To arrange items, such as words, names, or entries, in alphabetical order, based on the sequence of letters in the alphabet. This process is fundamental for organization, searchability, and readability, making it easier to locate specific information within a larger collection. Alphabeticizing involves comparing the characters of each item and positioning them accordingly, ensuring that 'A' precedes 'B', 'B' precedes 'C', and so on. It can be applied to a variety of formats, from simple lists and indexes to complex databases and library catalogs. Effective alphabeticization demands consistency in formatting (e.g., handling capitalization, punctuation, and special characters) to ensure accurate sorting and retrieval of information. The term also covers the conversion of any list, no matter the orginal order to an alphabetical order.
Alphabeticized meaning with examples
- The librarian painstakingly alphabeticized the extensive card catalog, a task that took months but drastically improved the library's search functionality, which was particularly useful as users became more interested in searching the system. Each card was carefully compared to the ones near it, ensuring the accurate arrangement of the cards.
- Before publishing the phone book, the company needed to meticulously alphabeticized all the subscriber listings. They used specialized software and careful review to eliminate errors and present the data in a user-friendly format, which made it very easy to find someone.
- As the first step in creating a detailed index for the textbook, the author had to alphabeticized all the keywords used within the manuscript. It allowed for an extremely accessible user experience, guiding readers to the specific pages containing the relevant information.
- The data analyst was tasked with alphabeticized a list of customer names. The goal was to organize the customer records in a clear and concise manner. This process significantly enhanced the efficiency of customer relationship management and service delivery for all stakeholders.
- To facilitate easy reference in her research paper, the scholar alphabeticized the bibliography. She created the alphabetized bibliography to abide by specific style guide conventions, demonstrating academic rigor and supporting the clarity of her work.