bibliography

IPA/ˌbɪbliˈɒɡrəfi/
KK[bˌɪbliˈɑɡrəfi]IPA/ˌbɪbliˈɑːɡrəfi/

bibliography — noun

  • bibliographysingular
  • bibliographiesplural

1. a list that names books, articles, and other texts used for a piece of writing o

1.nounC1
Definition

a list that names books, articles, and other texts used for a piece of writing or collected around one subject, writer, or publisher

Example

At the end of her essay, Mia added a short bibliography.

common pattern: add a bibliography at the end

Professor Chen checked the bibliography before accepting Leo's history paper.

Common collocations
  • annotated bibliography
  • selected bibliography
  • compile a bibliography
  • include a bibliography
Synonyms
  • references

    Common academic label for the sources named at the end of a paper.

  • reading list

    Usually suggests books to read, not only sources already used.

  • works cited

    More specific academic term for items directly cited in the text.

Grammar Patterns

add a bibliography

bibliography of/on + subject

Usage Note

Often follows verbs such as add, include, compile, or update. With on or of, it can mean a reading list about one subject or author; in student writing, it often means the source list at the end.

Common Mistakes

I put the whole article in the bibliography.
I put the article in the bibliography.
A bibliography is the list, not the full text itself.
Her bibliography tells the story of her life.
Her biography tells the story of her life.
A bibliography lists writings; a biography tells a person's life story.

2. an academic field about books and printed material, especially how they were mad

2.nounC2
Definition

an academic field about books and printed material, especially how they were made, what they look like, and how libraries describe and group them

Example

Sara studied bibliography while training to work in rare-book libraries.

pattern: study bibliography as a subject

In bibliography class, Lena compared early maps, paper, and printing styles.

Common collocations
  • descriptive bibliography
  • study bibliography
  • bibliography research
  • course in bibliography
Synonyms
  • book history

    A broader modern term that covers how books are made, shared, and used.

  • textual scholarship

    Often focuses more on texts and editions than on the book as a physical object.

  • library science

    Much broader field that includes services, systems, and library management.

Grammar Patterns

study bibliography

course in bibliography

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and mostly seen in library science, rare-book study, and book history. Distinguish from sense 1, where bibliography means a list you can put at the end of a paper.

Common Mistakes

He is taking a bibliography this term.
He is taking a course in bibliography this term.
In this sense, bibliography usually names a field of study, not a single class object.
The teacher asked for bibliography, so I wrote about printing history.
The teacher asked for a bibliography, so I made a source list.
Sense 2 is the academic field; sense 1 is the list of sources.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, bibliography is a broad word for a list of writings linked to a topic, author, or piece of research. References is common in academic writing and usually points to the exact sources named at the end of a paper. Works cited is even narrower, especially when only directly quoted or mentioned items are included. A reading list is often for study or recommendation, so it may contain useful books that the writer did not use. Catalogue is wider still: it can list many kinds of items, not just books or articles. For example, a teacher may ask for a bibliography in a report, but a course website may post a reading list for next week.

references ↗reading listworks citedcatalogue ↗

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Bibliography comes from Greek parts meaning 'book' and 'writing'. It reached English through learned European forms and first meant writing about books; later it also came to mean the actual list of books or articles connected with a subject or used in a work.