The bibliography allows the reader to quickly understand what the basis of the work in question is. It helps the reader assess the breadth and level of the knowledge base used. The information in the bibliography allows the reader to find the source material, to ascertain its existence, and to determine whether the author has validly interpreted the information contained in it. The bibliography also often serves as a source of inspiration for familiarising ourselves with some of the broader aspects of a particular topic.
The easiest way to find the names of the author or authors of a publication is usually the title page (i.e. the first few pages of the book) and/or the cover. With regard to edited collections, the names of the editors are usually found on the title page and/or cover, whereas the authors of the respective chapters or articles are usually only listed on the contents page(s). Tip: library databases such as Finna are often a comprehensive source of information about a publication.
In regard to websites or news articles, the author's name is usually at the beginning or end of the piece of writing. Sometimes, however, finding an author’s details can require a little digging. There is also a source of material that has no personal author. The name of the entity (institution, project, etc.) that produced the content of the text is used instead.
Rule of thumb: The list of sources should include each and every source that has been cited in the rest of the text and only these sources (secondary sources should not be included).
The list of sources/bibliography should begin on the next new page after the main body text, under the heading SOURCES. At Humak, we do not separate publications by type (e.g. printed and digital sources). Each source used is included in the same list. Interviews are an exception to this and are listed in a separate list after the list of sources under the heading INTERVIEWS.
Rule of thumb: The first word of the entry in the list of sources is ALWAYS the same as that of the in-text reference.
The source list entry begins EITHER with the author's surname OR the name of the institution that produced the text OR the name of the document itself. If known, the author’s first name follows the surname. Next comes the year of publication and title of the publication. What follows next depends a little on the type of source in question. See the page on "Examples of different sources" for more information on how to reference different types of source material.
The reader should be able to find a source material in the list of sources on the basis of the corresponding in-text citation. Sources should be listed alphabetically by the author's last name. If there are references to different works from the same author, these are listed in chronological order (oldest first). If the list includes works by the same author that are published in the same year, these are differentiated by the inclusion of a lower case letter after the year of publication. These works are listed alphabetically by the first letter of the title.
The above sources as references in text:
If two authors with the same surname have published a source material in the same year, they are separated by the initial of their first name in the list of sources: (Liimatainen A. 2017) and (Liimatainen S. 2017). Should the authors share the same surname and first initial, they are listed in alphabetical order by their middle name, if known. (Hakala J. 2018) and (Hakala J. T. 2018). In any other case, the first letters of the names or parts thereof are not entered in the source reference.
NB: The names of publications and other sources in this guide are for the most part translations of their Finnish counterparts (translated for this purpose only). Therefore it is not possible to find the publications by their names or other indications given here.
The following information is required for the list of sources:
Tip: when you find something interesting in a source material and you want to cite it, write down the exact source reference information immediately. Remember to also write down the page(s) the quotation originates from. This will save you a lot of time and effort when you come to compile the list of sources in the final text.
Make a preliminary bibliography in the early stages. This will give you an indication of how your body of sources looks as a whole.