A bibliography is a list, either indicative or comprehensive, of writings used or considered by an author in preparing a particular work.
Formats vary, but an entry for a book in a bibliography usually contains the following information about it:
- 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 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. Bibliographies differ from library catalogs by including all relevant items rather than all items that are actually in a particular library. However, some national libraries’ catalogs also serve as national bibliographies, as they contain almost all their countries’ publications.
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