Reference Lists Part 1: General Guidelines

By Anneli Meeder - June 1, 2005

A reference list or bibliography is used in reports and other publications to identify the sources of information that were used in the compilation of the report. The list is typically printed at the end of the text, before the appendices.

References can include, but are not limited to: journal articles, book chapters, books, reports, conference presentations, Internet publications.

Importance of a well-organized reference list

The reference list serves a dual purpose:

• It provides verification of the text by identifying the sources of information
• It gives the reader all the data necessary to find and consult the sources directly

Therefore, it is essential to include all references used in the report and nothing but the references that were used.

A complete, consistent and concise reference list reflects on the writer's ability to organize his thoughts. A sloppy citation (for example: incomplete reference; incorrectly spelled author names; wrong page numbers) will prompt the reader to wonder if anything in the report text has also been misstated or omitted.

Elements of a citation

The following elements are required for each citation, where they can be determined:

• Author (the author can be a person or a corporation)
• Title
• Date published
• Source (for example journal title, volume number and page number; or conference proceedings title, editors, page numbers)

All these elements together form an unmistakable identification of the original source.

If the original source was cited somewhere else and has not been consulted directly in the process of writing the report, this needs to be made clear by adding the full citation of the other report after a connectiong phrase, such as "as cited in:"

In some cases, the cited publication was only published on the Internet. There are specific requirements for citing Internet publications in a bibliogaphy and I will deal with this type of citation in detail in the next help desk article.

Style Guides

There are many different ways references can be cited within the report text and the bibliography. Almost every journal has a style guide; there are different styles according to discipline; there may be company approved styles used for reports; and most people will develop a personal style in the absence of any of the above.

Style guides will tell you specifics on the following:

• Sort order of the reference list (for example: alphabetical by author, or in the order they were cited in the text, or by date)
• Author rules (how many authors of the text are cited; are first names abbreviated)
• Order of the citation elements (Author, Date, Title, Source; or Author, Title, Source, Date; or other combinations)
• Formatting rules (italicize the source title or not; where to place periods or commas; font size; quotation marks etc.)

Styles are mostly a matter of preference, there is no such thing as a universal "Correct Style". The style guide provides consistency throughout the reference list. It also reinforces the need for complete references, including all the citation elements (athor, title, date and source).

Special Case: Personal Communications

Often, personal communications are used in reports, and while they are important sources of information, they cannot be treated equally to published information in the reference list. By their nature, it is impossible for the reader of the report to obtain the information verbatim.

Personal communications can be referenced by creating a separate list of the correspondents, the date(s) the interview took place, and current contact information for the correspondent. This will serve our dual purpose of listing all information sources as well as enabling the reader of the report to verify the information.

Conclusion

All good reference lists follow these four rules:

• Cite only references that were used in the text
• Cite all references that were used in the text
• Complete citations incl. author, title, year and source.
• Consistent style

Some additional rules apply for citing Internet publications in a bibliogaphy. Read about it in the next Help Desk.