Reference List vs Bibliography
A reference list and bibliography are both used in academic writing to evidence the secondary research sources you used in your coursework.
Reference lists and bibliographies have several common features as well as some which are unique to each.
What is a Reference List
A reference list is usually printed at the end of an assignment and includes the full bibliographic information for every source mentioned in the assignment.
The purpose of the reference list is to provide your lecturer or other readers with information about the sources you mentioned in your assignment.
These mentions may be ideas or data published by other researchers which support your argument, or not.
Reference lists are usually organised alphabetically by the author’s surname and formatted in the reference style required by the assignment brief.
What is a Bibliography
A bibliography is a list of all the sources you used during your research process, not just the ones you mentioned in your final assignment submission.
Bibliographies will include details of all the reading and research you did when investigating your research question and may include details of sources that were ultimately not relevant.
The aim of the bibliography is to provide a complete list of sources used in the research process.
There are three types of bibliography, analytical, annotated, and enumerative.
Bibliographies are usually organised alphabetically by the author’s surname and formatted in the reference style required by the assignment brief.
Reference List vs Bibliography
A reference list is a list of sources that you have directly referred to in your assignment while a bibliography is a list of sources that indirectly influenced your work, but you didn’t cite them.
Like a reference list, a bibliography can also found at the end of your assignment, which is why many people use the two terms interchangeably.
Although reference lists and bibliographies are quite similar and some different types of citations may regard them as the same thing, there are a few differences between them each form has a unique set of advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of creating a Reference List
· Full list of all the sources used in your assignment
· Focussed list of sources directly relevant to your research question
· Ability to verify the sources cited in your assignment
· Avoidance of plagiarism by evidencing sources used
· Transparency in the research process of all sources used
· Useful for any further research related to this research question
Disadvantages of creating a Reference List
· Can be time-consuming if dealing with many sources, or your notes are incomplete
· Different styles of referencing can be challenging to convert
· Require attention to detail about punctuation and consistent formatting of references
Advantages of creating a Bibliography
· Full list of all sources you identified during the research process
· Documented evidence of your research process
· Promotes further independent reading on subjects of interest and related to your research question
· Useful additional evidence if further discussions with your lecturer are required post-assignment submission
Disadvantages of creating a Bibliography
· List of sources with varying degrees of relevance to your research question
· Can be time-consuming to create if you don’t build alongside your research process
· Not always needed for assignment submission
Use a Bibliography and Reference List at different stages
We’ve seen that there are advantages and disadvantages of using each format, however, they can be used together at different stages of your research process and journey.
If you build a bibliography through the early stages of your research process it will be easier to build a reference list to accompany your assignment submission.
Start creating the bibliography during your search process
Each time you find a source that you download to read, make a note of the bibliographic information in a single source file.
This source file might be a word document, OneNote page, or a dedicated paper notebook. Whatever option you choose try to keep all the information together.
By keep all the bibliographic information together for the sources you have used as part of the research for your assignment you will have already created most of the reference list or bibliography needed.
Include citations in your notetaking
When you make notes from the sources you have identified as relevant to your research question create a system to cross-check and identify with the source bibliographic information.
Try to include citations or full bibliographic information alongside your notes.
This will mean you can readily identify the source when you start to write your assignment and include the citations easily.
Create the final Reference List from your working Bibliography
When you have finished writing your assignment and included all the relevant citations use your working Bibliography to create a Reference List for your assignment.
You should have all the bibliographic information you already need in a single file.
Therefore, it should be a simple task of finding the source details, copying them across and sorting the list alphabetically by author surname.
Summary
While both a reference list and a bibliography give information about sources used in academic writing, the reference list only includes sources that were directly cited in the text and is meant to provide verification of the information presented, while a bibliography includes all sources consulted during the writing process.
A bibliography is a valuable tool in which can support the research process, create a catalogue of all sources used and make the reference list straightforward to compile.
A reference list is essential for academic integrity, transparency, and credibility.
Whether you use a reference list or bibliography or both for your assignment submission will depend on the instructions from your lecturer and as described in your assignment brief.
Regardless, there are benefits to be gained in the research process, notetaking activities and writing for your assignment if you choose to start the bibliography early as use it as a research tool.
