How to decipher and use your reading list

What will I learn in this tutorial?

Once you have worked through the following pages you will be able to understand the way that information sources are listed (the citations) on your reading list and where to start looking for these items.

You will:

• be able to look at a list of citations and tell the difference between the most common types of information
• learn about some common areas of confusion
• learn some useful tips about finding what you need

What am I looking at?

Here is a sample reading list, with the different types marked:

In order to find information, you need to know what sort of information it is that you are looking for. To do that you need to be able to recognise the way different information types are referenced (cited). Citing styles can vary (mainly in the order that details are listed) but a good citation should always contain the same basic information.

Which one's a book?

This is a typical way of listing (citing) a book on a reading list. Some lecturers may use a slightly different style that places the date at the end.

Some clues that it is a book:

• there are publishing details
• there are NO volume or issue details
• a chapter number is listed

Which one's a journal article?

Often your lecturer will ask you to read articles taken from journals. Sometimes these readings will have been placed on Reserve, sometimes you will be expected to find them yourself. In both cases you need to recognise what you are looking for.

Some clues that it is a journal article:

• there are no publishing details
• there are volume or issue details
• there seem to be two titles - use the journal title to search the catalogue

Which one's a book chapter?

Sometimes a lecturer might direct you to a specific chapter or section of a book. It is important that you are able to recognise the differences between this type of citation and journal article so you can look in the right place.

Some clues that it is a book chapter:

• there are publishing details
• there are NO volume or issue details
• there appear to be two titles - use the book title to search in the catalogue
• there appear to be two authors - use the book's author/editor to search in the catalogue
• the word "in" appears after the first title, indicating that the material appears in some other item

Which one's a conference paper?

Sometimes a lecturer might direct you to a specific paper published as part of a conference proceedings. It is important that you are able to recognise the differences between this type of citation and journal article so you can look in the right place.

Some clues that it is a conference paper:

• there are publishing details
• there are NO volume or issue details
• there appear to be two titles - use the conference title to search in the catalogue
• there appear to be two authors - use the conference's author/editor to search in the catalogue
• the word "in" appears after the first title, indicating that the material appears in some other item

NOTE: Proceedings is often abbreviated to Proc. There are many other possible abbreviations.

This citation doesn't seem right

Writers sometimes make mistakes on bibliographic lists. Common mistakes include:

• recording a different publishing date to the copy of the book you find in the library (may be a different printing)
• not updating the edition number - check which one you should be using
• misspelling the name of an author or title (try searching on different terms)

Sometimes they assume that you will know what a shortened reference means. For instance:

• they might list only the author of a book because they listed the full citation earlier in the list or in other notes
• some writers use the standard abbreviations of journal titles, or in their citations

How do I find it in the library?

When the time comes to find an item in the library bring as much detail about it as you can and note down all the relevant information you get from the library catalogue. This will help you find the item on the shelves.

Apart from the citation details of the item you should also note your course code and lecturer's name, as these details are often attached to the item in the catalogue.

Once you have found the item in the catalogue make sure you note down:

• the full call number
• which branch holds the item
• whether or not the item is on loan

Reading lists and the catalogue

Library staff provide students with easy, direct access to items on course or unit reading lists. We create a web page from the course or reading list supplied by lecturers and hyperlink to the items or to more information about the item. For journal articles and book chapters the links go to either a library database or to a version photocopied and digitised by the library. Links to books held by the library go to the library catalogue record and from there you can check item availability.

Search for reading lists in the library catalogue using either the Reading Lists button or choose the Reading Lists tab within the catalogue search screens. Search for your course or unit list using this pattern: abc1234 (ie no spaces).

Summary

The key things to remember about using your reading list are:

• different types of information are cited in different ways
• recognising these different types is the key to finding them in the library
• be flexible when you're searching - try some different options
• get as much accurate information about an item as you can
• if in doubt, ask your lecturer, tutor or library staff for help

If you need more help contact the library.