The KWIC index concept: A retrospective view

Abstract This paper defines and describes the KWIC (keyword in context) index concept, providing a history of the concept and of its literature. It discusses variations of the index, such as the Bell Telephone Index, KWOC indexes, and the WADEX. The paper discusses improvements and variations to the KWIC index, such as manipulation of the index line, variations of the code, addition of classification information, combination of author index and title index, and improvements of the type face. It also discusses improvements to the preparation of the KWIC indexes, such as improvement of titles and use of a thesaurus, and discusses improvement of the use of the KWIC index. The paper discusses the usage of the KWIC index and comments on the future of KWIC indexes and of the KWIC concept.