The power of 'the' wins Ig Nobel It is a small and often
neglected word. But the word 'the' has just won Australia's
Glenda Browne international recognition in the form of an Ig
Nobel prize. The Ig Nobels, parodies of the real Nobel Prizes,
are awarded annually to applaud achievements that make people
laugh, and then make them think. Browne, a professional indexer
who once worked in the field of biotechnology, is this year's
winner in the literature category. Her award honours a scholarly
article addressing a tricky question. Where should names
starting with 'the' appear in indexes? While contemplating this
issue, she looked through indexes filled with names like The
American Journal of Psychiatry, and The Journal of Molecular
Diagnostics on one hand, but British Journal of Pharmacology and
Journal of Microscopy on the other. Browne's work involves
creating alphabetical lists of key terms that appear in books,
so readers can find the material they want. So the 'the'
question is crucial to indexers like her. B