A bibliography is a list of sources that were used in writing a book, article, or web page.  A good source lets the reader know where the information came from.  This allows the researcher to either double check the author’s conclusions or to find out more about the subject. If a source does not provide a bibliography, the researcher has to guess how much the author actually knows about the subject.

The bibliography is frequently found at the back of a book along with the index.  It will give you lists of additional sources for your paper.  If these sources do not appear to be helpful, then this source may not be of much value to you.  Don’t forget to check articles and web pages for bibliographies.  Many of the better periodicals--especially journals—and web pages include bibliographies, even if occasionally they are called something other than “Bibliography “ (for example, “Recommended Readings”).