Understanding reading lists Birkbeck Library

Outline Understand the references on your reading list. How to find the items in the Library. Citing references in your bibliography. Managing your references.

Reading lists

Lecturers give out lists of recommended resources to help you gain a greater understanding of your subject. These lists include references to: Books Sections of books Journal articles Web sites.

Book references

All book references will include basic information such as the author, title and date of publication. Understanding book references

Author This is the person who wrote or edited the book. The surname (family name) is listed first.

Understanding book references Date This is the year that the book was published.

Understanding book references Title This is the name of the book.

Understanding book references Edition ‘ed.’ is short for ‘edition’. This is the number of times the book has been updated and republished.

Understanding book references Place of publication This is the town where the publishing company is based.

Understanding book references Publisher This is the company that produced the book.

Book chapter references

Sometimes, you will be asked to read a specific section rather than the entire book. The reference will give additional information about the chapter. Understanding references to book chapters

Chapter ‘Ch.’ stands for ‘chapter’. This is the specific section that you need to read.

Understanding references to book chapters Author This is the person who wrote the chapter or section.

Understanding references to book chapters Chapter title This is the title of the section of the book you have been asked to read.

Understanding references to book chapters Editor In this context, ‘ed.’ stands for ‘editor’. This is the person who oversees the content of the book.

Understanding references to book chapters Date This is the year that the book was published.

Understanding references to book chapters Title This is the name of the book.

Understanding references to book chapters Place of publication This is the town where the publishing company is based.

Understanding references to book chapters Publisher This is the company that produced the book.

Journal references

What are journals? ‘Magazines’ with academic content. Usually published monthly or quarterly. Each issue has a range of articles written by different people. Contain current research – usually primary research. Ejournals are online versions of print journals.

Understanding journal references Details include the author, article title, name of the journal, date of publication, volume and issue details. Usually includes the page numbers that the article appears on.

Understanding journal references Author This is the person who wrote the article.

Understanding journal references Date This is the year that the article was published.

Understanding journal references Article title This is the title of the article you have been asked to read.

Understanding journal references Journal title This is the name of the journal that the article appears in.

Understanding journal references Volume This is the volume number of the journal. There is usually a new volume number each calendar year.

Understanding journal references Issue This is the issue number of the journal. If a journal is monthly, the first issue of the year will be (1) and the last issue will be (12).

Understanding journal references Page numbers These are the page numbers that your article appears on.

Common abbreviations

Abbreviations: et al. Latin abbreviation meaning ‘and others’. Sometimes used when there are several authors of a book. Instead of listing all the authors, the first author is listed followed by ‘et al’. E.g. Jones, S. et al.

Abbreviations: others pp. is an abbreviation for ‘pages’. Don’t forget ed. can mean ‘edition’ or ‘editor’. If there is a number in front of it, it means ‘edition’. E.g. 4 th ed. If there is a name in front of it, it means ‘editor’. E.g. Jones, S. (ed.)

How to find the items in the Library

The Library catalogue Use the catalogue to find information about: Books Ebooks DVDs Print journals.

The Library catalogue This information includes: Publication details Shelfmark (location) Number of copies Loan length Availability OR Link to access ebook.

Accessing the Library catalogue Go to the Library web site at and select catalogue.

Search tips For books: use the author’s surname and a keyword from the title. For DVDs: use the director’s surname and a keyword from the title. Don’t type in the whole title. Don’t include first names or initials. For print journals: use the full name of the journal, not the article details.

Finding items in the Library Make a note of the shelfmark. Books/DVDs are grouped by subject. Newer books have a number reference, e.g Older books have an alphabetical reference, e.g. GY. Print journals have no shelfmark and are kept in alphabetical order of title.

Finding items in the Library Shelfmarks are found on the spines of the books, videos and DVDs.

Finding items in the Library Go to the relevant floor of the Library. Level 1: 000 – 745 (+ all DVDS). Level 2: 745 – 865. Level 3: 865 – 999 and AAA–YGQ - Bliss. Level 4: Print journals (A -Z).

Journals: electronic or print? There is no difference in content. Easier to access articles electronically as remote access is possible. The Library has more titles electronically than in print. If the journal title or the date you need is not available electronically, check out the print journals.

Accessing journals electronically Go to the Library web site at and select eLibrary. Select the year, volume and then issue that you require.

Citing references

Citing references: why? To acknowledge the use of other people’s work. To avoid plagiarism. So those that read your essays can see how widely you have read. So those that read your work can see what influenced you to draw the conclusions you did.

Citing references: how? List all the resources that you have read or consulted at the end of your essay in a bibliography. List the resources in alphabetical order of surname. There are different ‘styles’ of citing references. Be consistent. Check your course handbook for your department’s preferred style.

Citing references: books Example: Drury C., (2004) Management and Cost Accounting. 7th ed. Andover: Cengage Learning. Author’s name (surname first). Date of publication. Title of book. Place of publication. Publisher.

Citing references: journals Deakin, S. and Konzelmann, S. (2004) ‘Learning from Enron.’ Corporate Governance. 12(2), pp Author’s name (surname first). Date of publication. Title of the article. Name of the journal. Volume. Issue. Page numbers.

Citing references: web sources Birkbeck Library (2012) Birkbeck eLibrary. (Accessed: 25 June 2012). Author’s name or company/organization name. Date document was produced or updated. Title of the document. URL (web site address). Date you accessed the web site.

Managing references

Keep full bibliographic details of all material read as part of your studies. If photocopying material, also photocopy the front cover or write the source details on the photocopy. Reference management software, e.g. EndNote, can be useful for large projects.