There are some differences you must be aware of before you decide which of the indexes are best suited to your needs. General indexes provide citations to articles in popular magazines such as Time, Newsweek, etc. The Reader's's Guide to Periodical Literature is a good example of a general index. Specialized or subject indexes cover particular subjects and generally include citations to scholarly journals. Social Sciences Index and Psychological Abstracts are examples of specialized or subject indexes.
Printed Indexes have an alphabetic arrangement.
Below is an example from Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature. American business enterprises National Minority Suppliers Development Council Building bridges to minority firms. B. A. McKee and S. Nelton. R. B. Norgaard. Shui Yan Tang.