To ‘cite’ means to mention as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying” or

“ to speak or write the exact words from a book, an author etc.” Citation on the other hand means

“words or lines taken from a book or speech , quotation.” 

Citations allow reader to locate and explore the sources used and consulted. It provides evidence for y

arguments and adds credibility to the work by demonstrating that one has sought out and considered a

variety of resources. In written academic work, citing source is standard practice which shows that we

are responding the view of another person. Whenever we quote or base our ideas on another person’s 

work, we must document the source we have used.

For e.g. Joseph Giabaldi has made a very comprehensive statement about documentation. He says:

Nearly all research builds on previous research. Researchers commonly begin a

project by studying past work in the area and deriving relevant information and

ideas from their predecessors. This process is largely responsible for the continual

expansion of human knowledge. In presenting their work researcher generally

acknowledges their debts to predecessors by carefully documenting each

sources, so that earlier contributions receive appropriate credit.

In fact documentation is a kind of ‘intellectual debt’ we owe to previous researchers. Research is a

continuous process, a scholarly activity hence every borrowing must be clearly documented.

Bibliographies, works cited, or references are essential to any project. Documentation is necessary for

several reasons.

  Every borrowed statement should be cited to give due credit to the original writer.

  Documentation is needed to avoid charges of ‘plagiarism’ i.e. the wrong act of taking the

product of another person’s mind and presenting it as one’s own. 

Documentations are of two types:

i)  Bibliography at the end of the thesis or paper

ii)  Citation of references

 

Bibliography

The term ‘bibliography’ is taken from the word ‘Bible’ (book) and ‘graphy’ (making) i.e.it is the

description of ‘what all books went on for the making of this book.’ The Webster Third New

International Dictionary defines the term bibliography as – 

“Descriptions and identification of the editions, dates of issue, authorship and typography of written

material, as books.” 

Preparing bibliography is not an easy task. Here we have to follow appropriate and specific pattern. In

literature the MLA (Modern Language Association) style is generally followed. Another important style is

the APA (American Psychological Association). In addition to that following steps are necessary in

preparing bibliography:

1)  Double - space after every title should be given, and list all the entries in alphabetic order.

2)  Do not number the entries, and list each citation separately.

3)  Each citation should list key information that will enable anyone reading the paper, to check the

sources mentioned in text against those listed.

4)  The information listed in citation should be as complete as possible and should always follow

the prescribed style.

While preparing work cited or bibliography the entries should provide the following information:

1)  The name of the author or authors who have written the original source document, starting

with their last name first, then first name last, separated by a comma with a period at the end

should be mentioned followed by the name of the book.

2)  The name of the publication, underlined or italicized, then the data published, in reverse order

(in APA style, the data published follows the author’s name) also with periods at the end of 

each.

3)  For a book, after the title, the name of the publisher, their location, and the year the book was

published are listed next.

 

Below are some of the styles used in writing bibliography.

APA style

Eliot,T.S. (1978). The Wasteland . London: Faber and Faber.

Faulkner,William. (1989). Absalom Absalom!. New York: Chelsea House.

MLA style

Eliot,T.S. The Wasteland . London: Faber and Faber, 1978.

Faulkner, William. Absalom Absalom!. New York: Chelsea House, 1989.

Citation of References

Citation on the other hand is the reference in detail (including page number). It is either in

the footnotes or in the notes and references given at the end of every chapter. It ensures

the exact place from which the borrowed material is taken. It must be as accurate and as

precise as possible. In citation some common abbreviation are found.

  Ibid – means in the same place.

  Idem – means the same.

  loc.cit – means in the place cited.

  op.cit – means in the work cited.

Examples

Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1995), 10.

ibid. 48

Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus (ed.), Kitty Dutta (Kolkata: Oxford University Press, 1980), 77.