Troubleshooting
Other references you might encounter
Reference only gives the author(s)
name(s) and date
Conference proceedings

Look back through the reading list as the
full reference should have been given
earlier.
Mann, Peter H. ed. 1976. Books and
Undergraduates: Proceedings of a
Conference held at Royal Holloway College,
University of London, 4th-6th July 1975.
London: National Book League.
Journal titles are abbreviated


Abbreviations should conform to a
standard format. You will need the full
title (or keywords from it) for searching.
Further advice may be found at:
www.bristol.ac.uk/is/library/
findinginformation/journal-abbrev/.
Mistakes in the reference

Try variant spellings (e.g. English or
American) or using wildcards (see
‘advanced search technique tips’ in the
‘help’ section of the library catalogue).

Try using different keywords from the
title.

If the date seems wrong, check which
edition you should be reading.
Unfamiliar abbreviations in the list

Ibid is short for the Latin ‘ibidem’,
meaning in the same place. It is used to
refer to the preceding reference.

Op. Cit is short for the Latin ‘opere citato’,
meaning ‘in the work cited’.

Et al. is short for Latin ‘et alia’, meaning
‘and others’ and is often used in place of
a list of authors or editors.
Thesis or dissertation
Chatterton, P. 1998. The University and the
Community: An exploration of the cultural
impact of universities and students in the
community. Ph.D. thesis, University of
Bristol.
Web page
Information Services, 2009. Plagiarism:
information and advice for students [online].
University of Bristol. Available at:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/is/library/findinginfor
mation/plagiarism/advice.html [Accessed 14
July 2010].
Legal case
Donoghue v Stevenson [1932] A.C. 562
(Look up the unabbreviated title of the Law
Report in the library catalogue, or the party
names in an online database.)
July 2010
Understanding
References
on your
Reading List
References to reading materials may
appear in different formats on different
reading lists, but this general guide should
help you understand what each part of the
reference means and how to search for it.
Further leaflets are available on using the
library catalogue and there is also help on
finding and using information at:
www.bristol.ac.uk/is/library/
findinginformation/
If you cannot find an item on your reading
list, please let your Subject Librarian know.
www.bristol.ac.uk/is/library/subjects/
Book
Chapter in a book
Year of
publication
Title
Author
Cottrell, S. 2008. The Study Skills Handbook,
3rd ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Edition
Place of
publication
Publisher
Author
Year of
publication
Journal article
Title of
chapter
Blake, N. 1997. Truth, Identity and Community
in the University. In: R. Barnett and A. Griffin,
eds. The End of Knowledge in Higher
Education. London: Cassell, 151-164.
Title
of book
Publisher
Editors
of book
Year of
publication
Authors
Title of
article
Masjuan, J.M. and Troiano, H. 2009.
University Students’ Success: A psychosociological approach. Higher Education, 58
(1), 15-28.
Title of
journal
Issue
Volume
number
Pages
Place of
publication
Page numbers
of chapter
Clues that it’s a book:


Publication details are given
There are no volume or issue
numbers, though the edition
number may be given
Clues that it’s a journal article:
Clues that it’s a chapter:


Enter the author’s surname and keywords
from the title in the relevant search fields of
the library catalogue.


Clicking on the library name will show you
the location of copies in that branch, how
long you may borrow them for (loan status)
and whether they are out on loan. Books
that are on loan may be reserved.

Publication details are given
There are two sets of names; an
author and also editors
There are two titles
The word “in” appears after the
chapter title, indicating that it can be
found in another publication
Page numbers are given
Look up the editor and title of the book
rather than the author and title of the chapter
in the library catalogue.




There are two titles
Publication details are not given
A volume number and sometimes
an issue number are given
Page numbers are given
Search for the title of the journal rather than
the author and title of the article in the library
catalogue or on the eJournals page.
Some references may give abbreviated
journal titles and you will need to find out the
full title before searching.