Dealing with Bibliographies

Cardiff School of Religious & Theological StudiesAstudiaethau Crefyddol a Diwinyddol

An Interactive Guide

Introduction

Definitions

Basic Features

Referencing Styles

Primary Sources

Journals, etc

Edited Volumes

The Internet

Difficult Material

ContentsSelect the topic you would like to explore by clicking on the relevant box. Although you can choose the order in which you explore each section, we recommend that you follow each lesson sequentially. Alternatively, you can proceed through the entire guide sequentially.

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Further Help

Exit Guide

Section One

Introduction, Aims & Objectives

Introduction

• This presentation has been designed as a self-study 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 essayIn other words, if you want to gain as many marks as possible…

Use bibliographies correctly!

Section Three

Basic Features

The BasicsGenerally speaking, bibliographies should include the following information…

• Author’s Surname & Initialsi.e. Smith, A.

• Year of Publicationi.e. 1989

• Title of Book, Journal Article, etci.e. An Introduction to Flower ArrangingNotice that the book title is given in italics

• Place of Publicationi.e. London

• Publisheri.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 re-interpretation, 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

BibliographyAnderson, 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

BibliographyPeters, 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.1-4

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 StudiesAstudiaethau Crefyddol a Diwinyddol