Or interpretation can be merely formal, for example a table of abbreviations to
explain abbreviations used in the text.
The capacity of a book to interpret information depends on the tools it
contains. Major tools for interpreting information are the following:
(1)
A statement of the purpose of the book.
(2)
Definitions of terms (which may or may not be in a glossary).
(3)
A table of abbreviations.
(4)
A bibliography.
(5)
A statement of the date up to which the author has researched the
subject before writing the book.
(6)
A summary.
Statement of Purpose
Typically a writer will and should state the purpose of a book somewhere.
Commonly for a book it is in the preface, but it may be somewhere else, for
example in a separate ‘Introduction’ or in an early chapter. In an article in a
journal the statement of purpose is usually found in the opening section.
This statement of purpose helps put the book in a wider context. For example
it explains the slant that the book takes, or something that the writer has
deliberately left out of the book and the reason for so doing. It will indicate the
aims, limits and qualifications of the author's treatment of the subject. If the
book has gone to the further edition, it will indicate why a further edition was
necessary.
Definition of Terms
If a textbook uses some special or unusual terms, or readers are new to
a
subject, it is necessary to explain the terms to the reader. The author can
define the term in the text and use the index to explain where the term is
defined. Or the author can insert a separate glossary of terms – this is by far
the better option because insertion of a glossary makes it clear to the reader
that this is the place where terms are explained. A glossary is a dedicated
device for defining terms.
Table of Abbreviations
A textbook will commonly if not invariably use abbreviations. However, not all
readers will know what all of the abbreviations stand for. Consequently it is
necessary to insert a table of abbreviations. It will not suffice to explain the
abbreviations in the text when they are first used, because not every reader
who reads a work starts at the beginning and reads through –
some readers
will miss the explanation because they delve into a work for some specific
information or indeed for a reference. And even a reader who does read the
text right through may still forget what the abbreviation stands for when they
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