Canada’s Professional Society of Indexers Since 1977

The Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI) is Canada’s national association of indexers.

We invite you to find an indexer for your project, read our publications, discover our conferences, events, and resources for indexers, find out about membership, and learn about the Society.

Find an indexer

Find an indexer who works in the subject area of your project.

Find resources

Find information about indexes, indexing practices, and training in indexing.

Attend an event

Attend a local meeting of indexers or attend the annual conference.

Become a member

Join the Society and enjoy the benefits of membership.

Featured Post

What practices will help me with good index term selection?

Term selection is a key factor that determines the quality and usability of an index. Good index terms are clear, … […]

Upcoming Events

ISC/SCI Conference 2024: Registration Is Open!

Conference Committee

Make and renew connections, develop skills, and grow your indexing business from your office at the ISC/SCI Conference 2024 The Art of Connection on May 31 to June 1, 2024.

But don’t wait too long! Register now on the Conference page!

#IndexCanCon2024

ISC/SCI Conference 2024: The Art of Connection

Conference Committee

Save the date! Registration will be opening soon for the online ISC/SCI conference The Art of Connection on May 31 to June 1, 2024.


You provide the snacks and we’ll provide the chance to make and renew connections, to develop skills, and grow your indexing business. Together. Come to Conference 2024 from your office!

Check back for details on the Conference pages. #IndexCanCon2024

Reminder of Submission Deadline: ISC/SCI Ewart-Daveluy Award for Excellence in Indexing 2024

Indexing Society of Canada

Submission deadline: Friday, March 15, 2024

Submissions are open! The application has never been easier.

  • It’s all online.
  • You don’t need a hard copy — a PDF of the published book AND/OR the PDF sent to you by the publisher plus your Word/RTF file of the index.
  • The cost is only $30.

The benefits:

  • The winner will receive two tickets to the conference banquet at the next in-person conference.
  • We provide feedback for up to three runners-up.

No restriction to the subject matter or genre — textbooks, cookbooks, guidebooks, memoirs, art books, how-to books, travel books, all books — it’s your index we will be looking at.

Show us how you creatively overcame challenges, resulting in an outstanding, well-structured, easy-to-navigate, clear and comprehensive guide for all of its users.

Give us a challenge. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Maybe you’ll get the prize (which won’t happen if you don’t apply). And if not, you’re likely to get expert confidential feedback. That’s worth a lot.

This year you can submit indexes published in 2022 and 2023. If you are a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, this is the time to do it. If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you may submit an index if you were a member of ISC/SCI at the time you wrote the index.

The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2024. Here are the guidelines, criteria, and the submission form.

The Middle-Agers’ Guide to Navigating the Change to Freelancing Indexing (and other freelance careers)

JoAnne Burek

If you are considering a midlife career change to freelance indexing or other self employment, you will find yourself in good company. Many freelance indexers come to the profession later in life, often as a second, third, or fourth career.

Transitioning indexers relish the new benefits, such as greater autonomy and authenticity. At the same time, they face new challenges, such as loneliness and dealing with a change in identity.

To better support career transitioners, we partnered with a team of senior honours psychology students in a Community Engaged Research project at The King’s University (TKU) in Edmonton, Alberta.

To our delight, the team came through with a wealth of information that will orient and guide aspiring midlife indexers as they pursue their new, fulfilling career. Visit Indexing as a New Career in Midlife today!

2023 Diversity in Canadian Publishing Bursary Award: Pascale Hutton and Sade Cooke

Indexing Society of Canada

The Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI) is pleased to announce two winners this year! Pascale Hutton and Sade Cooke are the 2023 ISC/SCI Diversity in Canadian Publishing Bursary Award recipients.

Pascale Hutton is from Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is of Métis (Charette, Lagimodière, and McDonald families) and French-Canadian ancestry. She identifies as ace or asexual. She is in her last semester of the Master of Library and Information Sciences program at the University of Alberta and is currently working as an archive technician at the Archives of Manitoba. Pascale hopes that through indexing more Indigenous and/or queer readers like herself can see themselves reflected on the page. She is grateful for the opportunity and looks forward to beginning her journey in indexing in early 2024.

Sade Cooke (they/them) is a critical information worker based in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki. They hold a Master of Library & Information Science and a MA in Gender Studies, and have previously worked in public libraries and community archives. Sade is eager to incorporate their passion for anti-oppressive subject analysis into their new career as an indexer.

With this bursary, ISC/SCI aims to help achieve equality of opportunity for aspiring indexers belonging to underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. The bursary covers fees for an approved indexing program, two years of ISC membership with listing, and entry into the Mary Newberry Mentorship program.

Congratulations, Sade and Pascale!

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