1. Personal Opinions or Interpretations:
* Why: Bibliographies are objective records of sources. Your personal thoughts on the source don't belong here.
* Example: "This book was really helpful for my research."
2. Summary of the Source's Content:
* Why: The bibliography lists the source, not its content. Summaries are better placed in annotations or footnotes.
* Example: "This article discusses the history of the internet."
3. Irrelevant Details:
* Why: Stick to the information needed to identify and locate the source. Unnecessary details just clutter the bibliography.
* Examples:
* "The book has a blue cover."
* "I found this article on Google."
* "The author is a well-respected scholar."
4. Informal Language or Slang:
* Why: Bibliographies are formal documents. Use academic language and avoid slang.
* Example: "This website is super useful for finding facts."
5. Personal Information:
* Why: Your name, student ID, or any other personal information is irrelevant to the source.
* Example: "John Smith's copy of this book."
6. Citations for Works You Didn't Actually Use:
* Why: Only list sources you directly referenced in your work.
* Example: Including a book in your bibliography that you only skimmed but didn't cite in the body of your paper.
What SHOULD be included in a Bibliography?
* Author(s) (last name first)
* Title of the work (in italics for books, or quotation marks for articles)
* Publication information:
* For books: City of publication, Publisher, Year of publication
* For articles: Journal name, Volume number, Issue number, Page numbers, Year of publication
* For websites: Website title, URL, Date accessed (optional)
Remember: The specific format of your bibliography (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) will dictate the exact details you include. Make sure to follow the guidelines of the style guide you are using.