When filing alphabetically, which of the following records will be filed first?

Business information that arrives in digital form requires no manual processing rules since the information can be sorted and accessed with various software applications. Paper documents, such as letters, purchase orders and reports, must occupy a physical location. Clerks must follow consistent filing rules and procedures storing written documents if they want to find the information again. The University of Idaho lists 12 rules on its website established by the Association of Records Management and Administration (ARMA). They answer most questions about filing rules and procedures.

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. If a last name consists of two or more words, divided by a space, as in “Van Owen,” index the name as if were one word, such as “VanOwen.”

As explained in the Chicago Manual of Style, you ignore the hyphen when filing a name such as "Cruz-Smith." Simply file as you would if the name were spelled "Cruzsmith." Index by titles, such as “MD” or “Father,” only after indexing through the last, first and middle names.

Alphabetical Order Rules for Businesses

Unless names are government oriented, index the names of organizations as they are written on letterheads; however, ignore punctuation marks. Abbreviations are not spelled out, and personal titles remain in the first position. For example, “Dr. Johnson’s Repair” is filed under “Dr” and not “Doctor,” which is considered the first part of the title. The word “Johnson’s” should be filed as “Johnsons.” Definite and indefinite articles such as “The” are considered the last word of the title. “The Dachshund Store” is indexed as “Dachshund Store The.” Single letters separated by spaces are indexed as individual words so “A K Company” is filed before “Ace Office.” Acronyms, such “IBM” or “GE” are filed as one word.

Non-Alphabetical Filing Rules and Procedures

Smead, a manufacturer of filing and organization supplies, points out that numerical filing can be a more efficient method for very large filing systems, since there are less possibilities for mistakes compared to alphabetic systems. Files can be indexed according to account numbers; transaction numbers; product, part, SKU or UPC numbers; or case numbers.

Arabic numbers (such as 0 through 9) are not spelled out but are indexed numerically before alphabetic characters. Roman numerals (I, V, XIX) are indexed after all Arabic numbers but before words. Spelled out numbers are treated as ordinary words. The following example combines these rules: “1 Stop Shopping,” “XXI Theater” and “Twenty Second Repair.”

The filing rules and procedures for symbols require that those which are part of names be indexed as if they were spelled out. For example “&” is indexed as “AND” and “$” is seen as “DOLLAR.” When appearing with numbers, the symbol is spelled out and attached to the number, so that “#1” becomes “NUMBER1.”

Filing Government Documents

Government organizations are generally indexed by the name of the state, providence, county, city or town under which the organization falls. For example, the “Board of Education” in the city of Fullerton is indexed under “Fullerton Board of Education” even if the document says “Board of Education of Fullerton.” Federal government agencies are first indexed under “United States Government” and then under the distinctive name, such as “Agriculture” or “Labor” and then under the group designation such as “Department of “ or “Bureau of.” Thus, a document titled “U.S. Department of Labor” is indexed as “United States Government Labor Department.”

Alphabetical filing is a method in which files and folders are arranged in order of alphabets of the names of person or institution concerned with such file. It may be done using either the first names or surnames, but whichever is chosen must be consistent throughout the particular filing system. In cases where the names of more than one person starts with same letter then second letter of name is taken into consideration, then third and so on. It is the most popular or common method of filing and is suitable for both small and large organizations.

Advantages

  • It is easy to understand and use
  • It is flexible
  • It is time-saving and very efficient in accessing files
  • It does not require separate index

Disadvantages

  • Initial setup is time-consuming
  • It is more expensive to maintain.
  • Files can be easily misplaced if precise attention is not given to names that are closely related

Other Filing Methods:

Numerical

Chronological

Geographical

by Subject

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When filing alphabetically, which of the following records will be filed first?

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When filing alphabetically, which of the following records will be filed first?

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When filing alphabetically, which of the following records will be filed first?

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When filing alphabetically, which of the following records will be filed first?

When filing alphabetically which is the most common method of filing?

Alphabetic systems are the most natural and common method of arranging files. However, even the simplest alphabetic system requires establishing, filing standards, including written filing procedures, cross-reference methods, and practices for filing duplicate name changes, etc.

What is the correct order of filing?

Names of individuals are filed as follows: last name, first name or initial, middle name or initial. Smith Smith K.

Which of the following names would be filed last when using alphabetical 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.

What is alphabetical filing system?

n. A system for ordering topical headings in strict alphabetical order, rather than classifying them on the basis of intellectual relationships.