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09. 参考文献リストの見方/How to Read Bibliographies: English

Description

A bibliography is a list of documents which authors consulted for reference when writing a particular book or article. These references are very handy tools because, by reading the bibliography, you can learn the background of the book or paper as well as find other books and papers on the same subject. But if you don’t know how to interpret lists of bibliographies, you cannot obtain the resources you may need. This guide summarizes a few basic points about reading and understanding bibliographies.

Basic Citation Style

There are several citation styles. Following explanations are how to write bibliographies based on SIST(Standards for Information of Science and Technology)(in Japanese only) . The basic style contains the minimum amount of information needed to locate the original work. Understanding this style will help you when writing bibliographies for your own reports and papers. When writing a bibliography, be sure to use a clear notation method as given by your instructor. (The elements with * are optional.)

Citing journal articles

Author. Article title. Journal title. Date of publication, Volume number, Issue number, Page number(s).

Example of a citation in Japanese for a Japanese journal:
永田治樹. ライブラリーコンソーシアムの歴史と現状. 情報の科学と技術. 1997, vol.47, no.11, p.566-573.
Example of a citation in English for an English-language journal:
Kobayashi A.; Ohara-Takada A.; Tsuda S.; et al. Breeding of potato variety “Inca-no-hitomi” with a very high carotenoid content. Breeding Science. 2008, vol.58, no.1, p.77-82.

 

Citing online journal articles

Author. Article title. Journal title. Date of publication, Volume number, Issue number, Page number(s). (Media indication)*, Resource identifier, (Date referred).

Example of a citation in Japanese for an online Japanese journal:
原 祐二, 平田 隆行. 人と土がつなぐ防災ランドスケープ. E-journal GEO. 2019, vol.14, no.1, p.99-104.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ejgeo/14/1/14_99/_pdf/-char/ja, (参照 2022-8-8).
Example of a citation in English for an online English journal:
Chanteau, Stephanie H; Tour, James M. Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Molecules: The NanoPutians. Journal of Organic Chemistry. 2003, vol.68, no.23, p. 8750-8766. doi:10.1021/jo0349227, (cited 2020-10-6).


*DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a permanent ID name assigned to content objects on the internet. You can search for a specific content object by adding the DOI name after http://dx.doi.org/ in a Web browser.

Citing books (single volumes)

Author. Book title. Edition, Place of publication*, Publisher, Date of publication, Total number of pages, (Series name, Series number)*, ISBN*.

・ “Edition” will be described in the case of the second edition or later.

Example of a citation in Japanese for a Japanese book:
波平恵美子. 文化人類学. 東京, 医学書院, 1993, 241p.
Example of a citation in English for an English book:
Dickens, Peter. Social Darwinism. Open University Press, 2000, 135 p., ISBN 0335202195.

 

Citing E-books

Author. Book title. Edition, Place of publication*, Publisher, Date of publication, Total number of pages, (Series name, Series number)*. Resource identifier, (Date referred).

Example of a citation in Japanese for a Japanese E-book:
保江邦夫. 確率論. 東京, 日本評論社, 2001, 149p., (数理物理学方法序説, 4) , https://elib.maruzen.co.jp/elib/html/BookDetail/Id/3000012694, (参照 2021-08-31).
Example of a citation in English for an English E-book:
Adorno, Theodor. The Stars Down to Earth. 2nd Edition, Routledge, 2001, 248p., doi.org/10.4324/9780203519844, (cited 2021-08-31).

 

Citing an article in a collection of articles (book)

Author. “Article title”. Book title. Editor. Place of publication*, Publisher, Date of publication, Page number(s).

Example of a citation in Japanese for a Japanese book:
西平直. "概念と方法". 岩波講座哲学13. 飯田隆〔ほか〕. 岩波書店, 2008, p.233-252.
Example of a citation in English for an English book:
Scalapino, Robert A. “China - between tradition and modernity”. The study of modern China. Eberhard Sandschneider(ed.). Hurst, 1999, p.1-15.

 

Citing a Web site article

Author. “Web page title” Web site name. Revision date*. Resource identifier, (Date referred).

Example:
厚生労働省. "『生涯キャリア支援と企業のあり方に関する研究会報告書』について". 2007-7-20. 厚生労働省. 
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/houdou/2007/07/h0720-6.html, (cited 2020-10-6).

 

Citing a newspaper article

Author. Article title. Newspaper name. Date of publication, Morning / Evening edition. Edition number, Page number or sheet

Example:
守れ、日本一の農村景観. Asahi Shimbun. 2009-11-26, Morning edition. Toyama Pref. edition, Regional insert 2 (p.34).

 

Citing a newspaper article in Databases

Author. Article title. Newspaper name. Date of publication, Morning / Evening edition. Edition, Page number or sheet. Database name, Resource identifier, (Date referred).

Example of a citation in Japanese for an online Japanese newspaper:
稲村雄輝. 有人探査参加 月資源開発 先導目指す(解説). Yomiuri Shimbun. 2020-07-10, Evening edition. p.11. YOMIDAS REKISHIKAN, https://database.yomiuri.co.jp/rekishikan/, (cited 2021-08-31).
Example of a citation in English for an online English newspaper:
Schneider, Howard. IMF plan looks to bridge world's economic poles. The Washington Post. 2010-04-22, A.13. ProQuest Newspapers, 
https://www-proquest-com.ez.wul.waseda.ac.jp/newspapers/imf-plan-looks-bridge-worlds-economic-poles/docview/231283407/se-2?accountid=14891, (cited 2021-08-31).

Abbreviations Found in Bibliographies

Bibliographies use various abbreviations and shortened forms of journal names to simplify entries. The table below gives some frequently used abbreviations.

Abbreviation Full form Meaning
ibid. ibidem

in the same journal, in the same book

id. idem the same
op. cit. opere citato in the work cited
et al. et alii and others
J. journal journal
Z. Zeitschrift journal


The table below shows the shortened form of a journal title.

Abbreviated title Full title
Chem. abstr. Chemical abstracts


In WINE searches, you can search many journals by their abbreviated titles.

For More Information

  • This is a guide to writing bibliographies based on SIST 02 (How to write bibliographic information), one of the Japan Science and Technology Agency’s Standards for Information of Science and Technology (SIST). A compact reference, it is useful for students not in the natural sciences as well. SIST's website (in Japanese only) also contains detail information about it.
  • *SIST content updates ended in FY2011.

Useful Tools

  • This site lets you build your own bibliographic database by incorporating records from WINE and other bibliographic databases. The site will automatically generate a bibliography from saved bibliographic records. Since this is a Web-based service, you can access it from home, campus terminals, or anywhere else.