Guidelines for the Preparation of a Bibliography
Prepared by the Bibliography Committee, Collection Development and Evaluation Section, Reference and User Services Division, American Library Association, 1992. Revised by the RUSA Standards Committee and approved by the RUSA Board of Directors, June, 2001.
Introduction
The original Guidelines were adopted in 1971 by the Reference Services Division Board and revised and updated in 1982 and in 1992 by the Bibliography Committee of the Collection Development and Evaluation Section of the Reference and User Services Association. The 2001 revision was prepared by RUSA’s Standards and Guidelines Committee to reflect technological developments since the wide dissemination of bibliographies, or “webliographies,” on the World Wide Web and to make more explicit sound principles involved in the preparation of a bibliography, regardless of its format.
1.0 Purpose
1.1 The bibliography should fill a significant need in order to justify its compilation.
1.2 The subject should fit into the general scheme of available bibliographical sources without unnecessary duplication. If similar bibliographies exist, they should be reviewed, and the unique contribution of this new one should be stated explicitly.
1.3 The subject should be clearly stated in the title and defined in a preliminary statement.
2.0 Scope
2.1 The scope should be clearly defined.
2.2 The work should strive for completeness within its stated limitations (period, geographical area, medium, language, library holdings, quality, intended audience, etc.).
2.3 Formats, where different, should be identified and each described appropriately.
3.0 Methodology
3.1 Sources consulted and information on the method of compilation should be provided.
3.2 The compiler should include all available bibliographic units within the subject. A bibliographic unit is an entity in a bibliography: book, journal articles, reports, manuscripts, sound and video recordings, individual web pages and/or entire web sites, computer programs or printouts, films, charts, etc. All items not personally examined by the compiler should be so identified.
4.0 Organization
4.1 Principles of organization
4.11 The organization of material should be suitable for the subject and the targeted users.
4.12 The main arrangement should make it possible to use the bibliography from at least one approach without consulting the index.
4.13 Multiple means of access should be provided if appropriate. Means of access include both the meaningful arrangement of materials and the available indexes to those materials.
4.14 The scheme for a classified bibliography should be logical and easy for users to understand.
4.15 Bibliographies published on the World Wide Web should make use of recognized navigation features and other sound principles relating to layout and file size.
4.2 Necessary components
4.21 Every bibliography should have a statement of scope and purpose.
4.22 An explanation of how to use the bibliography should be given.
4.23 Every bibliography should have a key to all abbreviations used.
4.24 Both a table of contents and an index or indexes should be provided. In addition, a search engine or keyword searching capability should be provided for an electronic version.
4.25 Indexes should be sufficiently detailed to provide acceptable levels of recall and precision and the terminology of the indexes should be appropriate to both subject and intended users.
4.251 Cross-references should be adequate for normal reference purposes.
4.252 Multiple indexes should be provided if required for complete access to the materials.
4.3 Desirable features
4.31 Entry numbers for bibliographic units should be considered.
4.32 Location of copies of bibliographical units, if not readily available, is helpful.
4.33 Links to full text should be provided by electronic bibliographies, if available and if there is copyright clearance.
5.0 Annotations/Notes
5.1 Annotations or notes should be at one of the following three levels:
5.11 Informative notes, used chiefly when the nature or reason for inclusion of a title is not clear. Use of this minimal level of description should be limited to those bibliographies that approach comprehensiveness for the area they are covering.
5.12 Descriptive annotations should give enough of the contents to enable users to decide whether or not they want to view the original. Any bibliography designated "annotated" should have annotations at least at this level.
5.13 Critical evaluations should be discriminating and should be written by someone knowledgeable in the field. They should assess the value of each item in its relationship to other works in the area. Any bibliography designated "critical" or "evaluative" should have annotations at this level.
5.2 In each case, the annotations or notes should be succinct, informative, and on a level suitable for the intended users. If the author has drawn upon another source for the annotation, the source should be appropriately acknowledged.
6.0 Bibliographic Form
6.1 There should be sufficient information to identify the bibliographic unit easily for the purpose of the bibliography and needs of the intended user.
6.2 The bibliographic form should follow a recognized standard. Examples of these standards include, but are not limited to, those described in The Chicago Manual of Style, The MLA Style Manual, and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
6.3 The bibliographic form should be followed consistently.
7.0 Timeliness
7.1 Retrospective bibliographies should keep the time lag between closing the bibliography and its publication to a minimum. Introductory material should make it clear at what point the bibliography was closed.
7.2 Those bibliographies intended to be current should be issued as closely as possible after the publication of the bibliographical units listed.
8.0 Accuracy
8.1 Citations should be correct and free from typographical errors.
8.2 Information provided in annotations and elsewhere should be factually accurate and grammatically correct.
8.3 Provision for corrections after publication should be considered.
9.0 Format of the Work
9.1 Format and typeface should be clear and appropriate.
9.2 The volume should be sturdy enough to withstand anticipated use.
9.3 The bibliography should be designed to keep its price within the means of potential users without sacrificing important features that facilitate its use.
10.0 Cumulation
10.1 Cumulation of ongoing bibliographies is strongly recommended.
11.0 Distribution
11.1 Published bibliographies in either print or electronic format should be properly advertised and distributed as appropriate to the format, including notice to whatever standard national bibliography exists.
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