Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] Index is a powerful tool for information retrieval, statistics and analysis. It is the core content of the research on library and information science/information resource management.Database has the function of index, modern index is "database".Strengthening the research and practice of academic norm and evaluation of indexes and databases is of great significance to strengthen the research and practice of index and database to stick to the core content of library and information science/information resource management and to extend it to related academic fields or public academic topics. [Design/Methodology] Using the method of concept analysis, this paper discusses the principle of index and its corollary, the relationship between index and catalog, item and database. Using the method of typical case analysis, this paper analyzes the functions of various types of indexes and databases in academic norm and evaluation. [Findings/Conclusion] The essential attributes of index are extraction of source documents, annotation of provenance and "Dissimilar ordering ", which distinguish index from similar search tools such as catalogue and bibliography. According to the principle of index, four propositions can be derived. Index and database play an important role in academic norm and evaluation, but the technical means such as index are only auxiliary tools. [Originality/Value] In this paper, the term "Dissimilar ordering " is first proposed to summarize the uniqueness of index;meanwhile, the essential attributes, principles and four corollaries of index are generalized. It is the first time to associate indexes, databases with academic norm and evaluation.

Key words: Index, Database, Academic norm, Academic evaluation, Information resource organization, Information resource retrieval