Automated Office Procedures
File Indexing Rules
 
 
  Personal Names
To prepare a personal name for filing, transpose the name by putting the surname first. The surname is followed by the first name or initial. Next, the middle name or middle initial. Each of these items is referred to as "indexing units." Omit periods after initials.

Names are indexed alphabetically by surname. When names have identical surnames, index by the first name. When surname and first names are identical, index by middle name. If there is no middle name, index the name without the middle name first. Remember nothing comes before something.

The following table illustrates indexing personal names.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3
Benjamin T. Adriel Adriel Benjamin T
A. G. Bobbs Bobbs A G
Pauline Bokman Bokman Pauline  
Warren Bokman Bokman Warren  
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  Surnames with Prefixes
Some surnames begin with prefixes such as de, D', Mac, St. and the like. Others have surnames that are hyphenated or consist of two distinct words, such as Lloyd-Jones. In all such cases, disregard periods, spaces, apostrophes, and hyphens. Treat the entire surname as one unit.

The following table illustrates indexing surnames with prefixes or hyphens.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3
Francis D'Amico DAmico Francis  
R. Christian Dane-Wilson DaneWilson R Christian
Howard Earl Dillon-Gray DillonGray Howard Earl
Ramon W. del Angelo delAngelo Ramon W
 
Names with Titles and Degrees
Sometimes a person's name is preceded by a title -- such as Dr. or Mrs.. A person's name may be followed by a degree -- D.D.S. or Ph.D.. Do not use the title or degree unless it is necessary to distinguish between two or more identical names or is otherwise essential to the filing.

Designations such as Sr., 2d, or III are sometimes needed to distinguish between identical names. When this is necessary, index numerical seniority titles (2d, 3d) before roman numerals (II, III) before alphabetic seniority titles (Jr., Sr.). Alphabetical seniority titles are filed in alphabetic order.

The following table illustrates indexing names with titles and degrees.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3
Juan Gomez, 2d Gomez Juan 2
Juan Gomez, II Gomez Juan II
Juan Gomez, M.D. Gomez Juan MD
Mr. Juan Gomez Gomez Juan Mr
 
Names with Titles and No Surname
Sometimes a person's name contains a title but no surname. Examples include Sister Theresa or Prince Charles. In these cases, treat the title as the first indexing unit and rest of name should be indexed in the order in which it is presented. If a name contains a title and a surname, index the surname first and the rest of the name should be indexed in the order in which it is presented.

The following table illustrates indexing names with titles and no surname.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3
Sister Mary Elizabeth Sister Mary Elizabeth
Princess Grace Princess Grace  
Father Dan Father Dan  
Father Dan Smith Smith Father Dan
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Businesses Names and Other Organizations
When you index the name of a business, treat each word as a separate indexing unit. Each word is indexed in its given order. Include spelled out words like Company and Incorporated as individual units. Spell out symbols such as & (and). Do not spell out abbreviations such as Ltd., Bros., Inc. and Assn.. However, do not include the punctuation with these abbreviations.

Sometimes the official name of the business or organization begins with the article The. When indexing these names, move the word The to the end of the name and disregard it when filing. Some business names include other articles (a or an), prepositions (of, for, or in), and conjunctions (and). These words should be indexed in the order in which they appear in the business name.

The following table illustrates indexing business names and organizations.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4
Allen & Allen Decorators Allen and Allen Decorators
Globe, Incorporated Globe Incorporated    
Edgewater Painting Co., Inc. Edgewater Painting Co Inc
The Marion Printing Co. Marion Printing Co The
Marion of Paris Marion of Paris  
Middleton & Tiren Corp. Middleton and Tiren Corp
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Personal Names and Possessives Within Business Names
A business name can contain the complete name of a person. For instance, Miss Mary Smith's Charm School. When indexing these names, do not transpose the personal name. These should be filed as they appear in the business name. (NOTE: Some companies may follow the traditional method of indexing and transpose the personal name. In this class, we will follow the modern rule of not transposing the personal name.)

If one of the words in a business name contains an apostrophe that indicates possession, drop the apostrophe but not the s.

The following table illustrates indexing personal names and possessives within a business name.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5
Bob Freeland and Sons Co. Bob Freeland and Sons Co
Lamps by Perry Bell, Jr. Lamps by Perry Bell Jr
Norman T. Hall Camping Equipment Norman T Hall Camping Equipment
Andrew's Bakery Andrews Bakery      
Ben & Ethel's Flower Shop Ben and Ethels Flower Shop
Baron's Real Estate, Inc. Barons Real Estate Inc  
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Compound Words, Hyphens, and Numbers Within Business Names
When a business name contains words that are written as single words on the company's letterhead, index each word separately. For instance, Inter National is indexed in two units. However, if the company name contains a compound word that appears as a single word on the company's letterhead, index the word as one unit. For instance, International should be indexed as one unit. See the company's letterhead for direction on determining the format of the indexing units.

When a business name contains a hyphenated word, drop the hyphen and index the parts as one unit. For instance, Inter-Valley would be indexed as a single unit as InterValley.

When a number is the first unit of a business name, file it before alphabetic characters. File lower numbers before higher numbers, arabic numbers (1, 2) before Roman numerals (I, II).

The following table illustrates indexing compound words, hyphens, and numbers within a business name.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5
Inter State Wheat Storage Co. Inter State Wheat Storage Co
Inter-State Anti-Smog Systems InterState AntiSmog Systems    
Inter-Valley Music Assn., Inc. InterValley Music Assn Inc  
5th Ward Fire Company 5th Ward Fire Company  
The 5 Mile House 5 Mile House The  
The 1812 Inn 1812 Inn The    
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Identical Names and Compound Geographic Names
When names are identical, use the address as the distinguishing factor. Index first by city, then by state, then by street, then by building number (lowest number first). You may use two-letter state abbreviations.

When indexing addresses, index in the following order:
  • City
  • State
  • Street
  • Building number

NOTE: Stop indexing when you reach a distinguishing unit.

The following table illustrates indexing identical names.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5
Software Mart Allentown, PA Software Mart Allentown PA  
Software Mart Boston, MA Software Mart Boston MA  
Stellar 209 Walnut St., Reading, PA Stellar Reading PA Walnut 209
Stellar 3017 Walnut St., Reading, PA Stellar Reading PA Walnut 3017
 
Compound Geographic Names
A compound geographic name is defined as a single location that contains two words. For instance, New York. When indexing compound geographic names, check the method that has been established within your office. If the established method indexes compound geographic names as a single unit, New York would be indexed as on unit. If the established method indexes compound geographic names in multiple units, New York would be indexed in two indexing unit. Whichever method used, be sure to remain consistent when indexing.

The following tables illustrate indexing compound geographic names. These examples are displayed by single unit first, then by separate units.
Single Unit   Separate Units
Name   Name Unit 1 Unit 2
Lake City   Lake City Lake City
Lake Placid   Lake Placid Lake Placid
Lakeland   Lakeland Lakeland  
  For the purposes of this class, index a compound geographic name in separate indexing units.
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  Governments -- Federal, State, and Local
Federal Governments --
When indexing an organization that is part of the federal government, the first three indexing units should be United States Government. The next indexing unit(s) should be the key word or words of the department or independent agency. Then list the subdivision.

The Passport Office, which is included in the Department of State, would be indexed as: United, States, Government, State, Passport, Office.

Index a foreign government under the name of the country and omit such words as Republic, Government, Kingdom.

The following table illustrates indexing federal government organizations.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6
Patent Office, Dept. of Commerce United States Government Commerce Patent Office
Bureau of Standards, Dept. of Commerce United States Government Commerce Standards Bureau
Federal Maritime Commission United States Government Federal Maritime Commission
 

State and Local Governments --
When indexing an organization that is part of a state or local government, begin with the geographical name of the government (such as Illinois or Chicago). Use the next unit to designate the political level of the government (such as County or City). Then follow with the key word or words of the agency. Spell out County or Department.

Index the agencies of state and local governments first by geographical name of the government, then by the political level, and then by key word or words of the agency. The following table illustrates indexing state and local government organizations.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5
City of Chicago, Department of Police Chicago City Police Department  
Illinois State Bureau of Tourism Illinois State Tourism Bureau  
Bureau of Public Works, Kane Co. Kane County Public Works Bureau
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  Banks, Newspapers, Colleges, and Organizations
Index the names of banks and newspapers in the order in which they appear on a company letterhead or publication. When The appears first in the title, index it as the last unit of the name. When names are identical, index the branch name or the city next. If necessary, use the state as the last indexing unit to determine the order of filing.

Index the names of banks and newspapers in their given order. In the case of identical names, index by city, and if necessary, by state.

The following table illustrates indexing banks and newspapers.

Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5 Unit 6
Bank of America, New York, NY Bank of America New York NY
Bank of America, Chicago, IL Bank of America Chicago IL  
The Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal The    
  Colleges and Other Organizations
When indexing colleges, universities, private schools, charities, churches, organizations, and agencies, do so in their given order. If the names are identical, index by city and, if necessary, by state, street, and then building number.

The names of schools, organizations, and agencies are indexed as they appear on their letterheads. Do not transpose the names.

The following table illustrates indexing colleges and other organizations.
Name Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5
College of DuPage College of DuPage    
University of Illinois, Champaign, IL University of Illinois Champaign IL
University of Illinois, Chicago, IL University of Illinois Chicago IL
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