Bibliography

what is bibliography and its types are ellaborated

1. 1


Bibliography
The word Bibliography is taken from a Greek word biblion which means a"book" and graphia
means "writing". It is a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical,
cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology. Carter and Barker (2010) describe
bibliography as a twofold scholarly discipline—the organized listing of books (enumerative
bibliography) and the systematic description of books as objects (descriptive bibliography).
Etymology-
The word bibliographia 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. Currently, the field of bibliography has expanded to include studies
that consider the book as a material object. Bibliography, in its systematic pursuit of
understanding the past and the present through written and printed documents, describes a way
and means of extracting information from this material. Bibliographers are interested in
comparing versions of texts to each other rather than in interpreting their meaning or assessing
their significance.
Field of study-
Bibliography is a specialized aspect of library science (or library and information science, LIS)
and documentation science. It was established by a Belgian, named Paul Otlet (1868-1944),
who was the founder of the field of documentation, as a branch of the information sciences, who
wrote about "the science of bibliography."However, there have recently been voices claiming
that "the bibliographical paradigm" is obsolete, and it is not today common in LIS. A defense of
the bibliographical paradigm was provided by Hjørland (2007).The quantitative study of
bibliographies is known as bibliometrics, which is today an influential subfield in LIS.
Branches-
Carter and Barker (2010) describe bibliography as a twofold scholarly discipline—the organized
listing of books (enumerative bibliography) and the systematic description of books as physical
objects (descriptive bibliography). These two distinct concepts and practices have separate
rationales and serve differing purposes. Innovators and originators in the field include W. W.
Greg, Fredson Bowers, Philip Gaskell, G. Thomas Tanselle.
Bowers (1949) refers to enumerative bibliography as a procedure that identifies books in
“specific collections or libraries,” in a specific discipline, by an author, printer, or period of
production (3). He refers to descriptive bibliography as the systematic description of a book as a
material or physical artifact. Analytical bibliography, the cornerstone of descriptive
bibliography, investigates the printing and all physical features of a book that yield evidence

2. 2

establishing a book's history and transmission. It is the preliminary phase of bibliographic
description and provides the vocabulary, principles and techniques of analysis that descriptive
bibliographers apply and on which they base their descriptive practice.
Descriptive bibliographers follow specific conventions and associated classification in their
description. Titles and title pages are transcribed in a quasi-facsimile style and representation.
Illustration, typeface, binding, paper, and all physical elements related to identifying a book
follow formulaic conventions, as Bowers established in his foundational opus, The Principles of
Bibliographic Description. The thought expressed in this book expands substantively on W. W.
Greg's groundbreaking theory that argued for the adoption of formal bibliographic principles.
Fundamentally, analytical bibliography is concerned with objective, physical analysis and history
of a book while descriptive bibliography employs all data that analytical bibliography furnishes
and then codifies it with a view to identifying the ideal copy or form of a book that most nearly
represents the printer's initial conception and intention in printing.
In addition to viewing bibliographic study as being composed of four interdependent approaches
(enumerative, descriptive, analytical, and textual), Bowers notes two further subcategories of
research, namely historical bibliography and aesthetic bibliography. Both historical bibliography,
which involves the investigation of printing practices, tools, and related documents, and aesthetic
bibliography, which examines the art of designing type and books, are often employed by
analytical bibliographers.
D. F. McKenzie extended previous notions of bibliography as set forth by W. W. Greg, Bowers,
Gaskell and Tanselle. He describes the nature of bibliography as "the discipline that studies texts
as recorded forms, and the processes of their transmission, including their production and
reception". This concept broadens the scope of bibliography to include "non-book texts" and an
accounting for their material form and structure, as well as textual variations, technical and
production processes that bring sociocultural context and effects into play. McKenzie's
perspective contextualizes textual objects or artifacts with sociological and technical factors that
have an effect on production, transmission and, ultimately, ideal copy. Bibliography, generally,
concerns the material conditions of books [as well as other texts] how they are designed, edited,
printed, circulated, reprinted, collected.
Bibliographic works differ in the amount of detail depending on the purpose and can generally
be divided into two categories: enumerative bibliography (also called compilative, reference or
systematic), which results in an overview of publications 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 media
including audio recordings, motion pictures and videos, graphic objects, databases, CD-
ROMs and websites.

3. 3

Enumerative bibliography-

An enumerative bibliography is a systematic list of books and other works such
as journal articles. Bibliographies range from "works cited" lists at the end of books and articles,
to complete and independent publications. A notable example of a complete, independent
publication is Gow's, A. E. Housman: A Sketch, Together with a List of His Classical
Papers (1936). As separate works, they may be in bound volumes such as those shown on the
right, or computerized bibliographic databases. A library catalog, while not referred to as a
"bibliography," is bibliographic in nature. Bibliographical works are almost always considered to
be tertiary sources.
Enumerative bibliographies are based on a unifying principle such as creator, subject, date, topic
or other characteristic. An entry in an enumerative bibliography provides the core elements of a
text resource including a title, the creator(s), publication date and place of publication. Belanger
(1977) distinguishes an enumerative bibliography from other bibliographic forms such as
descriptive bibliography, analytical bibliography or textual bibliography in that its function is to
record and list, rather than describe a source in detail or with any reference to the source's
physical nature, materiality or textual transmission. The enumerative list may be comprehensive
or selective. One noted example would be Tanselle's bibliography that exhaustively enumerates
topics and sources related to all forms of bibliography. A more common and particular instance
of an enumerative bibliography relates to specific sources used or considered in preparing a
scholarly paper or academic term paper.
Citation styles vary.
An entry for a book in a bibliography usually contains the following elements:
 creator(s)
 title
 place of publication
 publisher or printer
 date of publication
An entry for a journal or periodical article usually contains:
 creator(s)
 article title
 journal title
 volume
 pages
 date of publication

4. 4

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 catalogs 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 [de], as the national libraries own almost all their countries'
publications
.

Descriptive bibliography-
Fredson Bowers described and formulated a standardized practice of descriptive bibliography in
his Principles of Bibliographical Description (1949). Scholars to this day treat Bowers' scholarly
guide as authoritative. In this classic text, Bowers describes the basic function of bibliography as,
"[providing] sufficient data so that a reader may identify the book described, understand the
printing, and recognize the precise contents".
Descriptive bibliographies as scholarly product-
Descriptive bibliographies as a scholarly product usually include information on the following
aspect of a given book as a material object:
 Format and Collation/Pagination Statement – a conventional, symbolic formula that
describes the book block in terms of sheets, folds, quires, signatures, and pages
Analytical bibliography-
This branch of the bibliographic discipline examines the material features of a textual
artifact – such as type, ink, paper, imposition, format, impressions and states of a book – to
essentially recreate the conditions of its production. Analytical bibliography often uses
collateral evidence – such as general printing practices, trends in format, responses and non-
responses to design, etc. – to scrutinize the historical conventions and influences underlying
the physical appearance of a text. The bibliographer utilizes knowledge gained from the
investigation of physical evidence in the form of a descriptive bibliography or textual
bibliography.
[17]
Descriptive bibliography is the close examination and cataloging of a text as
a physical object, recording its size, format, binding, and so on, while textual bibliography
(or textual criticism) identifies variations – and the aetiology of variations – in a text with a
view to determining "the establishment of the most correct form of [a] text (Bowers 498[1]).
Bibliographers-
A bibliographer is a person who describes and lists books and other publications, with
particular attention to such characteristics as authorship, publication date, edition,

5. 5

typography, etc. A person who limits such efforts to a specific field or discipline is a subject
bibliographer."
A bibliographer, in the technical meaning of the word, is anyone who writes about books.
But the accepted meaning since at least the 18th century is a person who attempts a
comprehensive account—sometimes just a list, sometimes a fuller reckoning—of the books
written on a particular subject. In the present, bibliography is no longer a career, generally
speaking; bibliographies tend to be written on highly specific subjects and by specialists in
the field.
The term bibliographer is sometimes—in particular subject bibliographer—today used about
certain roles performed in libraries and bibliographic databases.
One of the first bibliographers was Conrad Gessner who sought to list all books printed in
Latin, Greek and Hebrew in Bibliotheca Universalis(1545).
 ****************8888**gkgjasdklfjasl;dkfjasl;dkfj6
****************************************************************************
Bibliography Definition, Format and Examples-
What is a Bibliography?
bibliography can be defined as,
“A list of reference materials (involving any kind of content ; text, music, paintings, video
etc.) elucidating the type, nature and other detailed information on the basis of name, date,
place and genre of the materials.”
OR
“A complete categorical compilation of any type of content based on it’s creator(s), editors
and time (of production, distribution).”

Bibliography, also known as works cited, reference list is basically an orderly study and
referencing of books and source materials used in academic research. It might or might not
include any information on the literary analysis or criticism of the materials cited.
Etymology and Origin-

6. 6

The etymology of this term can be semantically traced back to the New Latin bibliographia. It is
a Greek word meaning “copying of books.”
bibli (books) and graphia -graphy (writing)
The concept was in practice by Greek writers in the first three centuries AD and was referred to
as the copying of books by hand. By the turn of 12th Century, the concept took a literal form
and was referred to as the intellectual practice of compiling books and materials. The modern
day notion of bibliographies, however, only took off in the 17th Century.
Importance and Use of Bibliographies-
A mandatory requirement of copyright laws and academic conventions is that whenever
a research paper is written, there should be a section at the end of it where you acknowledge the
sources used.
So, bibliography means listing all the sources which you have consulted while writing your essay
or research article.
The sources may be in the form of printed and online books, websites, web documents, web
blogs, newspaper articles, journals, pod casts, wikis, unpublished material, maps etc.
Citation ensures that the information contained in the research paper is based on logic, truth and
facts. Absence of references or bibliography indicates that the paper may be a piece of
plagiarism.
Standard Citation Styles Used in Bibliographies-
There are various formats used in the creation of bibliographies such as the American
Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association of America
(MLA) and Chicago Manual of Style and Council of Biology Editors (CBE).
The APA style of referencing is common in the papers written on topics of social sciences;
MLA style is used in field of humanities; and
CBE is a popular citation style in the natural sciences.

7. 7

APA Bibliography Format Definition and Examples-
APA style referred by American Psychological Association uses both in-text citations and a list
of references to document the sources. This style is used in social sciences.
For Example,
According to Adams (2008), …..
…… (Adams, 2008).
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Follow this format while citing book with one author using APA style:
1. Author: Include author’s last name and only the initials of the first name.
2. Year: Year of publication will be included in parenthesis.
3. Title: Title should be in italics and only the first word of title should be capitalized or any
proper noun.
4. Place of Publication: Mention city name followed by country name separated by a comma.
5. Publisher: include the name of publisher.
Author’s Last name, Initials . (Year) . Title (italicized) . Place of publication : Publisher.
Spielberg, S. (2010). Creative Writing. Boston, MA: Bedford/St.Martin’s.
MLA Bibliography Format Definition and Examples
MLA style is used in English and humanities. MLA bibliography uses in-text citation to list
sources within the text of your research document and a list of works cited at the end of research
document. For example,
According to Albert Einstein…. (47).
…(Albert Einstein 47).
You can easily find the MLA citation from book’s title page and copyright page. Follow this
format while citing book with one author:
1. Author: Last name should come before the first name.

8. 8

2. Title: Title should be in full and it should be capitalized and italicized.
3. Publisher: Use the full name of publisher.
4. Date: Use most recent publication date mentioned in book’s copyright page.
Author’s last, First Name . Title(italicized) . Publisher , Date.
Hall,Thomas A. Court Cases. FT Press, 2010.
Standard Bibliography Format
*Bibliography Format for a Book
A standard bibliography for a book typically consists of the following information:
 Author(s)
 Title
 Publisher
 Date of Publication
*Bibliography Format for a Periodical & Journal Article
An entry for a journal or periodical article contains the following information:
 Author(s)
 Article Title
 Journal Title
 Volume Number
 Pages
 Date of Publication
*Bibliography Format for Internet Sources
Format for internet sources usually includes the following information:
 Author (Website)
 Article Title

9. 9

 Publication Information
 Version
 Date of Publication
 Location (Digital Object Identifier – DOI or URL)
*Top Five Bibliography Generator or Bibliography Maker Websites-
There are a lot of free online bibliography generator tools which have made this difficult task of
citation easy for students. Whichever format you use, they have the option to cite the reference;
be it MLA, APA or Chicago. These tools offer a variety of sources for citation including books,
journals, magazines, eBooks, website, software, online video or presentation and much more.
Some of these websites include a plagiarism checker to check whether the content you have used
is free of plagiarism. Top 5 websites are:
1. BibMe
2. CiteThisForMe
3. RefDot
4. OttoBib
5. EasyBib
*Types of Bibliographies-
Annotated Bibliography
This provides a brief description or annotation of the cited sources. The annotation comprises of
a brief summary of content along with a short analysis or evaluation.
How to Write an Annotated Bibliography
Often times, your instructor wants an annotated format for your research paper. This is an
informative way to document the research paper, as it will include all the sources used in your
research along with brief description. Make sure to summarize the main points of the source in

10. 10

your annotation. This helps to evaluate the source in terms of how it relates with your research
project. So, make sure it provides useful summary of the content included.
Annotated Bibliography Example
Here is a format for a research paper which discusses the use of e-learning in school and college
classrooms.
Ruttenbur, Jared. eLearning: The Engine of Knowledge Economy. Information Science
Reference, 2010.
This books provides industry based information on how e-learning can be introduced in
educational system using practical examples explained with industry based approach.
Current Bibliography-
It provides a list of published material and sources which are recently published or currently
recorded material. The purpose of a current bibliography is to report recent literature as soon as it
is published.
Retrospective Bibliography-
It provides a lists of documents or parts of documents (articles) published in previous years, as
distinct from a current bibliography.
Serial Bibliography-
It is published over a period of known and pre-defined time slots. Time intervals for serial
bibliographies normally range from weekly to annual basis and informs on the updates of book
and research article titles.
National Bibliography-
This provides a list of documents and sources published in a particular country and are produced
in the national or local language of a country.
International Bibliography-

11. 11

This provides a list of works, sources, publications, manuals, books, notes, articles and websites
collected from world wide sources.
Subject Bibliography-
This provides a list of works and sources relates to a specific subject.
Period Bibliography-
It provides a list of works and publications produced within a specific period range.
Analytical Bibliography-
It refer to the collection of sources and material for the purpose of critical study and evaluation
and refers to the following categories:
Descriptive (Physical) Bibliography-
This provides a list of detailed facts for a book analysis by listing its size, format, binding, and
publication details.
Historical Bibliography-
It provides a list of contextual factors related to the production of a book i.e. printing details,
publishing, bookselling and binding etc.
Textual Bibliography-
It provides a list of literary materials, concerned with identification and editing of transcription
errors from manuals, manuscripts, transcripts, scribes and inscriptions.
Enumerative (Systematic) Bibliography-
It provides a list of the list of books according to some system, common theme or reference plan
and includes information on by author, by subject, or by date.
Contrary to a descriptive style, an enumerative one only provides minute details on books and
sources.

12. 12

Bibliographies for Non-book Sources-
Discography-
A discography is the systematic process which involves listing, categorization and branding of
musical materials or phonographs on the basis of artists, composers, conductors, genres and era.
Filmography-
A filmography provides a list of films, documentaries and movies collected and grouped w.r.t a
certain topic or theme.
Webography (Webliography) or Internet Bibliography-
A webography, webliography or internet bibliography provides a list of websites related to a
certain topic or subject. A website bibliography is limited to the listing and citation of online
sources.
Arachniography-
An arachniography provides a reference list of URLs collected on a specific subject or topic.
The term has been coined by NASA research historian Andrew J. Butrica.