Which of the following is a true statement regarding guidelines for alphabetic filing?

The 12 Rules of Filing (Information organization & management)
(Based on Established Rules of ARMA)

Alphabetic Indexing Rules and Procedures

 Learning Objectives:

  • Define purpose of filing, and the importance of following filing rules.

  • Identify terms such as unit, indexing, alphabetizing, and case

  • Index and alphabetize data according to established ARMA rules

Every business must develop and maintain an organized way to store written communication, such as reports, letters, memorandums, order forms, invoices, and other such information so that it is available for efficient retrieval or reference. This method of storing records is called filing. While there are a number of different methods for storing or filing information � alphabetic, subject, numeric, and geographic - the most common method is the alphabetic filing system.

Procedures for storing records alphabetically will vary among organizations and even among departments within an organization. Therefore, the filing procedures to be used in any one office needs to be determined, recorded, approved, and followed, without exception. Without written rules for storing records, procedures will vary with time, changes in personnel, etc. These changes could cause difficulty in future retrieval of records or even in the loss of records. 

The Association of Records Managers and Administrators, Inc. (ARMA) is an organization designed to help professionals in records management perform their jobs easier and better. ARMA has published a list of Alphabetic Filing Rules, containing standard rules for storing records alphabetically. The 12 rules you will learn in this chapter follow the same principles as the ARMA rules. 

Basic Filing Terms 

Before learning the 12 filing rules, an understanding of filing terms is necessary. 

Unit - Each part of a name is a unit. Names are alphabetized unit by unit. If there are two parts in a name, the name has two units.

Indexing - Indexing is determining the order and format of the units in a name. Is a person�s record filed by first or last name? Is a business record filed under T if the name begins with The? Is punctuation considered with alphabetizing a name? Indexing is deciding which name to file a record under and then arranging the units in that order.

Alphabetizing - When you arrange names in alphabetical order, you are alphabetizing them.  There are 3 basic categories for alphabetizing names: Personal Names, Business or Company Names, and Government Names.

        Alphabetizing Unit by Unit. The first step in alphabetizing is to alphabetize Unit by Unit. If the names in Unit 1 are exactly the same, then continue to alphabetize by Unit 2. If the first and second units are the same, the next step is to alphabetize Unit 3, and so on.

NAME

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

Jessica Marie Adams

ADAMS

JESSICA

MARIE

Susan K. Adams

ADAMS

SUSAN

K

Susan P. Adams

ADAMS

SUSAN

P

        Nothing Comes Before Something. In alphabetizing, it is important to remember that nothing comes before something.

NAME

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

Ann B. Shoemaker

SHOEMAKER

ANN

B

Anne B. Shoemaker

SHOEMAKER

ANNE

B

J. Tilden

TILDEN

J

John Tilden

TILDEN

JOHN

Case - The case of a letter refers to whether the letter is written as a capital letter (A), called uppercase, or written as a small letter (a), called lowercase. In alphabetizing, uppercase and lowercase letters are considered the same. For example, McAdams and Mcadams are considered to be exactly the same when alphabetizing

NAME

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

Ashley Mcadams

MCADAMS

ASHLEY

Ashley K. McAdams

MCADAMS

ASHLEY

K

Patrick McDonald

MCDONALD

PATRICK

Phillip Mcdonald

MCDONALD

PHILLIP

A.B. Stillworth

STILLWORTH

AB

Abe Stillworth

STILLWORTH

ABE

The 12 Rules

Rule 1

Names of Individuals. When indexing the name of an individual, arrange the units in this order: last name as Unit 1, first name or initial as Unit 2, and middle name or initial as Unit 3. When two names in Unit 1 begin with the same letter, you consider the next or second letter in arranging for alphabetical order. If both the first and second letters are the same, consider the third letter, and so on until the letters are different.

 

A unit consisting of just an initial precedes a unit that consists of a complete name beginning with the same letter. Punctuation, such as a period or apostrophe, is omitted.
 

NAME

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

Rebecca P. Adams

ADAMS

REBECCA

P

Susan B. Anderson

ANDERSON

SUSAN

B

Terri Anderson

ANDERSON

TERRI

William Ken Jackson

JACKSON

WILLIAM

KEN

William Johnson

JOHNSON

WILLIAM

Wilma Johnson

JOHNSON

WILMA

Frank Shields

SHIELDS

FRANK

Frank B. Shields

SHIELDS

FRANK

B

Debbie Shirley

SHIRLEY

DEBBIE

Ann Marie Williams

WILLIAMS

ANN

MARIE

Anna Williams

WILLIAMS

ANNA

David Williamson

WILLIAMSON

DAVID

Exercise #1:


Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation. 

  • Jackson
  • Allen Billings
  • Anna Smith
  • Victory Anderson
  • Debbie Southern
  • Harry J. Williams
  • Della Jack
  • Teresa Ross
  • William Southerly
  • Hank Williams
  • Vicki A. Anderson
  • Ann Marie Smith 
Rule 2 Personal Names with Prefixes � Articles and Particles. Prefixes, such as Mc in McAdams is considered as part of the name it precedes. Ignore any apostrophe or space that may appear within or after the prefix.

Commonly used prefixes are a, la, d� D� de, De, Del, De la, Di, Du, El, Fitz, La, Le, Lo, Los, M�, Mac, Mc, O�, Saint, St., Ste., Te, Ter, Van, Van de, Van der, Von, and Von der.

NAME

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

Olivia DuBerry

DUBERRY

OLIVIA

Paul Duberry

DUBERRY

PAUL

Anna L�Aubourne

LAUBORNE

ANNA

Chuck B. Launders

LAUNDERS

CHUCK

B

Jerry A. Mcdonald

MCDONALD

JERRY

A

Terri C. McDonald

MCDONALD

TERRI

C

Celeste Van Ivan

VANIVAN

CELESTE

John Vanivan

VANIVAN

JOHN

Exercise #2:        Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation. 
  •       Elise Van Der Hoff

  •       Kelli O�Neal

  •       Jack TenClay

  •       Paul Mcdouglas

  •       George Von Lowell

  •       Charles Van Metry

  •       Sylvia D�Champ

  •       Lisa McVey

  •       Wilma LaVoy

  •       Cynthia VanMetry

  •       Vanessa McAnderson

  •       Elli McDougal

Rule 3

Hyphenated Personal Names. Consider a hyphenated first, middle, or last name
as one unit. Do not include the hyphen in the unit name.

NAME

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

Valerie Anderson-Smith

ANDERSONSMITH

VALERIE

Jason DeTemple

DETEMPLE

JASON

Tammy DeTemple-Jones

DETEMPLEJONES

TAMMY

Gary Shawn Lee

LEE

GARY

SHAWN

Alison Shawn-Lee

SHAWNLEE

ALISON

Kay-Lu S. Shuttle

SHUTTLE

KAYLU

S

Exercise #3:


Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

  • Linda Harper-Hoff
  • Patrick Wang
  • Shelly-Lee Ackerman
  • Holly Jamison
  • Tracy H. Hoff
  • Gina James-Ackerman
  • Luke DeJoy
  • Jackie Wang-Lu
  • Yvette Duke-Williamson
  • Angela-Marie D�Everson
Rule 4

Single Letters and Abbreviations of Personal Names. Initials in personal names (J.D., A.J.) are considered separate indexing units. Abbreviations of personal names (Wm., Jos.) and nicknames (Bill, Rick, Ali) are indexed as they are written.

NAME

UNIT 1

UNIT 2

UNIT 3

A. J. Anderson

ANDERSON

A

J

Liz Billings

BILLINGS

LIZ

Lou Chandler

CHANDLER

LOU

Wm. Danielson

DANIELSON

WM

T. J. Sampson

SAMPSON

T

J

Geo. T. Vickory

VICKORY

GEO

T

 
Exercise #4:

Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

  • B.J. Tassleman

  • Vic Albright
  • J.O. McVey
  • K.T. Banks
  • Geo. M. Macinley
  • Ray J. Allwine
  • Wm. Sanderson
  • Lou Vickers
  • V.C. Wilson
  • Mary-Liz Jackson
  • Rule 5

    Personal Names With Titles and Suffixes. When used with a person�s name, a title or a suffix is the last indexing unit when needed to      distinguish between two or more identical names. A title appears before a name (Capt., Dr., Miss, Mr., Mrs., Ms., Prof., Sgt.). Suffixes appear after a name and include seniority terms (II, III, Jr., Sr.) and professional designations (CPA, CRM, CMA, MD, Ph.D.). Some terms may appear either before or after the name (Senator, Mayor). If a name contains both a title and a suffix, the title is the last unit.

    Royal and religious titles (King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Father, Sister) are
    considered professional designation suffixes unless they are followed by either a
    given name or a surname only (Father John, Princess Anna) in which case, they
    are indexed as written.

    NAME

    UNIT 1

    UNIT 2

    UNIT 3

    Unit 4

    Susan Bilderson, CPA

    BILDERSON

    SUSAN

    CPA

    Father John

    FATHER

    JOHN

    Mrs. Anna Jones

    JONES

    ANNA

    MRS

    King Abdula

    KING

    ABDULA

    Mrs. Judy Lenderman

    LENDERMAN

    JUDY

    MRS

    Ms. Judy Lenderman

    LENDERMAN

    JUDY

    MS

    Sister Mary Smith

    SMITH

    MARY

    SISTER

    Peter K Teasdale III

    TEASDALE

    PETER

    K

    III

    Mr. Joshua Wade, Jr.

    WADE

    JOSHUA

    JR

    MR

    Dr. Frank Williams

    WILLIAMS

    FRANK

    DR


    Exercise #5:

    Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

    • Sgt. William Trundle
    • Rose Nuggard, MD
    • Mrs. Phyllis Asker, Ph.D.
    • Queen Anne
    • Jeffrey A. Quinley, III
    • Ms. Katrina Chance
    • Dr. Elizabeth Peterson
    • Senator Jack Rigley
    • Prince Phillip III
    • Mrs. Katrina Chance, CPA

    Rule 6

    Names of Businesses and Organizations. Business names are indexed as written using the letterhead or trademark as a guide. If the letterhead is not available, use sources such as directories (phone, Internet) and advertisements.

    Each word in a business name is a separate unit. Exception: When The is the
    first word of the business name, it is treated as the last unit. Business names
    containing personal names are indexed as written. Hyphenated names and
    names with prefixes are considered one unit.

    NAME

    UNIT 1

    UNIT 2

    UNIT 3

    UNIT 4

    Betty�s Boutique

    BETTYS

    BOUTIQUE

    The Bottom Dollar Store

    BOTTOM

    DOLLAR

    STORE

    THE

    Computers and Such

    COMPUTERS

    AND

    SUCH

    Computers Are Us

    COMPUTERS

    ARE

    US

    Cpt. John�s Seafood House

    CPT

    JOHNS

    SEAFOOD

    HOUSE

    Doug Tevor Hauling

    DOUG

    TREVOR

    HAULING

    Dr. Allen�s Tree Repair

    DR

    ALLENS

    TREE

    REPAIR

    El Amigo Mexican Restaurant

    ELAMIGO

    MEXICAN

    RESTAURANT

    EZ Travel Agency

    EZ

    TRAVEL

    AGENCY

    St. Paul Lawn Care

    STPAUL

    LAWN

    CARE

    The Worthington Coat Factory

    WORTHINGTON

    COAT

    FACTORY

    THE

    Zachery Grey Daily News

    ZACHERY

    GREY

    DAILY

    NEWS

    Exercise #6:


    Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

    • The Paris Daily News
    • Bank of London
    • South West Lawn Care
    • Sgt. Pepper Clothing Accessories
    • The Bank of Loylds
    • El Camino Horse Club
    • Betty Johnson Elementary School
    Rule 7

    Letters and Abbreviations in Business and Organization Names. Single letters in business and organization names are indexed as written. If single letters are separated by spaces, index each letter as a separate unit. An acronym (word formed from the first few letters of several words, such as ARMA and F.I.C.A,) is indexed as one unit regardless of punctuation or spacing.

    Abbreviated words (Mfg, Co., Corp., Inc.) and names (IBM, GE) are indexed as written and as one
    unit regardless of punctuation or spacing. Radio and television station call letters (WBCO, ABC)
    are also indexed as written and as one unit.

    NAME

    UNIT 1

    UNIT 2

    UNIT 3

    UNIT 4

    A K Electric

    A

    K

    ELECTRIC

    A OK Restaurant

    A

    OK

    RESTAURANT

    ACE Repair Co.

    ACE

    REPAIR

    CO

    KKRS Radio Station

    KKRS

    RADIO

    STATION

    L A N Industries

    L

    A

    N

    INDUSTRIES

    LAN, Inc

    LAN

    INC

    Regal Mfg. Corp.

    REGAL

    MFG

    CORP

    US Bank

    US

    BANK

    USA Today

    USA

    TODAY

    Exercise #7:


    Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same
    format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names
    in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

    • V. J. Golf Course
    • Carpets Ltd. of CA
    • OK Tire Center
    • Garner and Garner, Attys.
    • KHTY Radio Station
    • Kellie Hiring Agy.
    • Dr. Pepper Bottling Co.
    • C. K. W. Towing
    • Fashion Corner, Ltd.
    • GTE Electric Co.
    Rule 8

    Punctuation and Possessives in Business and Organization Names. All punctuation is ignored when indexing business and organization names. Commas, periods, hyphens, apostrophes, dashes, exclamation points, question marks, quotation marks, and diagonals (/) are disregarded and names are indexed as written.

    NAME

    UNIT 1

    UNIT 2

    UNIT 3

    UNIT 4

    All-in-One Pawn Shop

    ALLINONE

    PAWN

    SHOP

    Bob�s Rent-a-Car

    BOBS

    RENTACAR

    The Crow�s Nest

    CROWS

    NEST

    THE

    How Much? Thrift Store

    HOW

    MUCH

    THRIFT

    STORE

    Inside/Outside Glass

    INSIDEOUTSIDE

    GLASS

    Jack-N-Jerry Catering

    JACKNJERRY

    CATERING

    The Pepper!

    PEPPER

    THE

    Exercise #8:


    Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

    • The Rod-N-Reel Shop
    • Nor-East Import�s
    • Do-Rite Medical Supplies
    • Sam�s Hot-Dog Caf�
    • Lu-Lu�s Clothing Outlet
    • Debbie�s Lil� Tots Daycare
    • How�s That? Hotel
    • The On/Off Freeway Caf�
    • Nell-Carter Law Firm
    • A-OK Repair Service

    Numbers spelled out (ONE, TWELVE, FORTY) are filed alphabetically and appear after numbers written in digits or Roman numerals. Names with numbers included are filed in ascending order (lowest to highest number) before alphabetic names (B4 SHOP, B12 VITAMIN CLUB, BATTING A THOUSAND SPORTING GOODS). Names with numbers appearing in other than the first unit are filed alphabetically and immediately before a similar name without a number (PIER 28 IMPORTS, PIER AND PORT RESTAURANT). The letters st, d, and th following an Arabic number are ignored (1st is indexed as 1, 2nd as 2, 5th as 5 and so on).

    Inclusive or hyphenated numbers (7-11 Grocery Store) are indexed according to the number before the hyphen and the number after the hyphen is ignored (7 GROCERY STORE). Hyphenated numbers that are spelled out (Thirty-one Flavors) are considered one unit and the hyphen is ignored (THIRTYONE FLAVORS). An Arabic number followed by a hyphen and a word (7-Gables) is considered one unit (7GABLES) and the hyphen is ignored.

    Rule 9

    Numbers in Business and Organization Names. Arabic numbers written in digits (1,15,189) and Roman numerals (II, IV, IX) are considered one unit and are filed in numeric order before alphabetic characters with Arabic numbers preceding Roman numerals (2, 156, III, XIV).

    NAME

    UNIT 1

    UNIT 2

    UNIT 3

    UNIT 4

    1-2-3 Easy Shopping

    1

    EASY

    SHOPPING

    1 Stop Shopping Center

    1

    STOP

    SHOPPING

    CENTER

    4th Street Market

    4

    STREET

    MARKET

    7-Days Extended Inn

    7DAYS

    EXTENDED

    INN

    XXI Movie Theatre

    XXI

    MOVIE

    THEATRE

    Annie�s Buffet

    ANNIES

    BUFFET

    Gary�s 9-Way Service Co.

    GARYS

    9WAY

    SERVICE

    CO

    Gary�s Auto Repair

    GARYS

    AUTO

    REPAIR

    Twenty Mile Steak House

    TWENTY

    MILE

    STEAK

    HOUSE

    Twenty-First Street Photo

    TWENTYFIRST

    STREET

    PHOTO

    Exercise #9:


    Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

    • 99 Flavors Yogurt Shoppe
    • 1 More Time Clothing
    • The Makco Five, Inc.
    • 7th Street Pharmacy
    • Henry IV Restaurant
    • 2nd-Hand Music Equipment
    • Makco 5 Gas Station
    • Fifty-Fifty Auction Market
    • Sixth Dimension Insurance Co.
    • 6th Avenue Apts.
    Rule 10

    Symbols in Business and Organization Names. If a symbol is part of a name, the symbol is indexed as if spelled out. When a symbol is used with a number without spacing between ($5, #1), it is considered one unit and the symbol is spelled out (5DOLLAR, NUMBER1).

     

    SYMBOL

    INDEXED AS

    &

    AND

    CENT

    $

    DOLLAR or DOLLARS

    #

    NUMBER, POUND, or POUNDS

    %

    PERCENT

    NAME

    UNIT 1

    UNIT 2

    UNIT 3

    UNIT 4

    50� Burger Den

    50CENT

    BURGER

    DEN

    D & B Bargain

    D

    AND

    B

    BARGAIN

    Dan�s Donut Shop

    DANS

    DONUT

    SHOP

    $ Days Hotel

    DOLLAR

    DAYS

    HOTEL

    The Dollar Smart Shop

    DOLLAR

    SMART

    SHOP

    THE

    Just Good � Store

    JUST

    GOOD

    CENTS

    STORE

    Exercise #10:


    Index and alphabetize the following names. Present your work in the same format as in previous examples (table layout with unit headings).  Write names in all capital letters; do not include any punctuation.

    • #1 Auto Repair Shop
    • Kasey & Anderson , Attorneys
    • $ Saved Used Furniture
    • The 99� Bargain Basement
    • High $ Real Estate Agcy.
    • 110% Above the Rest
    • # One Appliances
    • Dollar Drug Store
    • Kasey & Kasey Bookstore
    • N & K Auctions

    State and Local Government

    State and local government names are indexed first by the name of the state, providence, county, city, or town that has jurisdiction over that government agency. The distinctive name of the agency is considered next. For example, a city will have jurisdiction over a board of education, so the city would be indexed first, then the board of education. The words "State of", "County of", "City of�, "Department of", etc. are added only if needed for clarity and if it is in the official name.

    Rule 11

    Government Names. Government names are indexed first by the name of the government unit � country, state, county, or city. Next, index the distinctive name of the department, bureau, office, or board. The words "Office of", "Department of", "Bureau of", etc. are separate indexing units when they are part of the official name.

    NAME

    JURISDICTION

    INDEXED NAME

    Court House, Evans County
    Hazard, Kentucky

    County

    EVANS COUNTY
    COURT HOUSE
    HAZARD KENTUCKY

    Board of Education,
    Freemont, MO

    City

    FREEMONT
    EDUCATION BOARD OF
    FREEMONT MISSOURI

    Banking Office,
    Dept. of Commerce,
    Dallas, TX

    State

    TEXAS
    COMMERCE
    DEPT OF
    BANKING OFFICE
    DALLAS TEXAS

    Foreign government names are indexed first by the name of the country, then by the name of the
    distinctive department, bureau, or board. The words "Department of", "Bureau of", "Ministry of",
    etc. follow if it is part of the official name.

    How are patient files arranged in an alphabetic filing system?

    The records are arranged alphabetically based on the first unit. All names that have exactly the same first unit are then arranged by the second unit, the third unit, and so on.

    When filing alphabetically Which of the following records will be filed first quizlet?

    The first unit in alphabetic filing is the patient's last name. An established patient typically is one who has been seen in the last three years.

    When using alphabetic filing rules hyphenated last names are quizlet?

    In an alphabetic filing system, all hyphenates names are considered to be two indexing units. Legally, the surname is the part of the husband's name that a woman may assume when she marries. If two names are identical, the address may be used to make the filing decision.

    Which of the following names would be filed last when using alphabetic filing?

    Alphabetical Order Rules for Names The names of individuals are indexed alphabetically by using their last names first, their first names or initials, and finally their middle initials or names. An initial or name using just one letter comes before a complete name starting with the same letter.