8. Bibliographies: Listing the Sources

At the The books, periodicals and other sources of information consulted in the preparation of a piece of written work constitute the bibliography, alternatively described as: sources consulted, works cited, or references. A bibliography need not, and usually should not, include all the works consulted. Rather, it should list the primary sources which have contributed significantly to the preparation of the work, including, especially, those from which textual quotation has been made. A bibliography should be presented according to a straightforward, systematic method of classification - usually alphabetical.

8.1. Book References
To make a complete bibliographical reference, the following information is required: name of author(s), title of book, edition, number of volumes, publication details, place of publication, name of publisher, date of publication. In the case of books to which others than the author have contributed, or which belong to a publication series, it may also be necessary to add the following details (listed after the book title): name of editor, compiler, or translator; name of the author or preface, introduction, or foreword; name of publication series to which the book belongs.

It should be emphasised that this specification is for a fully detailed bibliographical entry. There are occasions when less complete information may be acceptable as, for example, when listing the works consulted in the preparation of an essay. In such instances your tutor will guide you on the academic conventions and requirements associated with your subject.

The following guidelines should be followed when bibliographic entries are to be written out in full.

Name of author(s)

The author’s name is reversed to facilitate alphabetising the sequence of works to be listed (cf. entries in a reference footnote in which the name is given in its normal form). For works having more than one author, either reverse all the names (recommended) or, reverse only the first name. Second and additional forenames may be contracted: use a capital letter and a full stop. For a book by more than three authors, state the name of the first author on the title page followed by et al. or, and others. Do not include scholastic and courtesy titles such as: Dr., Prof., Sir etc. If a book is by an institution (or similar) treat this as the author. If the author is an editor or compiler, state this in abbreviated form using ed. or comp.

Title of book

Give

8.2. Article References

8.3. Online References