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bibliography

By , About.com Guide

Definition:

A list of works on a particular subject or by a particular author. Adjective: bibliographic. See also:

Etymology:

From the Greek, "writing about books"

Examples and Observations:

  • "Basic bibliographic information includes title, author or editor, publisher, and the year the current edition was published or copyrighted. Home librarians often like to keep track of when and where they acquired a book, the price, and a personal annotation, which would include their opinions of the book or of the person who gave it to them"
    (Patricia Jean Wagner, The Bloomsbury Review Booklover's Guide. Owaissa Communications, 1996)


  • "It is standard practice in scholarly writing to include at the end of books or chapters and at the end of articles a list of the sources that the writer consulted or cited. Those lists, or bibliographies, often include sources that you will also want to consult. . . .

    "Established conventions for documenting sources vary from one academic discipline to another. The Modern Language Association (MLA) style of documentation is preferred in literature and languages. For papers in the social sciences the American Psychological Association (APA) style is preferred, whereas papers in history, philosophy, economics, political science, and business disciplines are formatted in the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) system. The Council of Biology Editors (CBE) recommends varying documentation styles for different natural sciences."
    (Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II, The Scribner Handbook for Writers, 3rd ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2001)
Pronunciation: bib-lee-OG-rah-fee
Also Known As: works cited

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