with double columns of arrangement scored

87.5%. The number of books per subjects in this category is shown as follows:

Maths 1, Phy 2, Chem 5, Geol 2, Biochem 5, Bot 1, MCB 3, Zoo 1 and GS 1.

For single line order arrangement, 1 sample in zoology scored 4.2%, triple

columns of arrangement scored 4.2% that is 1 in GS. The table indicates no

result for quartet columns of arrangement in tertiary/ GS books.

Summary of Major Findings

1. A substantial number of books/ texts published in Nigeria are

without indexes

2. Those with indexes lack enough sub-headed descriptors (i.e.

subheadings). Rather, most index entries are listed words derived

from the texts with little or no semantic relationship that can be

broken into subheadings.

53

3. Control devices namely ‘see’ and ‘see also’ are almost absent in the

indexes.

4. Locators are predominantly strings of page numbers used alongside

page ranges. No bold face locators were used.

5. The depth of indexing in Nigerian published texts sampled in Natural

Sciences seems to be generally low.

6. The filing order of arrangement follows the normal order of

alphabetical arrangement and the organization of the index entries

depends on the publisher and the space available for the index. This

could be in single, double, triple or quartet columns of arrangement.

7. Finally, there was no outstanding difference in the indexes of

secondary and tertiary/GS books.

54

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION AND

SUMMARY.

A discussion of the findings presented in chapter 4 and their implications

as well as the limitations of the study are discussed in this chapter. It also

makes recommendations and suggestions for further research, and rounds off

with a conclusion. The discussion of the findings is based on the purpose and

research questions of this study.

Discussion of Findings

Provision of Back of the Book Indexes (BOB) in the Natural Science books

published in Nigeria.

The data analyzed and presented for Research Question 1 revealed that

many Nigerian published texts in the Natural Sciences are without back of the

book indexes. The information obtained from this research buttressed the

information obtained from Daudu and Afolabi’s (1994) work on a comparative

study of books published in Nigeria in the Humanities, the Social Sciences and

the Sciences. Their research showed that out of 322 books sampled in these

disciplines, only 85 books (26.4%) had indexes. This near absence of indexes

in published texts could be attributed to either incompetence or the tendency of

authors/publishers to rush to publish. This observation was also made by

55

Tatham (1972) when he argued that some publishers omit indexes in the books

they publish either in a rush to publish or just because of incompetence. The

researcher is of the opinion that most publishing companies do not employ

professional indexers and would not want to spend money to pay anybody to

do that for them. The same observation can be made in respect to the authors

who feel, it is an unnecessary waste of money to pay a professional indexer to

index their books. Some of them rather resort to extracting words from the

books and listing them at their backs as indexes when they are actually a

concordance.

Provision of Basic Indexing Elements

Research Question 2 solicited information on how basic indexing

elements were provided to the locally published texts in the Natural Sciences.

These basic elements are discussed as follows:

Scope note: This variable or element was completely absent in all the

texts/books. No index had an introductory note to indicate the scope or extent

of indexing in the texts or if special features in the texts were indexed or not

indexed. This shortcoming was also observed by Daudu and Afolabi (1992)

when they stated that there was nearly no introductory notes in the indexes of

books they sampled, to indicate the scope or extent of indexing. Though the

scope note may seem not to serve any purpose in the index, it helps to give

prior information as to the extent a book was indexed. Also, any part of the

56

book that is not indexed is stated in the introductory note. But this important

information was completely missing.

Provision of Sub-Headed Entries: The data presented for this variable

showed that the sub-headed entries provided are very scanty. It is apt to remind

that index sub-entries (that is, sub headings) are index headings (descriptors)

which are structured hierarchically and present explicit semantic relations

between descriptors that are presented as subentries. Unfortunately, most

Nigerian published BOB indexes lack hierarchical structures and semantic

relationships in the headings that could have been broken into specific

descriptors or sub-entries. Instead, most of the indexes are rather long lists of

words (entries) with little or no semantic relationships, drawn from the texts,

and without sub-entries.

Control Devices

The result of the analysis for this variable was almost negative. The use

of control device, namely, cross-references, which consist of ‘see’ and ‘see

also’, was almost lacking. The ‘see’ reference which directs readers from terms

not used in the index to the terms that are used was almost lacking, while the

‘see also’ reference which directs readers to closely related index entries

(terms) was absent in nearly all the books sampled. The researcher is of the

opinion that the inability to use cross-references in the indexing of locally

published books, may have contributed to the lack of semantic relationships in

the index entries. This is because cross-references help to bring the related

57

terms in the text together. This lack of cross-references violates the rule stated

by Mulvany (1994) that, the index must bring together references to similar

concepts that are scattered in the text, or that are expressed in varying

terminologies. This can be done by establishing a single heading with

subheadings, by using cross references, double posting or other appropriate

devices.

It is also necessary to point out that this shortcoming in Nigerian imprint

was observed by Nwodo and Otokunefor (1989). They observed that the

inclusion of cross references in Nigerian books decreased in the 1980’s when

compared to the 1960’s. Also contrary to what is obtainable with regards to the

lack of cross references in Nigerian published texts, Mulvany (1994) argued

that there must be a sufficient number of cross references in the index so that

related terms are connected. Unfortunately, locally published book indexes

have not measured up in this aspect. This may relate to the observation the

researcher earlier made to this effect, that, the inability to find related terms in

the books to march index entries provided, seems to account for lack of

semantic relationship of index headings (entries) provided and non provision

of sub-headed entries. This subsequently leaves no room for the use of cross

references.

Locators: The results obtained on the use of locators, showed that all the texts

combined the use of strings of page numbers, with the use of page range

locators. There was no other type of locators, like ‘bold face’ type. It is

58

important to remember that locators are a part of an entry in an index that

indicates the location of the document unit to which the entry refers. They are

very important in an index. Locators, as argued by Connolly and Laudeen

(2000) are the most precise indicator of density in an index, and are therefore

used to measure the depth of an index. Probably, this is why Taylor (1994)

opined that an index with very few locators may not be exhaustive in

displaying detailed information and providing access to the contents of the

texts through the index. On the other hand, Bell (1992) also argued that an

excessive number of locators constitute a major flaw in a book index. But this

research was not really out to examine whether the locators in the books

examined were few or excessive. That will be work for further research.

The Index Densities of Various Indexes

The result of the data analyzed and presented for research question 3 on

length statistics or depth of indexing showed that most of the locally sampled

books were not densely or heavily indexed. It is important to state that though

two methods were used to determine the density of indexing in which, the most

densely indexed book in one method may not be the most densely indexed

book in the other method. (see table 3). This disparity exists because of some

factors which may add to affect the density of indexing. Prominent among such

factors are the typographical differences in the texts and also in the indexes.

59

Most often the text characters differ from the index characters. It is also

noteworthy to point out that the page % measure takes no account of the

typographical differences of both the text and the index. Anderson (in Connolly

and Laudeen, 2000) rejected the page % method in her work arguing that it is

less accurate and lacks precision per locator.

On the other hand, Connoly and Laudeen (2000) argue that an accurate

relationship does exist between the locator and the text. Thus, in the L/L

method, the arrangement of the index locators affects the density of the index.

Locators arranged in triple and quartet columns give higher index density than

indexes in single and double columns, depending on the number of index

pages. This could definitely change its ranking in the L/L measure from what it

could be in the page % measure. Evidence also shows that other factors that

may affect index density include constraints in space and scope of the text that

are beyond the control of the indexer. In summary, the overall depth of

indexing in the Nigerian texts sampled is generally low.

60

Pattern of Arrangement of the Index Entries.

The result obtained from the checklist, based on Research Question 4 on

arrangement pattern of index entries, showed that all the index entries are

arranged in an alphabetical order. Secondly, the concepts and nouns are

combined and filed in an alphabetical order. This result is in line with the

Chicago Guide on indexing which states that the index entries should be

arranged in a recognizable or stated searchable order, such as alphabetical,

classified, chronological or numerical order. (Mulvany, 1994) Moreover, the

arrangement or organization of the index in columns depends on the indexer

and probably, on the space available for the index. There are no specified

stringent order/patterns to be followed, rather the arrangement ranges from

single to double, triple and quartet order. These orders are used depending on

the indexer and probably the available space left for the index. The view of

Mulvany on indexing expressed in the Chicago guide in 1994 can stand

repetition here. She stated that

The value of an index lies in its organization. While a poor

index may contain reference to all the important information

in the text, if it is not systematically organized, for easy

access, such an index has limited value to the user. (p10)

Systematic arrangement of index entries is therefore very necessary for

the benefit of the user.

61

Differences in the indexes of secondary and tertiary/GS books

The Research objective 5, which aimed at knowing whether differences

exist in the BOB indexes of secondary and tertiary/GS came up with the

following. Though there were no outstanding differences but a few comments

need to be made. First, there were no scope notes in the indexes of the two

categories. Second, the provision of sub-headings in both categories of

academic texts is poor. However, a closer observation reveals that the

percentage of the provision of subheadings in secondary school texts is higher

than that of tertiary/GS books. This could be attributed to the fact that most

tertiary/GS texts are indexed by their authors who are not professional

indexers, and such authors usually write list of words derived from the text as

indexes. On the other hand, most of the secondary school texts are published by

reputable publishers, like Heinemann, Longman and Fep-Africa publishers who

presumably have their indexers working for them.

With regard to the index densities of the two categories of texts, while

tertiary texts showed higher page percentage (pg%) measure, the secondary

texts, on the other hand, measured higher in L/L index density determination

than tertiary texts. Generally speaking, there are no outstanding differences in

the indexes of secondary texts and those of tertiary/GS texts.

62

Implications of the Findings

The implications of the findings are derived from the results and

discussions of this study. Basically, the following implications were identified

which the researcher is of the view, could hamper academic endeavours, slow

down the work of librarians, inconvenience readers/users of local imprints, and

affect publishers/authors and ultimately continue to lower the quality of local

imprints, if serious steps are not taken to address them.

The absence of BOB indexes in local imprints has serious implications.

First, the contents of an un-indexed book are almost hidden to readers/users

who may want to browse for one or two pieces of information and drop the

book. Second, it is also of little use to reference librarians who may browse

through the indexes and refer students to such a material. Thirdly, researchers

in a hurry to finish their work do not consult such books, because they would

not have the time to read through all the pages of the book to sieve useful

information. Such books are generally inadequate for academic use because

access to useful information is hampered.

Fourthly, it has been indicated that the use of cross-references helps to

bring together in the index all the related terms and concepts used in the text. In

this way it eases access to specific information in the text. But, the lack of such

a variable as found to be in Nigerian Published books hampers access to vital

information in the text.

63

Fifthly, lack of sub-headings or sub-entries hinders easy access to vital

information in the text. This is because, if after going through the index, the

user could not find a specific term in the index entries, he/she may abandon the

text, thinking that such a concept was not treated in the text. The academic use

of the material for study and research would thus have been seriously

compromised. The end result would be a dent on the integrity of the author and

the publishers because the work of knowledge they have published has limited

accessibility. Their efforts may be regarded as incomplete and the publisher is

seen as incompetent in publishing books without indexes.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and their implications, the following

recommendations are considered necessary.

I. With regard to un-indexed books/texts, the Nigerian National Library

and other stakeholders in this area, should set up a body that will assess

and control the publication of any book, to see that it measures up to an

acceptable standard with regard to inclusion of indexes before it is

published.

II. Based on the provision of basic indexing elements, Nigerian indexers,

Librarians and Information professionals should team up and establish

standard commercial indexing outfits to be staffed with professional

64

indexers similar to those seen abroad, who will carry out indexing

services of international standard.

III. Information professionals should, from time to time, carry out

enlightenment campaigns or seminars to which authors and publishers

would be invited. Such exposures would make the invitees to recognize

the importance of indexes in the books they write and publish.

IV. There is need for further studies of this subject, especially studies that

would involve comparative assessments of index qualities of local and

foreign books.

V. A bibliographic control and legal deposit system in Nigeria should be

revisited by Nigerian information scientists or whichever body that

handles this type of service, and then re-enforce the legal deposit law

again. This will help to put in place a library or a collection of local

publications which are very scarce in Nigerian libraries.

Limitations of the Study

This study was confronted with some challenges. The most pronounced

among them was first, getting the actual figure for the population of this study.

This turned out to be extremely difficult because there were hardly reliable

records of Nigerian imprints in all the libraries the researcher could visit

including the National Library, Abuja and its branch at Enugu. Secondly,

accessing locally published texts/books in the Natural Sciences posed even a

65

greater challenge. Surprisingly, even the locally published texts listed in the

National Bibliography of Nigeria were not available in the National Library,

Enugu, nor in the public and academic libraries, nor yet in the open market.

The fact that lecturers sell the books they publish by themselves made it

difficult to access locally published books. Against the backdrop of these odds,

the researcher resorted to accidental sampling. (see sample and sampling

technique in chapter three). However, this difficulty did not deter the researcher

from forging ahead. By resorting to accidental sampling, the researcher was

able to sample enough material for the analysis.

Suggestions for Further Research

By acknowledging the fact that there is no research that is

comprehensive or complete, the researcher therefore suggests that, based on the

findings of this study, more studies should be done in the following areas:

(1) A comprehensive analysis of BOB indexes of texts in other disciplines such

as the Arts and the Social sciences be done to find out if the deficiencies

discovered in Natural Sciences exist in such disciplines.

(2) A comparative study of texts in the Natural Sciences with those in the

Humanities, the Social Sciences and the Applied Sciences should be done.

(3) This work has focused on the indexes of Nigerian published books. The

researcher however suggests that a comparative assessment of the indexes of

66

both Nigerian and foreign texts be done in order to determine the areas of

differences and similarities.

Conclusion

From the analysis and discussion of the findings in this study, the

researcher is of the view that, a good number of locally published texts in the

Natural Sciences lack back-of-the-book indexes. Second, the majority of index

entries lack hierarchical construction of the access points, that is, the sub-

headings breaking off from the headings, and thus lacks semantic relationships.

They are rather like a list of words from the texts which could better be

described as concordance, with no synthetic or analytical structures. Thirdly,

locally published BOB indexes lack cross references- ‘see’- and- ‘see also’-

which help to network all the important concepts and nouns in the text-

together and also help to bring out related terms in the texts. Fourth, this study

has also shown that the general length statistics or depth of indexing is shallow.

Fifth, the study further determined that there are no staggering differences in

the indexes of secondary school texts and those of tertiary/GS texts/books.

The above deficiencies notwithstanding, one cannot state that the locally

published book indexes are outright failures. This is because they are actually

performing though only to some extent, the functions expected of them.

Probably this is why Connolly and Landeen (2000) argued that:

No statistic can summarize the appropriate exhaustivity or

specificity of an index, concepts that are more fully

67

summarized the usefulness and quality of the index and the

depth of coverage of the texts contents by the indexer…

The researcher can afford to reiterate that this work has been carried out

to find out the current state of the back-of-the-book indexes in local imprints

and also to determine whether or not there has been improvement following the

work of Daudu and Afolabi on the provision of indexes in locally published

books. Since there seems to have been no improvement in the status quo, the

argument of Connolly and Laudeen may be considered legitimate in this case.

That…(see quote above).

68

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APPENDIX 1

CHECKLIST FOR ASSSSING QUALITY OF BOOK INDEX

(1) Inclusion/Availability of Back of the Book Indexes:

(a) Available [ ] Not Available [ ]

(2) Provision of Basic Indexing Elements

(a) Availability of Introductory/scope Note:

Available [ ] Not Available

(i) Front matter Indexed (Indicated): Available [ ] Not Available [ ]

(ii) Back matter Indexed. (Indicated): Available [ ] Not Available [ ]

(iii) Maps, Charts and Illustrations Indexed: Available [ ] Not Available [ ]

(b) Use of Sub-Headings:

(i) Line by Line or indented [ ]

(ii) Run-on arrangement. [ ]

(iii) Use of ‘about,’ i.e. general information on top of a sub-heading.

Used [ ], Not Used [ ]

Level/extent of use of sub-headings:

(iv) No of indexed words with sub-headed entries. ----------------------?

(vi) No of words indexed without sub-heads. ----------------------------?

(c) Control Devices:

(i) Cross- references:

see [ ] (see also) [ ] multiple/ double posting [ ]

not available [ ]

ii) Locators:

(a) Strings of page numbers [ ], use of range version [ ]

73

(b) use of bold face locators available [ ] not available [ ]

(3) Index Density (Length Statistics)

(i) No. of index pages [ ]

ii) No. of text pages [ ]

iii)No of index locators [ ]

(iv) No. of text lines [ ]

(v) Percentage of Index to actual text [ ]

LocatorsofNo

LinesTextDensityIndex

.=

(4) Arrangement

(a) Filing Order:

(i) Alphabetical [ ] Chronological [ ]

(ii) Nouns separated from concepts [ ] concepts and nouns not separated [ ]

(iii)Arrangement by titles [ ] by concepts [ ]

(b) Pattern:

(i) Single line pattern [ ] double line pattern [ ] Triple line pattern [ ].

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