Indexing Society of Canada

ASI Webinar Series: Structural Elements—A Deeper Look Into Structure

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Part 1. Indexing Whatchamacallits and Thingamajigs
How to Word Vague, Implied, and Elusive References

with Joan Shapiro on March 4, 2026

In this session Joan will discuss indexing textual discussions that are in some way incomplete. How do you handle references to concepts that aren’t explicitly stated? What do you index for titles of works or events that aren’t spelled out? What if a book title is discussed but its author isn’t mentioned; do you include the author’s name? We will talk about what to put in the index when important information literally cannot be found in the text.

Part 2. Beginnings and Endings
How to Make the Most of Introductions and Conclusions

with Gina Guilinger on March 11, 2026

Gina Guilinger explores the often-overlooked power of introductions and conclusions, sharing practical strategies for using these sections to strengthen and clarify the overall index. Learn best practices for indexing these sections of the book.

Part 3. Beyond the Book: Managing Supplemental Materials

with Devon Thomas March 18, 2026

You’ve worked your way through the main text, but what about all that other stuff? Appendices, glossaries, exercises, review questions, etc, are common, but advice and practice varies on indexing them. This presentation will explore the conundrums of dealing with ancillary materials.

Find more details and biographies of the three presenters at ASI.

ISC/SCI members: to receive the discount offered to us by ASI, log in and go to the Member Dashboard. You will find the discount code under Member Benefits.

Reminder: 2026 Diversity Bursary for Indexers 

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Application deadline: March 8, 2026

Are you an editor? Or a scholar? A researcher? Do you work in publishing? Do you use the index at the back of books? Have you ever written one? That’s what we do at the Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI), and we want you to join us. 

If you are BIPOC or a member of an underrepresented or marginalized group, the 2026 Diversity in Canadian Publishing Bursary could cover your training and membership fees.

Indexing is a specialized field, involving close reading, analysis, and organization. Beyond writing back-of-book indexes, indexers use their skills in areas as diverse as ebook indexing, metadata and taxonomies, and project management, to name only a few!

The 2026 bursary will be granted to one person and will cover fees for an approved indexing program, two years of ISC/SCI membership with listing, and entry into the mentorship program. Please refer to the bursary application for more information, including eligibility requirements.

To ask questions about the bursary, ISC/SCI, and indexing in general, please contact us at tide@indexers.ca.

LEARN MORE: https://indexers.ca/volunteer/tide/
APPLY HERE: https://indexers.ca/tide-application/

Professional Development Series

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Canada Revenue Agency: Tax information for self-employed individuals and small business owners
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
1:00 to 3:30 pm ET

Please join us for this session presented by the Canada Revenue Agency Liaison Officer service, just in time for tax season! This webinar is geared to self-employed individuals and small business owners, and will:

  • help you better understand your tax obligations and possible deductions
  • review requirements and processes for GST/HST
  • explain how to avoid common tax errors
  • answer your tax-related questions
  • give you an overview of helpful online tools and electronic services offered by the CRA.

This session is open to all ISC/SCI members, and is relevant for members filing taxes in Canada. You can check the meeting start time in your time zone here: https://dateful.com/time-zone-converter.

Please log in to view the meeting link on the Event page.

National Chat

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Indexes with Character
Saturday, February 21, 2026
2:00 to 3:30 pm ET

For our first National Chat of 2026, we invite you to think back over indexes you’ve completed (or reviewed). Which index had the most character? And why? We’ll leave it up to you to define “character”! Please join us for this Zoom chat, open to all members of ISC/SCI. You can check the meeting start time in your time zone here: https://dateful.com/time-zone-converter.
Please log in to view the Zoom link on the Event page.

Reminder of Submission Deadline: ISC/SCI Ewart-Daveluy Award for Excellence in Indexing 2026

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Submission deadline: Sunday, March 15, 2026

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 winner will receive two tickets to the conference banquet at the next in-person conference.

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).

This year you can submit indexes published in 2024 or 2025. 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, 2026. Please see the ISC/SCI website for guidelines, criteria, and the submission form: https://indexers.ca/ewart-daveluy-indexing-award/.