{"id":22,"date":"2018-12-15T16:14:13","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T16:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alphabetizer.flap.tv\/blog\/?p=22"},"modified":"2021-12-28T22:06:44","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T22:06:44","slug":"rules-of-alphabetizing-in-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alphabetizer.flap.tv\/blog\/rules-of-alphabetizing-in-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Rules of Alphabetizing in Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Disclaimer: Before you start following these rules in the office, it\u2019s a good idea to double-check with your employer about the alphabetizing rules followed in your company. There are different versions of filing rules so filing practices differ from company to company. <\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important for every business to have their employee information, company records, and other important data maintained in a proper and systematic manner. The  way most companies do this is by alphabetization. The process has quite a few benefits as well. For instance, having a standardized filing practice means documents will be easier to find, you can add or remove new entries without disturbing other entries, and alphabetization is an intuitive process so people other than employees can understand it as well.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three versions of alphabetical filing rules:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Letter by letter: <\/strong>In this version, spaces between the words are disregarded.<\/li>
  2. Word by word: <\/strong>Here, each word is filed on the basis of the first letter.<\/li>
  3. Unit by unit: <\/strong>Here, each word, abbreviation, and initial is considered as a separate unit.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    For this article, we\u2019ll be focusing on the unit by unit version simply because it covers pretty much all the rules. Here we go:
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rule #1: File numbers first<\/strong>
    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Numbers go first. Arabic numbers (0-9) are indexed numerically before alphabetic characters. However, keep in mind that they are NOT spelled out. For instance, 21 Horses Inc<\/em>. will come before 4 Horsemen Pvt Ltd.<\/em> because we disregard the t and f in twenty and four respectively.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You\u2019ll file numbers in the same way you would file alphabets – in ascending order – that is, smallest to largest.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If the numbers are spelled out, they\u2019ll be treated as normal words and filed alphabetically.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rule #2: Initials go next<\/strong>
    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Initials are considered separate units and are also filed alphabetically. So, if you have to file J.K. Smith<\/em> and K. Nyugen, J.K. Smith<\/em> would be filed first.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But what if the initials are same, like this: J.K. Smith<\/em> and J.K. Nyugen<\/em>. In this case, J. K. Nyugen<\/em> will go first because we are looking at each letter (including the initials) by their designation. That means if the first letter of their surnames were same as well, we would then look at the second letter in their surname. So by that logic, J.K. Night<\/em> would come before J.K. Nyugen<\/em>.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rule #3: Filing hyphenated names<\/strong>
    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    How does one treat hyphenated names? It\u2019s pretty simple – you treat hyphenated names as one unit. Whether it\u2019s the first name, middle name or the surname that is hyphenated, it will be treated as one unit. However, the symbol in this case (the hyphen) is not considered a separate symbol and should be ignored.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rule #4: Ignore the articles<\/strong>
    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Articles are words that describe the noun. In the English language, there are three articles: the, a, and an. You must ignore these while alphabetizing.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Example: When alphabetizing A Face<\/em> and The Arm<\/em>, The Arm<\/em> will become before A Face<\/em>.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Make sure you do not confuse the article \u201ca\u201d with an initial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    FYI: You can ignore articles when alphabetizing a list using the alphabetizer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rule #5: Spell out symbols<\/strong>
    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    When symbols are part of a unit such as a name, they are spelled out. So $<\/em> is seen as Dollar <\/em>and !<\/em> is seen as Exclamation Mark<\/em>.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Alphabetize them as you would normal words.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Interested about learning more about how alphabetization works? Check out our article on History of Alphabetization<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Disclaimer: Before you start following these rules in the office, it\u2019s a good idea to double-check with your employer about the alphabetizing rules followed in your company. There are different versions of filing rules so filing practices differ from company to company. It\u2019s important for every business to have their employee information, company records, and … Continue reading Rules of Alphabetizing in Business<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nRules of Alphabetizing in Business - Alphabetize any List!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How businesses can have their employee information, company records, and other important data maintained in a proper and systematic manner.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alphabetizer.flap.tv\/blog\/rules-of-alphabetizing-in-business\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rules of Alphabetizing in Business - 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