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Professional Indexers Administration Manual

Professional Indexers Administration Manual

If you have a book assigned to you, you're almost ready to start indexing.   We recommend you take the time to read through this manual before you start, especially if you started out as an EYB Member Indexer as there are several different procedures EYB Professional Indexers must follow.   Whenever you're unsure of how to input data, use the ? against each input field and you will be linked to the relevant section of the Indexing Form Instructions manual for detailed information.  It's important that all indexing is done accurately and in a consistent way -- EYB members have high standards and expect their recipe data to be error-free.

NOTE:  This Administration Manual describes the mechanics of EYB indexing.  It DOES NOT explain indexing rules or the philosophy behind indexing: how to format English and foreign titles, how to categorize recipes, how to decide which ingredients to list and which to omit, how to deal with accompaniments versus recipes within recipes, etc. Indexers should consult the Indexing Form Instructions for complete descriptions and illustrations of EYB's indexing guidelines. To help you get started, here's a quick list of the most common mistakes new indexers make:

Do's and Don'ts of Indexing -- How to Avoid the Top 11 Indexing Mistakes

  1. DON'T capitalize every word in the recipe title. DO capitalize the first word and any proper nouns, place names, words capitalized in EYB ingredient names, etc. --► more info 
  2. DO put the English title first, followed by any foreign-language title after it in parentheses (with the first word of each title capitalized), no matter how it appears in the book.  --► more info
  3. DO check the Recipe Types List for how to categorize many common recipes by Recipe Type, Ethnicity, Course, and Nutrition, plus capitalization of many words in titles. more info
  4. DON'T list the common pantry ingredients that fall below the thresholds in the Store-Cupboard Ingredients Table, unless they're in the recipe title. 
  5. DON'T list the special ingredient 'store-cupboard ingredients' unless the number of omitted store-cupboard ingredients is more than half the total number of ingredients in the recipe or more than half the total volume of the recipe.  If less than half, just omit them. --► more info
  6. DO categorize recipes as Vegetarian (and Vegan, where applicable) according to the definitions in the Indexing Form Instructions and the guidelines in the Recipe Types List.  DO index both Vegetarian and Vegan if applicable wherever the Recipe Types List indicates that both are to be indexed. --► more info
  7. DON'T make recipes Accompaniments unless they're served in the same Course/alongside each other. DO make Accompaniments reciprocal. --► more info
  8. DO check the Indexing Form Instructions for special guidelines about certain ingredients, like fresh citrus juice/zest/peel (index the whole fruit, 'lemons', 'oranges', etc.), chocolate (index bittersweet/semisweet as 'dark chocolate'), and common fruits/vegetables (not every variety is indexed). --► more info
  9. DON'T put public notes about recipes in the Indexer Notes field; DO put them in EYB Comments, and only use Indexer Notes for communicating with EYB staff.  DON'T over-comment in the EYB Comments field.  DO follow EYB's standard format for substitution comments -- "Can substitute A for B, and C for D." -- and close all comments with a period. --► more info
  10. DO proofread your work carefully!   And one more for good measure...
  11. DO read and refer to the Indexing Form Instructions for complete indexing guidelines! This list is just the tip of the iceberg!

​Using the input form


Useful Lists to have open before you start:

Using the Input Form

Some general points about using the data input form:

  1. Your cursor will be placed in the Recipe Title field. Use Tab to move from one field to the next.
  2. It is important that you read the Help file (click on the ? next to each field) before you enter your first recipe to understand exactly how it works. 
  3. In the variable selection fields once you start typing you will see options to match - once you have the correct match, press 'Enter' to make your selection. Most fields are multiple-entry so keep adding all appropriate data.
  4. If you make a mistake the (x) next to each entry will delete it.  (4)
  5. If a recipe has an online link add the URL.
  6. If there is an image or video associated with the online recipe include here.
  7. Once you have completed a recipe and checked it, click on " Save and New" to go to a blank data entry form.

The value(s) in Recipe Type, Ethnicity, Course, Occasion, and Nutrition will carry over to the next recipe.  If you don’t need a value in the next recipe, delete as described above.

 

Indexing-form-2.jpg

More on selecting data from lists …

For Recipe Types, Ethnicity, Courses, Occasions, Nutrition and Accompaniments:

  • Data is selected from a displayed list.  When you begin typing, the system will display the first value that matches your typing. Press Enter to select it. 
  • Alternatively, you can click on the down arrow in the box to see the drop-down of all possible values; highlight the one you want, then press Enter to select it.

Note: Until you enter the first recipe for a book, there will be no recipe titles available to select in the Accompaniments field.
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Proofreading and editing recipes

You should proofread each recipe before you save it and move onto the next.  Use this list as a check:

  • Is the title written correctly? 
  • Have you entered the correct Recipe Type, Ethnicity, Course, Occasion, and Nutrition categories?
  • Do the ingredients make sense? If you’ve mistakenly clicked on an ingredient above or below the one you should have, it will usually be obvious, e.g. Nutella rather than nutmeg, or butterfish rather than buttermilk.  
    Sometimes, though, a mistaken ingredient will not be so obvious, e.g. a different type/cut of meat or poultry than called for in the recipe may not stand out as incorrect at first glance.
  • Once you move to the next recipe, review any fields that have been carried over.  Delete anything that doesn't match the current recipe.

You should also do a final proofread once you've completed the book and before you Submit it to EYB.  Review your recipes one-by-one, moving to the next recipe in the list by clicking either the 'Save & Next'   or  ''   key, depending on whether you have made any changes.

 

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Inserting a missed/new recipe

If you find that you've missed a recipe, you should insert it into its correct position.  The system-assigned Sort Order values are in increments of 10 to allow for inserting up to 9 missed recipes between any two recipes in the book.

  • If you missed one recipe, find the recipe before it, note its Sort Order number, and give the new recipe that number plus 5; e.g., if the missed recipe should have been between the 8th and 9th recipes you indexed (to which the system has assigned Sort Order numbers 80 and 90), you would make the one you missed number 85 so it appears in the correct book order. 
  • If you missed several recipes, then number them from the previous number plus 1, 2, etc.; in this way, you can enter up to 9 missed recipes between any two recipes.
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Editing and deleting recipes

If you find that you need to delete or edit a recipe – you may discover an error or duplicate recipe during final review/proofreading.  Use the Recipes Added Table to find the recipe.

  1. Use the filter to find the recipe in the 'Recipes Added' list. 
    To edit the recipe click on the title and it will show in the input form above. 
  2. To delete a recipe click on the (x) in the Action column to the right of the recipe’s title.
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Submitting a book to EYB once finished

When you are finished with an assignment, DO NOT click the Submit Book button.  Instead, send an email to jenny@eatyourbooks.com with the Subject line in the following format:

Ready for review: Book/assignment title (ISBN-13/EYB Book ID#)

You can copy-and-paste the title banner that appears at the top of the data entry form for the assignment you're submitting; for Books, the banner includes the ISBN-13.   The EYB Book ID# is embedded in the URL for the assignment, at the end preceded by "bookid=".  The Book ID# is needed for submitting Magazine and Blog assignments as these don't have ISBN's, but is also helpful for tracking Books submitted, so please include both numbers for books if possible.

 

Indexer Help Change Log

 Date  Change  Link
8/24/21 Index Form Update & Email contact  
     

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