Back Matter

Back, or end, matter comprises all material after the main body of the text, including appendices, endnotes, the glossary, the bibliography, and the index.

Appendices

Appendices offer useful supplementary material that would disrupt the text if included there. If you have more than one, each should be lettered and titled. Appendices should be typed in the same manner as the text body.

Endnotes

During the editing and design process, we will decide whether to use footnotes or endnotes. Refer to the "Footnotes and endnotes" section in Body Text for instructions on preparing notes.

Suppliers

If your appendices include a list of suppliers or sources of information, alphabetized address listings must follow the U.S. Postal Service format. Be sure to double-space all listings. Use standard abbreviations such as St., Ave., Rd., etc., in the street addresses, adhering to the USPS-approved two-letter abbreviation for the state. Provide addresses in list form (not run-on). For example, for U.S. addresses:

Company name Street address City, State Zip code

If you include telephone numbers or fax numbers, type them on separate lines immediately following the address.

For non-U.S. addresses, the country should be typed by itself, in all uppercase, on the last line.

Glossary

A glossary provides definitions for an alphabetized list of technical or important terms used in the text. Start it on a new page, titled "Glossary." Print it out or type it double-spaced, leaving no extra space between entries or between alphabetical groupings. Keep the following in mind:

• Type each entry flush left; do not indent runover lines.
• Start each entry with a lowercase letter unless it is an acronym, a normally capitalized abbreviation, or a proper noun.
• If you use an abbreviation or acronym as an entry, remember to include the full term, either in parentheses following the entry or as part of the definition.
• Type two hyphens between the entry and the definition.
• Start each definition with an uppercase letter.
• Ensure that each definition correctly defines the case (singular or plural) and part of speech of the entry.
• End each definition with a period.

Bibliography

You will need to include a bibliography if your book contains reference citations but no end-of-chapter reference lists. A bibliography usually lists titles alphabetically by author. Occasionally a bibliography with references arranged by chapter, subject, or type of source material might be more useful.

See appendix D for sample reference formats. The University of Chicago's Manual of Style offers more detailed guidelines. (When referring to the Manual of Style, remember that we use the author-date system for both reference lists and bibliographies.) Bibliographical entries should be typed or printed out double-spaced.

Index

Bookstore browsers often consult the index of a book first to determine whether it covers the topics that interest them. If the index directs the reader quickly to his or her desired topic, the book is deemed useful. If the index is not helpful, the book often is passed over for another.

Purpose

The purpose of an index is to refer the user quickly to desired topics. Specific topics often are covered in several different sections of a book; the index should refer the reader to all such sections. Most books, especially technical and reference books, are much more useful with a detailed index. Readers use the index to browse through the book, and librarians often make their selections based on a book's index. Thus the index can be an important sales feature.

Who is responsible?

You, the author, are responsible for the index. Most authors prefer to have the publisher arrange for preparation of the index and charge the cost against their future royalties. Your editor can provide you with an estimate of the cost. Even if McGraw-Hill arranges for the preparation of your index, you should submit a list of topics or entries that you want included.

In deciding whether to do the indexing yourself, consider whether you have the time and inclination to prepare it. The index must be prepared after the book is edited but before it goes to the printer; therefore, a very short period of time, often less than two weeks, is allowed for index preparation.

Preparing an index

Index preparation is a highly specialized part of the publishing process, beyond the scope of this guidebook. If you decide to prepare the index yourself, refer to the University of Chicago's Manual of Style.

If you prepare the index, you'll need to submit it on disk in ASCII format (or in an alternative format approved in advance by your editor) and as a double-spaced hard copy printout.

About the author

Include with your manuscript a paragraph about yourself, discussing your credentials and background. A page about the author that emphasizes your qualifications as an expert in the subject will lend credibility to your book. This page should be written in the third person (otherwise, it will sound pompous). It may even be humorous, if appropriate. If space allows, this page will appear in the book following the index.