Understanding your reading list and using the Library catalogue Birkbeck Library

Outline Understand the references on your reading list: Book chapter references Journal article references How to find the items on the Library catalogue. How to find the items in the Library Citing and Managing 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/chapters Journal articles Web sites

Book references

All book references will include basic information such as the author, title and date of publication. They also include publisher’s name and place of publication. Understanding book references

Book chapter references

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

Journal article references

What are journals? Academic publications issued at regular intervals. 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 article 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.

Year of publication Journal title Volume and issue number Article title Author(s)

Common abbreviations

Abbreviations: et al. Latin abbreviation meaning ‘and others’. Sometimes used when there are several authors of a book or article. Instead of listing all the authors, the first author is listed followed by ‘et al’. e.g. Smith, B. 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 Ejournals - access via eLibrary

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

Search tips For books: use the author’s surname and one or two keywords from the title. For DVDs: use the director’s surname and one or two keywords from the title. Don’t type in the whole title. Don’t include first names, initials or dates. 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 CAM Older books have an alphabetical reference, e.g. GY [Dac]. DVDs are shelved together in the quiet study area. 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: 001 – 745 (+ all DVDS) Level 2: 745 – 865 Level 3: 865 – 999 and A – Z Level 4: print journals

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. Type the name of the journal in the ejournal search box. If the Library subscribes, a link to the ejournal will appear. 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 Example: 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.

Pears, R. and Shields, G. (2013) Cite them right : the essential referencing guide. 9th ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

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.

Help Contact the Library Help Desk Tel: Library summer opening hours: 10am-8pm Monday-Friday 10am-6pm Saturday & Sunday (self service only) Further details of opening hours: Any questions?