How to Read Bibliographies
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No.9-E
Waseda University Library
Mar.10, 2014
A bibliography is a list of documents which authors consulted for reference when writing a particular book
or article. These references are very handy tools because, by reading the bibliography, you can learn the
background of the book or paper as well as find other books and papers on the same subject. But if you
don’t know how to interpret lists of bibliographies, you cannot obtain the resources you may need. This
guide summarizes a few basic points about reading and understanding bibliographies.
Basic Citation Style
There are several citation styles, but let’s begin with the most basic style. The basic style contains the
minimum amount of information needed to locate the original work. Understanding this style will also help
you when writing bibliographies for your own reports and papers. When writing a bibliography, be sure to
use a clear notation method as given by your instructor.
〇Citing journal articles
Author. Article title. Journal title. Date of publication, Volume number (issue number), Page number(s).
Example of a citation in Japanese for a Japanese journal:
永田治樹. ライブラリーコンソーシアムの歴史と現状. 情報の科学と技術. 1997, 47(11), pp.566-573.
Example of a citation in English for an English-language journal:
Kobayashi A, Ohara-Takada A, Tsuda S, et al. Breeding of potato variety “Inca-no-hitomi” with a very
high carotenoid content. Breeding Science. 2008, 58(1), pp.77-82.
〇Citing online journal articles
Author. Article title. Journal title. Date of publication, Volume number (issue number), Page number(s).
(Media indication), Resource identifier, (Date referred).
Example of a citation in Japanese for an online Japanese journal:
永瀬 節治. 近代的並木街路としての明治神宮表参道の成立経緯について. ランドスケープ研究（オン
ライン論文集）. Vol2(2009), pp.46-53.
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jilaonline/2/0/46/_pdf/-char/ja/, 20091015 参照.
Example of a citation in English for an online English journal:
Stephanie H. Chanteau and James M. Tour. Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Molecules: The NanoPutians.
Journal of Organic Chemistry. 2003, 68(23), pp. 8750-8766.
DOI:10.1021/jo0349227
*DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent ID name assigned to content objects on a digital network. You can
search for a specific content object by adding the DOI name after http://dx.doi.org/ in a Web browser.
〇Citing books (single volumes)
Author. Book title. (Edition,) (Place of publication,) Publisher, Date of publication, Total number of pages,
(Series name, Series number), (ISBN).
Example of a citation in Japanese for a Japanese book:
波平恵美子. 文化人類学. 東京, 医学書院, 1993, 241ｐ.
Example of a citation in English for an English book:
Peter Dickens. Social Darwinism. Open University Press, 2000, 135 p., ISBN 0335202195.
〇Citing an article in a collection of articles (book)
Author. “Article title.” Book title. Editor. (Place of publication), Publisher, Date of publication, Page
number(s).
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Example of a citation in Japanese for a Japanese book:
西平直. "概念と方法." 岩波講座哲学１３. 飯田隆〔ほか〕. 岩波書店, 2008, p.233-252.
Example of a citation in English for an English book:
Robert A. Scalapino. “China - between tradition and modernity.” The study of modern China. Eberhard
Sandschneider(ed.). Hurst, c1999, p.1-15.
〇Citing a Web site article
Author. “Web page title.” Web site name. (Revision date). Resource identifier, (Date).
Example:
厚生労働省. "『生涯キャリア支援と企業のあり方に関する研究会報告書』について." 厚生労働省
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/houdou/2007/07/h0720-6.html, 2010年11月2日参照
〇Citing a newspaper article
(Author.) Article title. Newspaper name. Date of publication. Morning / Evening edition. (Edition number,)
Page number (or sheet).
Example:
Save Japan’s Foremost Rustic Village. Asahi Shimbun. November 26, 2009. Morning edition. Toyama
Pref. edition, Regional insert 2 (34p).
Abbreviations Found in Bibliographies
Bibliographies use various abbreviations and shortened forms of journal names to simplify entries. The table
below gives some frequently used abbreviations.
Abbreviation
ibid.
Full form
ibidem
id.
op. cit.
idem
opere citato
et al.
J.
Z.
et alii
journal
Zeitschrift
Meaning
in the same
place
the same
in the work
cited
and others
journal
journal
The table below shows the shortened form of a journal title.
Abbreviated title
Full title
Chem. abstr.
Chemical abstracts
In WINE title searches, you can search many journals by their abbreviated titles.
For More Information
■Guide to Using and Writing Bibliographic Information: Applying the Standards for Information of
Science and Technology (SIST) (public Web site) (in Japanese only)
This is a guide to writing bibliographies based on SIST 02 (How to write bibliographic information), one
of the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s Standards for Information of Science and Technology
(SIST). A compact reference, it is useful for students not in the natural sciences as well. SIST's website
also contains detail information about it.
Useful Tools
■RefWorks (Library subscription Web site)
This site lets you build your own bibliographic database by incorporating records from WINE and other
bibliographic databases. The site will automatically generate a bibliography from saved bibliographic
records. Since this is a Web-based service, you can access it from home, campus terminals, or anywhere
else.
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