Notes and bibliography reference guidelines
Table of contents
This format consists of numbered notes (numbered by chapter) with a bibliography at the back of the book (or at the end of each chapter for edited volumes). Superscript numbers appear in the text to direct the reader to the bibliographic or explanatory note. The bibliography at the end of the chapter or book offers a consolidated list of all works cited with full bibliographic details.
We outline an approach for books using a notes and bibliography reference style below. However, we accept the author’s style of notes and bibliography referencing if clear and consistent and containing all the key bibliographic information needed. In edited collections, it is the responsibility of the volume editor/s to brief chapter authors on the style to be used, and to ensure that the style has been applied consistently across all chapters before submission of the final manuscript.
Please ensure that the bibliography contains all titles cited in the book and that full and correct bibliographic details have been provided. This will help reduce queries and delays during the production process.
Notes structure
As the bibliography must include the full source details, the note need not duplicate the full source. It is acceptable to use the shortened form in the note, even at first use, e.g. ‘Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma’. A page number can be added if useful, after a comma e.g. ‘Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, 101’, and must be used when making a direct quote from a source. For digital publications that may not have print locators, use specific locators such as chapter titles or sub headings.
Where subsequent notes refer to the same source, we prefer the source to be repeated in its shortened form, rather than use of ‘ibid.’, e.g.
Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, 101.
Pollan, 26.
Please do not use ‘op. cit.’, ‘loc. cit.’, ‘passim’, ‘idem’, ‘supra’ and ‘infra’ in notes.
In a note, works with two authors should list both author surnames:
Johnson and Little, ‘Looking and learning’, 45
but with three or more authors please use should use first author surname plus ‘et al’:
Stein et al., ‘The cast net’, 15.
Notes should be numbered afresh for each chapter using Arabic numerals. Please do not number notes continuously throughout the book.
Bibliography structure
It is usual to order the bibliography as a single alphabetical listing (by author surname).
Where there are consecutive works by the same author, please repeat the author name in each entry (do not replace with long dashes).
Whilst notes will use ‘et al’ for works with three or more authors, in the bibliography all names are usually given.
Where there are consecutive works by the same author, or the same combination of authors in the same order, please repeat the names rather than replacing with long dashes (which hinders accurate linking in the digital versions). Single-authored works should precede any co-authored works. Co-authored works are order by second-author surname, then third and subsequent names.
Examples
Follow the examples below for style and punctuation in notes and bibliography (please note especially the use of capitals, italics and punctuation). Please note we no longer require place of publication for book publications; citing the publisher is sufficient.
Book
ENDNOTE: Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, 101.
BIBLIO: Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A natural history of four meals. Penguin, 2006.
Case style: main titles use initial caps on all important words; subtitles use initial cap on first word, then sentence case style.
Edited book
ENDNOTE: Daum, Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed.
REFERENCE LIST: Daum, Meghan, ed. 2015. Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen writers on the decision not to have kids. Picador.Chapter in an edited book
ENDNOTE: Ingold, ‘Ensembles of biosocial relations’, 91.
BIBLIO: Ingold, Tim. ‘Ensembles of biosocial relations’. In Biosocial Becomings: Integrating social and biological anthropology, edited by Tim Ingold and Gisli Palsson, 67–93. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Case style: chapter article uses sentence case. Include the page range for the whole chapter in the bibliography.
Translated book
ENDNOTE: García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera, 45–51.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: García Márquez, Gabriel. Love in the Time of Cholera. Translated by Edith Grossman. Cape, 1998.
Journal article
ENDNOTE: Stein et al., ‘The cast net’, 15.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Stein, William III, Patrick W. Smith and Galen Smith. ‘The cast net: An overlooked sampling gear’. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, management, and ecosystem science 6, no. 1 (2014): 12–19.
Case style: sentence case for article name; initial caps for all important words of journal title (if journal title has subtitle use sentence case for this as shown). In the bibliography, include the page range for the whole article.
Online sources using DOI
ENDNOTE: Keng et al., ‘Expanding college access in Taiwan’, 23.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Keng, Shao-Hsun, Chun-Hung Lin and Peter F. Orazem. ‘Expanding college access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on graduate quality and income inequality’. Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.
Note that, unlike a URL, no accessed on date is required for online sources with a DOI, as this is a permanent identifier.
Magazine article
ENDNOTE: Mead, ‘Terms of Aggrievement’, 21.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mead, Rebecca. ‘Terms of Aggrievement’. New Yorker, 18 December 2023.
Magazine article online
ENDNOTE: Savy, ‘L’histoire à la découpe’.
REFERENCE LIST: Savy, Pierre. ‘L’histoire à la découpe’, La vie des idées, 16 May 2023. Accessed 5 October 2023. https://laviedesidees.fr/L-histoire-a-la-decoupe.
Online magazine titles are given in italics. Please give an accessed on date for online sources. Include full web address including http:// or https:// prefix.
Website
ENDNOTE: Google, ‘Privacy policy’.
BIBLIO: Google, ‘Privacy policy’, Privacy and Terms. Effective 17 September 2024. Accessed 3 April 2025. https://policies.google.com/privacy.
ENDNOTE: Manchester University, ‘History and heritage’.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Manchester University. ‘History and heritage’. Accessed 30 March 2025. https://www.manchester.ac.uk/about/history-heritage.
The names of websites are usually set in roman type. Please give an accessed on date for websites. Include full web address including http:// or https:// prefix.
Dissertation
ENDNOTE: Smith, ‘Use of technology in primary education and impact on outcomes’, 67.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Smith, James. ‘Use of technology in primary education and impact on outcomes’. PhD dissertation, University of London, 2022.
‘PhD thesis’ is also fine to use, but please be consistent throughout the bibliography.
Conference papers
ENDNOTE: Jones, ‘Developing big business’, 66.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jones, David. ‘Developing big business’, Large firms policy and research conference. University of Birmingham, 18-19 December 1999. Leeds: Institute for Large Businesses, 65–9.
Reports
ENDNOTE: Department of Health and Children, A Vision for Change.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Department of Health and Children. A Vision for Change: Report of the expert group on mental health policy. Dublin: Stationery Office, 2006. http://www.dohc.ie/publications/vision_for_change.html.
Treat title of Report as book title: main title caps on all important words. Subtitle uses sentence case. Include URL if accessed online.
Interview
ENDNOTE: Jefferson, ‘The art of criticism no. 6’.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jefferson, Margo. ‘The art of criticism no. 6’. Interview by Hilton Als, Paris Review, no. 251 (2025). https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/8391/the-art-of-criticism-no-6-margo-jefferson.
Citation is listed under the interviewee. Use sentence case for interview title. As this interview was consulted online, the URL has been given.
Video/podcasts
ENDNOTE: Cowan, ‘How green hydrogen could end the fossil fuel era’. 6:09–17. Timestamp given in this instance as indicating a direct quote from the video.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Cowan, Vaitea. ‘How green hydrogen could end the fossil fuel era’. TED Talk, Vancouver, BC, April 2022. Video, 9:15. https://www.ted.com/talks/vaitea_cowan_how_green_hydrogen_could_end_the_fossil_fuel_era.
Last updated 23/7/25