bibliography

American  

[bib-lee-og-ruh-fee] / ˌbɪb liˈɒg rə fi /

noun

plural

bibliographies

1. a complete or selective list of works compiled upon some common principle, as authorship, subject, place of publication, or printer.

2. a list of source materials that are used or consulted in the preparation of a work or that are referred to in the text.

3. a branch of library science dealing with the history, physical description, comparison, and classification of books and other works.

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bibliography British  

/ ˌbɪblɪəʊˈɡræfɪk, ˌbɪblɪˈɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. a list of books or other material on a subject

2. a list of sources used in the preparation of a book, thesis, etc

3. a list of the works of a particular author or publisher

4. 1. the study of the history, classification, etc, of literary material

   2. a work on this subject

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bibliography Cultural  

1. A list of the written sources of information on a subject. Bibliographies generally appear as a list at the end of a book or article. They may show what works the author used in writing the article or book, or they may list works that a reader might find useful.

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Other Word Forms

• bibliographer noun
• bibliographic adjective
• bibliographical adjective
• bibliographically adverb
• minibibliography noun

Etymology

Origin of bibliography

From the Greek word bibliographía, dating back to 1670–80. See biblio-, -graphy

Explanation

A bibliography is a list of writings by an author, such as the lengthy bibliography of Joyce Carol Oates, or a list of writings someone uses in a project, like the bibliography at the end of a research paper. Bibliography comes from the Greek word biblio, or "book," and graphos, which is "something written or drawn." So, a bibliography is made when someone writes a list of books or other written works. You may have included a bibliography with a research paper you have written, to give credit to your sources. However, due to the popularity of using internet sources instead of books these days, some writers prefer "Works Cited" over "Bibliography."

Example Sentences

Mr. Allport’s command of his sources is remarkable, and the bibliography is vast.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

“You have to have a certain number of photos, a nice range of topics, and a bibliography, though they don’t care if that’s in the book or on a website somewhere,” Brown explained.

From Slate • Nov. 3, 2025

In 2003 he took an African American art history class in graduate school, and when he tried to put together a bibliography, he found it difficult to find primary sources.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025

McMurtry’s life, like his bulging bibliography, is tough to get one’s arms around.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2023

And bibliography has to do with books, not words.

From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper