Check Index Locators in the Final Publication File

Check an index against the final publication file by following its locators to the passages readers need. Verify page-number conventions, ranges, and cross-references, especially after layout changes. A correctly generated list of entries does not prove that every locator remains accurate or useful in the exported edition.

Freeze the file used for the locator check

Identify the exact manuscript export that the index review covers. If layout continues changing while the reviewer checks page references, their findings can become obsolete before they finish. Record the filename and version, and route later changes through a process that identifies the affected index work.

Use the page numbers printed in the book as the reader's reference. The PDF viewer's page position may differ because of front matter or numbering conventions. Establish that relationship before marking an entry wrong merely because the viewer displays a different number from the page itself.

Follow entries to meaningful discussion

Open a selection of entries and read the destination passage. Check whether it contains substantive discussion of the indexed subject or only an incidental mention. A locator can point to the correct occurrence of a word while still giving the reader little useful information about the topic.

Pay special attention to important subjects and entries affected by recent revisions. If a chapter's explanation moved but one brief mention remained, an old locator may appear superficially valid. The practical test is whether the destination helps the reader answer the question that led them to the entry.

Inspect ranges at both ends

For a page range, check the beginning and the end of the discussion. Confirm that the range is not extending into unrelated material or omitting a continuation after a page break. A passage that changed length during copyediting may need a revised range even when its starting page stayed the same.

Review the relationship between broad entries and subentries. Several specific discussions may be easier to locate through distinct subentries than through one long range. Treat this as an editorial usability decision, keeping the index's level of detail appropriate to the book rather than mechanically preserving every earlier locator.

Resolve cross-references as navigation

Follow each relevant cross-reference to its intended entry and check that the destination exists in the final index. A renamed heading can leave a see reference pointing to wording that no longer appears. Readers should not need to guess which similar entry replaced it.

Check for circular references that never lead to substantive locators. A reference from one term to another can clarify preferred terminology, but a loop between terms creates work without giving the reader a destination. Resolve the underlying naming decision and update all affected references together.

Review unusual numbering and entry locations

If the book uses distinct numbering for front matter or other sections, confirm that the index represents those references unambiguously. Check entries involving illustrations, tables, notes, or appendices according to the book's chosen index conventions. The reader should understand what kind of material the locator identifies.

Inspect the index's own layout for split entries, missing continuation text, or numbers that became detached during export. A correct editable index can lose clarity when the final type treatment or column arrangement changes. Review the actual output rather than relying only on the source application's index view.

Record the result and the remaining change boundary

Save the reviewed index with the publication file and note which checks were comprehensive and which used a defined sample. If a late revision changes pagination, identify the affected locators and repeat the necessary review. Avoid carrying approval forward to a different file without examining the consequences.

KDP's formatting guidance supports preparation of the publication output, but it does not establish the editorial usefulness of every index entry. That requires following the reader's navigation path through this particular book. The finished index should reliably connect a subject to the explanation readers are trying to find.