Q. My company publishes curricula in the form of modules, which are stand-alone chapters, each with its own page number range. These modules are compiled into perfect-bound volumes and then indexed. The question is how to best indicate that topic X can be found in module 26207, page 4; module 26210, page 20; module 26213, page 4; etc., as clearly and concisely as possible. Is there an alternative to repeating the module numbers and/or perhaps modifying the page numbers to make the index less clunky?
A. Do those numbers mean that there are actually more than 25,000 modules to date? I’m trying to imagine why the numbers are so large. If that’s what you’re dealing with, then the clearest method is to use all the numbers, however clunky. You could use a period instead of “page” or “p.” (26207.4, 26210.20, 26213.4) as long as you explain what you’re doing in a headnote or footnote.