The preparation of international author indexes, with particular reference to the problems of transliteration, prefixes, and compound family names

Robert R. Blanken

Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 1971, vol. 22, issue 1, 51-63

Abstract: Based on a review of variations in national usage, the practices followed by 19 English‐language abstracting and indexing services, and typical problems encountered by an indexer in the entry of foreign personal names, it is concluded that the entry of all prefixes regardless of nationality may be the wisest procedure for the average author index. A strong plea is made for increased standardization in the transliteration of Slavic, Greek, and Oriental names and for “correction” of the transliterated names of authors publishing in languages other than their own. The determination of the correct entry element for the compound sur‐names found in many nationalities is felt to be an almost insoluble problem unless the authors and publishers cooperate in indicating the desired indexing format. A general consideration of these problems and of indexing theory, as well as of the principles of transliteration and transcription, is followed by guidelines designed to help the practicing indexer improve the consistency of personal name entries; these guidelines are arranged by language family on the basis of whether the author's native language and the language of the article are written in Roman script.

Date: 1971
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