Distinguishing Between Bibliography & Citation

Bibliography vs Citation

Bibliography and Citation are two terms commonly used in research methodology, and it is essential to understand the difference between them. A bibliography refers to the list of books and journals a researcher refers to when writing their thesis or dissertation. It contains the list of the books in alphabetical order, either showing the titles of the books or the names of the authors. In contrast, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source. A citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression included within the body of a work to denote an entry in the bibliographic reference. This is done to acknowledge the relevance of another writer’s work to the topic of discussion in the specific area or location where the citation appears. This is the main difference between bibliography and citation.

Key Takeaways

• A bibliography is a list of all the sources the writer has used when writing the paper, including both cited and uncited sources.
• A citation is how you quote the source of the ideas within the body of the research paper, usually placed at the end of the sentence within brackets.
• The main purpose of a bibliography is to inform the reader of the books and journals referred to by the researcher, while the purpose of a citation is intellectual honesty, giving due credit to the author for the quotation or paraphrased idea.

What is a Bibliography?

A bibliography is easily understood as it stands out from other thesis or dissertation contents as it appears as a list towards the end of the paper. The primary purpose of compiling the bibliography is to inform the reader of the books and journals you have referred to as a researcher when writing your thesis or dissertation. A bibliography is a list containing all the sources the writer has used when writing the paper. This includes sources that were quoted or paraphrased in the body of the paper and those that were consulted but not used in the paper. A bibliography is in alphabetical order, usually determined by the writer’s surname. The format of the bibliography is the same as the paper’s format.

What is a Citation?

A citation is how you quote the source of ideas within the body of the research paper. A citation is typically placed at the end of the sentence within brackets. Generally, this citation includes information such as the author’s surname, date of publication, or the page number where the part you have taken the idea appears in the original book. This citation method also changes according to the format you are following. The purpose of citation is intellectual honesty, giving due credit to a specific author for the quotation you have taken from their work in support of your work. Citation occurs at various places wherever there are relevant quotations.

What is the difference between Bibliography and Citation?

• A bibliography is a list of all the sources the writer has used when writing the paper, including sources cited or paraphrased in the text and those the writer only read to have an idea of the topic.
• A citation is how you quote the source of ideas within the body of the research paper.
• Both bibliography and citation differ in terms of their purpose. The main purpose of a bibliography is to inform the reader of the books and journals referred to by the researcher, while the purpose of a citation is intellectual honesty.
• Both bibliography and citation jointly contribute to the formation of a thesis or a well-written dissertation.
• Bibliography usually appears towards the end of the thesis, while citation occurs at various places wherever there are relevant quotations, typically placed at the end of the sentence.

These are the essential differences between bibliography and citation that a researcher needs to know. As you can see, all the citations used in the body of the paper appear at the end of the paper under the name bibliography, together with the sources that were not cited.