Bibliography
Encyclopedia
Bibliography as a practice, is the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from Greek , -logia
). On the whole, bibliography is not concerned with the literary content of books, but rather the sources of books – how they were designed, edited, printed, circulated, reprinted and collected.
A bibliography, the product of the practice of bibliography, is a systematic list of books and other works such as journal
article
s. Bibliographies range from "works cited
" lists at the end of books and articles to complete, independent publications. As separate works, they may be in bound volumes such as those shown on the right, or computerised bibliographic database
s. A library catalog
, while not referred to as a "bibliography," is bibliographic in nature. Bibliographical works are almost always considered to be tertiary source
s.
Bibliographic works differ in the amount of detail depending on the purpose, and can be generally divided into two categories: enumerative bibliography (also called compilative, reference or systematic), which results in an overview of publication
s in a particular category, and analytical, or critical, bibliography, which studies the production of books. In earlier times, bibliography mostly focused on books. Now, both categories of bibliography cover works in other formats including recordings, motion pictures and videos, graphic objects, databases, CD-ROMs and websites.
Citation
formats vary, but an entry for a book in a bibliography usually contains the following information:
An entry for a journal or periodical article usually contains:
A bibliography may be arranged by author, topic, or some other scheme. Annotated bibliographies
give descriptions about how each source is useful to an author in constructing a paper or argument. These descriptions, usually a few sentences long, provide a summary of the source and describe its relevance. Reference management software
may be used to keep track of references and generate bibliographies as required.
Bibliographies differ from library catalog
s by including only relevant items rather than all items present in a particular library. However, the catalogs of some national libraries
effectively serve as national bibliographies, as the national libraries own almost all their countries' publications.
, and so on, while historical bibliography takes a broader view of the context in which a book is produced, in particular, printing, publishing and bookselling. Textual bibliography is another name for textual criticism
.
Arachniography is a term coined by NASA
research historian Andrew J. Butrica, which means a reference list of URLs about a particular subject. It is equivalent to a bibliography in a book. The name derives from arachne
in reference to a spider and its web.
-logy
-logy is a suffix in the English language, used with words originally adapted from Ancient Greek language ending in -λογία...
). On the whole, bibliography is not concerned with the literary content of books, but rather the sources of books – how they were designed, edited, printed, circulated, reprinted and collected.
A bibliography, the product of the practice of bibliography, is a systematic list of books and other works such as journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
article
Article (publishing)
An article is a written work published in a print or electronic medium. It may be for the purpose of propagating the news, research results, academic analysis or debate.-News articles:...
s. Bibliographies range from "works cited
Citation
Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source . More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated...
" lists at the end of books and articles to complete, independent publications. As separate works, they may be in bound volumes such as those shown on the right, or computerised bibliographic database
Bibliographic database
A bibliographic database is a database of bibliographic records, an organized digital collection of references to published literature, including journal and newspaper articles, conference proceedings, reports, government and legal publications, patents, books, etc...
s. A library catalog
Library catalog
A library catalog is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations...
, while not referred to as a "bibliography," is bibliographic in nature. Bibliographical works are almost always considered to be tertiary source
Tertiary source
In scholarship, a tertiary source is a term used to describe a work which is chiefly a selection or compilation of other primary and secondary sources. The distinction between a secondary and tertiary source is relative, whereas the difference between primary and secondary sources is more absolute...
s.
Bibliographic works differ in the amount of detail depending on the purpose, and can be generally divided into two categories: enumerative bibliography (also called compilative, reference or systematic), which results in an overview of publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
s in a particular category, and analytical, or critical, bibliography, which studies the production of books. In earlier times, bibliography mostly focused on books. Now, both categories of bibliography cover works in other formats including recordings, motion pictures and videos, graphic objects, databases, CD-ROMs and websites.
Etymology
The word bibliographia (βιβλιογραφία) was used by Greek writers in the first three centuries AD to mean the copying of books by hand. In the 12th century, the word started being used for "the intellectual activity of composing books". The 17th century then saw the emergence of the modern meaning, that of description of books.Enumerative bibliography
A bibliography is a list of writings that share a common factor: this may be a topic, a language, a period, or some other theme. The list may be comprehensive or selective. One particular instance of this is the list of sources used or considered in preparing a work, sometimes called a reference list.Citation
Citation
Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source . More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated...
formats vary, but an entry for a book in a bibliography usually contains the following information:
- author(s)
- title
- publisher
- date of publication
An entry for a journal or periodical article usually contains:
- author(s)
- article title
- journal title
- volume
- pages
- date of publication
A bibliography may be arranged by author, topic, or some other scheme. Annotated bibliographies
Annotated bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a bibliography that gives a summary of the source.The purpose of annotations is to provide the reader with a summary and an evaluation of the source. In order to writes a successful annotation, each summary must be concise...
give descriptions about how each source is useful to an author in constructing a paper or argument. These descriptions, usually a few sentences long, provide a summary of the source and describe its relevance. Reference management software
Reference management software
Reference management software, citation management software or personal bibliographic management software is software for scholars and authors to use for recording and utilising bibliographic citations . Once a citation has been recorded, it can be used time and again in generating bibliographies,...
may be used to keep track of references and generate bibliographies as required.
Bibliographies differ from library catalog
Library catalog
A library catalog is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations...
s by including only relevant items rather than all items present in a particular library. However, the catalogs of some national libraries
National library
A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...
effectively serve as national bibliographies, as the national libraries own almost all their countries' publications.
Analytical bibliography
The critical study of bibliography can be subdivided into descriptive (or physical), historical, and textual bibliography. Descriptive bibliography is the close examination of a book as a physical object, recording its size, format, bindingBookbinding
Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
, and so on, while historical bibliography takes a broader view of the context in which a book is produced, in particular, printing, publishing and bookselling. Textual bibliography is another name for textual criticism
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
.
Non-book material
Systematic lists of media other than books can be referred to with terms formed analogously to bibliography:- DiscographyDiscographyDiscography is the study and listing of the details concerning sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified musical genres...
– recorded music - FilmographyFilmographyFilmography is a collective noun for a list of films related by some criterion. For example, an actor's career filmography is the list of films he or she has appeared in; a director's comedy filmography is the list of comedy films directed by a particular director...
– films - WebographyWebographyA webography is a list of websites that pertain to a given topic. A webography is much like a bibliography, but is limited to a collection of online resources rather than books and academic journals...
(or webliography) – websites (the first use of the word "webliography" recorded in the Oxford English DictionaryOxford English DictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
dates from June 1995)
Arachniography is a term coined by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
research historian Andrew J. Butrica, which means a reference list of URLs about a particular subject. It is equivalent to a bibliography in a book. The name derives from arachne
Arachne
In Greco-Roman mythology, Arachne was a great mortal weaver who boasted that her skill was greater than that of Minerva, the Latin parallel of Pallas Athena, goddess of wisdom and crafts. Arachne refused to acknowledge that her knowledge came, in part at least, from the goddess. The offended...
in reference to a spider and its web.
See also
- Bibliographic databaseBibliographic databaseA bibliographic database is a database of bibliographic records, an organized digital collection of references to published literature, including journal and newspaper articles, conference proceedings, reports, government and legal publications, patents, books, etc...
- Bibliographic indexBibliographic indexA bibliographic index is a bibliography, an aid to search the literature of, for example, an academic field or discipline , to works of a specific literary form or published in a specific format , or to the analyzed contents of a serial publication...
- CitationCitationBroadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source . More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated...
- Citation creatorCitation CreatorCitation creators or citation generators are online tools which facilitate the creation of works cited and bibliographies. Citation creators use web forms to take input and format the output according to guidelines and standards, such as the Modern Language Association's MLA Style Manual, American...
- Ibid. / Op citOp citOp. cit. is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase opus citatum est, meaning "the work has been cited". It is used in an endnote or footnote to refer the reader to the name of the work, publication or book referenced in the footnote, while avoiding the need to restate the full title of the work in...
- Indexing and abstracting serviceIndexing and abstracting serviceAn abstracting service is a service that provides abstracts of publications, often on a subject or group of related subjects, usually on a subscription basis. An indexing service is a service that assign descriptors and other kinds of access points to documents...
- List of bibliographies (in Wikipedia)
- MetabibliographyMetabibliographyA metabibliography is a bibliography of bibliographies.Bibliographies serve the finding of relevant documents. Metabibliographies serve the finding of the relevant bibliographies in which the relevant documents may be found...
(bibliography of bibliographies) - Reference tableReference tableA reference table may mean a set of references that an author may have cited or gained inspiration from whilst writing an article, similar to a bibliography....
External links
- Oxford Bibliographies Online, in-depth annotated bibliographies by scholars in selected fields