Main | Site Map | Site Index

Greek | English

 
 

 

 

 

 
References/Bibliographic References

 

What are cross references/bibliographic references?

What is plagiarism?

How do I locate bibliographic references?

How can I create and manage a bibliography?

What is bibliographic reference style?

 

Whar are cross references/bibliographic references?

When writing an assessment or research paper it is necessary to use information and cited references from works by other authors, in order for the person who is writing the work to support his ideas but also corroborate what he has said. Also, it is essential that reference is made to the sources that the author has studied from which he drew the information. This way plagiarism is avoided and moreover allows the reader immediate access to the initial source thus verifying or contradicting what was written concerning the source.

The use of citations/bibliographic references help the reader to
understand the wider subject scope which the author has studied in order to complete his work. This way it is possible for the reader to consult other sources relative to the subject so that he may research it further.

Citations/bibliographic references help show the methodology that was followed by the writer in order to locate and develop his sources. By using citations/bibliographic references the writer strengthens and proves the quality of his works but also his integrity and ability as a responsible and active member the scientific and research community.

The use of citations/bibliographic references lends recognition to the author and verifies the authenticity and the legitimacy of his ideas and perceptions. According to the law, in order for the author to secure copyright, it is essential that the use or apposition of ideas or the extract of his work, must be accompanied by a report of the source with the necessary bibliographic information.

There are two ways to apposition the sources in a work:

  • Α. References (In-Text citations)
  • Β. Bibliography List/citations
References (In-Text citations) are explanatory notes which are included in the text of a work and which make reference to the sources from which information or extracts were taken. These references provide the reader with the ability to look up and verify the sources, their parables with others and further information. These references include the relative bibliographic information within the text thus not interrupting the flow of the text and at the same time affecting the flow of reading.

Regarding the apposition of sources within the text of a work the bibliographic information must be in parentheses. Bibliographic references must be in writer/chronology format so that the reader may find all the information regarding the sources used in the bibliography list. Example: (Walker 2006)

If a source refers to two writers, then their names are presented in the order in which they appear.
Example: (Walker & Harding 2006)

If a source refers to more than two writers, then the abbreviation et al. is used. Example: (Fennell et al. 2004)

The numeration of pages may or may not be included depending on the type of reference in the source in order to show a particular page or a sequence of pages. Example: (Walker 2006, p.55) or
(Fennell et al. 2004, pp.35-40)

Regarding an electronic source, in which there is no page numeration, reference may be made to the number of the paragraph in order to indicate which part of the text the author is referring.

When reference is made to two or more texts by different writers, they must be separated by (;).
Example: (Theobald 2004; Weed 2008)

The references (In-text citations) can be:

1. Reference in form of a footnote/note:

The information appears in the form of a footnote at the bottom of the page or in the form of a note at the end of a chapter.
The footnotes/notes are declared with the addition of serial number at the point where the writer wants the index citation to appear.
The footnotes appear at the bottom of the page in smaller lettering and stand out from the rest of the text by a dividing line while the notes appear at the end of each chapter or work.

In the later the numeration can be continuous for all the chapters or it can begin at the beginning of each chapter separately.

Example:
______________________________________

 ² Baudelaire, Mon Coeur mis à nu, cited in Beatrice Farwell, The Cult of Images: Beaudelaire and the 19th-Century Media Explosion (Santa Barbara, Calif.,1977), p.7.

 

 

2. Quotation Reference:

Double quotation marks are used (“”) in order to quote the words of the writer. Reference must be made to the position of the source used (page numeration or paragraph number).
If the quotation reference in the source exceeds 40 words then quotation marks are not used and that paragraph can be indented.

Example:
Jay Lorsch, Harvard Business School professor, wrote in the New York Times: “I like to see American managers take boards seriously and use them as a check and balance against the abuse of management. When you play with boards in this way, you undermine their legitimacy.”(March 18, 1991.)

 

3. Indirect quotation/paraphrase:

If conclusions from a research or ideas from another author are paraphrased then they should be included as part of the text but in the words of the person who is writing the work.
When an idea is paraphrased or quoted from another work, it is not considered always necessary to quote the position of the source (page numeration), although it is considered useful. 

Example:

According to James D. Wolfensohn (1999), the proper governance of companies will become as crucial the world economy as the proper governing of …

 

4.Reference from a secondary source:

If an idea is cited by a writer who is quoting from another author, then the phrase used is: “cited in”. However, in the list of bibliographic references/bibliography at the end of a work, only the secondary source is cited.

Metz´s observations still stand that a still image is not in itself “a discrete unit”.
(cited in Metz, 1974: 26)

 

5.Reference to a work without the name of a writer or an anonymous writer:

When a work does not mention the name of the writer or the writer is anonymous, the reference (in-text citation) is composed of the the first three words of the title (in italics), followed by the year and the page number.

Example:
This was evidently the case in the period of Renaissance (Temporary art 1998, p.74).

 

The list of Citations or Bibliography is found at the end of a book or research paper and is entitled References/Bibliography.

The list of bibliographic references cites in alphabetical order (by author name) only the sources which have been used in the writing of a work and which are related to the particular subject of study. However in a bibliography not only are the used sources cited but also the sources that were studied but not actually used in the research.

 The same style must be used when creating the list of citations and bibliography.
The following must be included in the citations/bibliography:
Author or Editior, publication year, book title, publication information:

  • regarding books, the name of the publisher and the place of publication. If there are two or more places of publication, the one that is mentioned first should be the one quoted.
  • regarding journals, the volume number, the issue and the page number.
  • regarding web-pages, the full web address (URL).

 

*Note: The use of web pages as the main source should be avoided because their content is not stable. They are mainly used when searching generally for a bibliography relative to the subject of research.

  • Works of the same author and which are published in the same year are separated by letters which are added on the year.

 

Example: If two works were used by M. Kozak and both have been published in 1988, then one will be written as 1988a and the other as 1988b.

 

Many different styles of bibliographic format have been developed, which although they include the same bibliographic information they differ in the way they are formatted and the information is presented.

However, it is recommended that the students consult their professor so that he may recommend to them which style of bibliography he prefers that they use.


 

  

 

[Top of page]

 

What is plagiarism

Plagiarism is the use of the language and ideas of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.

Thus, in order to avoid any accusations of plagiarism, all sources which were used in the completion of a work/research must be mentioned.

Moreover, the sources must be mentioned in case that some ideas, theories or information although familiar to the public may still remain unknown to the readers of the work in question.

Finally, sources that give additional information on the subject must be mentioned either to express different opinions on a subject or to simply help the reader look up the initial sources if there is a relative inerest in the subject.

[Top of page]

What is bibliographic style

Over a period of time, various bibliographic report styles have been developed which differ from each other in the way that the bibliographic information is formatted and presented.

However, on a worldwide level it is usually preferred that certain bibliographic reference styles are used for certain subject areas.

Agriculture
Harvard Style
ASABE (Agricultural and Biological Engineers)

Graphic Arts
Cambridge Style
MLA (Modern Language Association)
Harvard Style

Communication
APA Style (American Psychological Association)

Electrical Engineering
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
Harvard Style

Engineering
ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
APA Style
Harvard Style

Nursing
AMA (American Medical Association)
Vancouver Style
NLM Style (National Library of Medicine)

Civil Engineering
ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers)
APA Style
Harvard Style

Tourism
Harvard Style
APA Style
MLA (Modern Language Association)

 

*Note:
Through Refworks tool the possibility of managing and formatting your bibliographic references according to various international styles is possible, like Harvard Style, APA Style, Vancouver, etc.

 

[Top of page]

 

 

 

 

Search the Library website


Google Scholar

 

 

Library and Information Services
PO Box 50329, Limassol
Tel: +357-25002518
Fax: +357-25002761
e-mail: library@cut.ac.cy
 

© Copyright 2008-2009 Library and Information Services