Dealing with Bibliographies
An Interactive Guide
Cardiff School of Religious & Theological Studies
Astudiaethau Crefyddol a Diwinyddol
Contents
Introduction
Definitions
Basic Features
Referencing Styles
Primary Sources
Journals, etc
Edited Volumes
The Internet
Difficult Material
Further Help
Exit Guide
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Section One
Introduction, Aims & Objectives
Introduction
• This presentation has been designed as a selfstudy guide, which you can work through at your
own pace
• However, we recommend that you take at least
30 minutes to complete it
• We also recommend that you keep it as a
reference guide after you have completed it
• Remember…
• This guide aims to complement and not replace
other forms of learning
• If you need help, ask us! It’s what we’re here for!
Aim
The aim of this guide is…
• To introduce you to the purposes,
format and construction of an
academic bibliography
Objectives
Once you have worked through this guide, you
should be able to…
• Understand the purpose of bibliographies in
academic writing
• Recognise some of the main features of an
accurate bibliography
• Begin compiling your own bibliographies
according to set criteria
Section Two
Definitions & Significance
Definitions
• In order to understand how to use
bibliographies, we first need to understand what
bibliographies are
• Although there are numerous definitions, a
bibliography can be defined as a record of the
sources used in writing an academic standard
essay
Why Bother with Bibliographies?
There are a number of reasons why accurately presented
bibliographies are important. A bibliography…
• Gives a clear record of your sources
• Enables lecturers to see that you have been reading appropriate
material
• Provides an indication for further reading
• Allows readers to check your sources for accuracy
• Gives readers the opportunity to find further reading material
• Helps demonstrate that you have sufficiently researched your essay
As you can see, bibliographies have a number of important uses
Why Bother with Bibliographies?
Furthermore…
During Year 1, presentation accounts for…
30% of your overall mark!
An accurate bibliography is a large part of
the correct presentation of an academic
essay
In other words, if you want to gain as
many marks as possible…
Use bibliographies correctly!
Section Three
Basic Features
The Basics
Generally speaking, bibliographies should include the
following information…
• Author’s Surname & Initials
i.e. Smith, A.
• Year of Publication
i.e. 1989
• Title of Book, Journal Article, etc
i.e. An Introduction to Flower Arranging
Notice that the book title is given in italics
• Place of Publication
i.e. London
• Publisher
i.e. United Flower Arranging Press
An Important Point
However, there are two points to remember…
• You will need to include more information in
certain circumstances
• This information is arranged differently,
depending upon which referencing system you
use
We will look at both of these points shortly…
Section Four
Different Referencing Styles
Different Referencing Styles
• In previous presentations, we looked at two of the main
referencing techniques (the Harvard System & the
Humanities System).
• Each system arranges bibliographies in a slightly
different manner
• Because RELIG insists that you use one of these
systems, it is important that you correctly understand
these differences.
• However, the key point to remember is consistency
The Harvard System
• The standard Harvard method is …
– Capps, D. (1990), The Flying Vicar, Nashville:
Abingdon Press.
• As you can see, the year of publication
goes at the beginning
• The publishing details go at the end
• Also, the book title itself is italicised
For further information, refer to Chapter 8 of the Student Handbook
The Humanities System
• The standard Humanities method is …
– Capps, David The Flying Vicar (Nashville,
Abingdon Press, 1990)
• By contrast, the date goes at the end
• The author’s first name is written in full
• The book title is still given in italics
For further information, refer to Chapter 8 of the Student Handbook
Section Five
Primary Sources
What Are Primary Sources?
• For our purposes, primary sources are the
major textual sources for the study of
particular religions (such as the Bible).
• As such, primary sources are an important
study resource.
• How, then, should we cite primary sources
in our bibliography?
• Before we see how, a word of caution is
required…
For further information, refer to Chapter 8 of the Student Handbook
Caution!
• Although at RELIG you have the
opportunity to learn a number of classical
languages (such as Hebrew or Sanskrit),
initially you will use English translations of
key sacred texts.
• Because the very act of translation
necessarily involves a degree of reinterpretation, it is essential that you make
it clear which translation you are using.
Citing Primary Sources
• When citing a primary source, you should list it
alphabetically by title.
• You then need to include the date of the edition
you are using and then the name of the
translator.
• The title of the edition you are using should be
given next (in italics as with other book titles).
• Finally, you should give the place of publication
and the details of the publisher
Primary Sources
• An Example…
• QURAN (1997, trans. Fakhry, M.), The
Qur’an. A Modern English Version,
Reading: Garnet Publishing
• Citing a primary source like this gives the
required information clearly and concisely.
Section Six
Journals, Magazines & Newspapers
Using Journals
• Although books will be your primary
resource, you will also be expected to use
the University’s extensive selection of
journal, magazine and newspaper articles
• Academic convention cites material from
such sources slightly differently
• We will look at each in turn …
Citing Journals
• As with book citations, you will need …
• The author’s surname and initials
• The year of publication
• You will also need …
• The title of the Journal
• The page numbers of the article itself
• Also …
• The text is organised slightly differently
Citing Journals
• For example…
Smith, A. (1988), ‘Arranging Flowers Today: Some
Ideological Considerations’, The Modern Flower
Arranger, pp. 37-68
• As you can see, the article title is given in
quotation marks (‘…’)
• The title of the Journal is given in italics
• Also, page numbers are included instead of
publishing details
Magazine & Newspapers
• Generally speaking, you cite magazine
and newspaper articles in the same
manner as journal articles
• However, unlike journals, you will need to
include the date the article was published
Magazines & Newspapers
• For example …
• Smith, A. (1989), ‘Lunatic Flower Arranger
Invades Town Hall’, Toy-town Gazette,
Wednesday Friday 13th 1989, pp.1-4
• Or …
• Jones,
P.
(1995),
‘It’s
Official:
Chrysanthemums are the New Roses!’,
Vogue, Saturday 27th April 1995, pp. 47-48
Section Seven
Essays & Edited Volumes
Essays
• During your studies, you will use articles
by authors in edited volumes.
• For example …
• Dr. A. Smith has written an important
article on the history of flower arranging in
a larger work on modern gardening
techniques.
• How would we cite such an essay in our
bibliography?
Essays
• We would need to know the name of the editor,
the title of the overall book and the page
numbers of the article itself
• Thus, for example …
– Smith, A. (1984), ‘A History of Flower Arranging in
Britain’ in Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening
Techniques Today, London: United Flower Arranging
Press, pp. 11 – 45
• As you can see, there are a number of important
differences here
• Let’s look at each of them in turn …
Key Differences
• The article should be listed in your bibliography
under the author’s name and not the editor’s
• The article itself is treated in the same manner
as a journal. The article title is therefore given
within quotation marks (‘…’)
• The rest of the quotation is cited in the same
way as books are. Thus, the title is given in
italics and the publishing details are given
• Lastly, you will need to give the page numbers of
the article itself
Points to Remember
• Generally speaking, if you use one article
from an edited volume you only need cite
that reference once.
• However, if you use more than one essay
you will need to cite each article
separately under the relevant article
author
• Also, you will need to cite the volume itself
separately
Points to Remember
• For example…
• If you use another essay from the same
work, you need to cite it
– Peters, A. (1984), ‘Verge Trimming in the
Contemporary World’ in Other, A.N. (ed., 1984),
Gardening Techniques Today, London: United Flower
Arranging Press, pp. 115 – 146
• You will also need to cite the edited
volume itself
– Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening Techniques Today,
London: United Flower Arranging Press
Example Bibliography
• Thus, our sample bibliography would look like this…
• Jones, A. (1984), ‘Verge Trimming in the Contemporary
World’ in Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening Techniques
Today, London: United Flower Arranging Press, pp. 115 –
146
• Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening Techniques Today,
London: United Flower Arranging Press
• Smith, A. (1984), ‘A History of Flower Arranging in Britain’ in
Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening Techniques Today,
London: United Flower Arranging Press, pp. 11 – 45
Section Eight
The Internet
Using the Internet
• The growth of the Internet has created a
vast range of materials for you to make
use of in your essays
• In academic study you need to make your
sources of information explicit
• Given this, it is essential that you learn
how to cite Internet material correctly
• However, before we proceed, a word of
caution is required …
Caution!
• There are few, if any, controls on the quality,
accuracy and fairness of Internet material
• When using Internet material, remember …
•
•
•
•
•
Quality: is the material suitably academic?
Accuracy: is it factually accurate?
Fairness: is it a balanced account?
Bias: does the essay have an axe to grind?
Perspective: who is writing the material and why?
• If you aren’t sure about a particular site, ask the
relevant lecturer
Citing Internet Material
• When citing Internet material, include the
following information …
• The Author (if known)
• The Document Title
• The Document Type (i.e. whether it is an
electronic journal)
• The Site’s Web Address
(i.e. www.flowerarranger.com)
• The Date (i.e. when you accessed the site)
Two Examples
No. 1
• Anderson, K. , ‘Key Debates in Flower
Arranging’, Royal Flower Arranging Journal 78
(2002)
1-27
[Electronic
Journal]
www.rfaj.org.uk, [accessed 10 September 2002]
No. 2
• Bach, P. ‘Roses’ in Routledge Encyclopedia of
Flowers, http://www.refp.routledge.com
[accessed 3 October 2003]
Section Nine
Difficult Material
Difficult Material
•
•
•
There are occasions when correctly
citing a reference can be difficult and
confusing!
In general, there are two major areas of
confusion:
(i) Citing works by the same author,
written in different years
(ii) Citing works by the same author,
written in the same year
Let’s look at each in turn
Same Author, Different Year
• In this case, you can distinguish between
references by looking at the year
• For example …
Smith, A. (1984), ‘A History of Flower Arranging
in Britain’ in Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening
Techniques Today, London: United Flower
Arranging Press, pp. 11 – 45
Smith, A. (1989), An Introduction to Flower
Arranging, London: United Flower Arranging
Press
Same Author, Same Year
• This is a little more tricky
• List such articles by title alphabetically and then
assign them a letter
• For example …
Smith, A. (1989a), An Introduction to Flower
Arranging, London: United Flower Arranging Press
Smith, A. (1989b), ‘Lunatic Flower Arranger
Invades Town Hall’, Toy-town Gazette,
Wednesday Friday 13th 1989, pp.1-4
• If you have more than two such articles, just
keep adding letters
Section Ten
Putting It All Together
Our Bibliography
• In this guide, we have referred to several
fictitious books, journal articles, Internet
sites and so on
• In this final section, we will put these
references together and construct our own
bibliography
• Although we will use the Harvard system,
our bibliography can easily be adapted
Bibliography
Anderson, K. , ‘Key Debates in Flower Arranging’, Royal
Flower Arranging Journal 78 (2002) 1-27 [Electronic
Journal] www.rfaj.org.uk, [accessed 10 September 2002]
Bach, P. ‘Roses’ in Routledge Encyclopedia of Flowers,
http://www.refp.routledge.com
[accessed 3 October 2003]
Jones, P. (1995), ‘It’s Official: Chrysanthemums are the
New Roses!’, Vogue, Saturday 27th April 1995, pp. 47-48
Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening Techniques Today,
London: United Flower Arranging Press
Bibliography
Peters, A. (1984), ‘Verge Trimming in the Contemporary
World’ in Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening Techniques
Today, London: United Flower Arranging Press, pp. 115 –
146
Smith, A. (1984), ‘A History of Flower Arranging in Britain’ in
Other, A.N. (ed., 1984), Gardening Techniques Today,
London: United Flower Arranging Press, pp. 11 – 45
Smith, A. (1989a), An Introduction to Flower Arranging,
London: United Flower Arranging Press
Smith, A. (1989b), ‘Lunatic Flower Arranger Invades Town
Hall’, Toy-town Gazette, Wednesday Friday 13th 1989, pp.14
Section Eleven
Further Help
Finding Extra Help
You can find further help with bibliographies in…
• The Student Handbook
• The Guide to Academic Integrity
• Individual Module Handbooks
You can also talk to…
• Lecturers (during their office hours)
• The Student Support Officer:
• Richard Cawley (CawleyR@cf.ac.uk or ext. 75611)
Cardiff School of Religious & Theological Studies
Astudiaethau Crefyddol a Diwinyddol