A bibliography or list of references is an
alphabetical listing of all sources (printed and electronic) from which information has
been taken either directly (by literal quotation) or indirectly (by paraphrase). You
must acknowledge all sources used to obtain information by indicating the original
author(s) as well as the specific location of the facts, arguments and quotations.
Students
at the School of Medicine should refer to our guide
explaining how to set out references based on the Vancouver Style.
Why
provide references? | International styles
| Identifying the elements | Web resources
References
are used to:
- supply evidence on which the author's (you as
researcher's) statements, arguments and conclusions are based
- enable the reader (academic staff, fellow
students) to consult the original source themselves
- acknowledge the author(s) from which the
information was taken
This is generally
done by:
- clearly identifying the source (author and
work)
- precisely stating where (on which page,
electronic location) or under which circumstances (personal interview, e-mail) you found
the information
International styles
There are a variety of style manuals available,
explaining the preferences of specific academic disciplines. It is a good idea to
ask your lecturer early in the semester which is the preferred reference technique or
method for the subject, and if it is acceptable to use Internet material in your research.
Once you have selected a reference style, you must follow the same one consistently. Well-known
international styles for academic writing that include reference techniques, are:
APA style - American
Psychological Association Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association. 1994. 4th ed. Washington, DC : American Psychological
Association.
GENERAL LIBRARY Reference
808.06615 A51 1994
TAMAKI
Reference 808.02 P97 1994
PHILSON LIBRARY Reference WZ345 A512p
MLA style - Modern
Language Association Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA handbook for writers
of research papers. 1995. 4th ed.
New York : Modern Language Association of America.
GENERAL LIBRARY Reference
808.02 M689m 1995
TAMAKI Reference 808.02 G43 1995
Other style manuals The Chicago manual of style. 1993. 14th
ed. Chicago : University of Chicago Press.
GENERAL LIBRARY Reference 808.027 C53 1993
Council of Biology
Editors. Style Manual Committee. Scientific style and format : the CBE manual for
authors, editors, and publishers. 1994. 6th ed. Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge
University Press.
ENGINEERING LIBRARY
Reference 82.081 S42
PHILSON LIBRARY Reference WZ345 C855 6th ed.
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Note the location details have only been given for copies held in Reference
Collections, check Voyager for borrowable copies.
There are also a number of style manuals
available on the Web.
Sources of bibliographic information
It is important to know which bibliographic elements
need to be described in a reference and where to find them in the source. The following bibliographic elements are involved:
| Where To Find The Bibliographic Information |
Elements To Look For |
| Books
Title page
Imprint page (back of title page) |
Author(s)
Year of publication;
Title of chapter (if appropriate)
Title of book
Edition
Place of publication
Publisher
Pages of chapter (if appropriate)
Series |
| Journal articles
Cover
Table of contents page
Articles |
Author(s)
Year of publication
Title of article
Title of journal
Volume
Issue or number
Pages of article |
| Electronic information
(including FTP, WWW sites, Telnet, Email,
Listserv, Newsgroup, CD-ROM, Diskette)
Byline or signature tag
Header of email
Listserv and newsgroup message
URL |
Author(s)
Title of document
Title of complete work (if appropriate)
Version or file number (if appropriate)
Document date or date of last revision
Protocol/site/path/file
Access date |
Style manuals on the Web:
Top
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