Etymologically, the word bibliography comes from the Greek “biblion”, which means “book” and “graphein”, which means “to write”. Its definition can be understood in two ways: the first refers to the list of a set of texts, used as consultation tools in the preparation of a written or research work. In this case, the bibliography concentrates the publications of greatest interest, related to the topic to be investigated, representing an important element at the beginning of an investigation.
The bibliographies are worth scientific, academic and monographic research works, since they indicate the author’s concern to search for sources that can support the bases of his research, in the same way that they serve as a guide and added value. The bibliographies are usually located at the end of the book, they aim to show the documentary support that the investigation had, in this way the readers will be able to observe the repertoire of texts consulted by the writer, and that can serve as a reference for the analysis of a certain theme.
On the other hand, the term bibliography is used to define the science that is dedicated to the analysis of the description and orderly classification of books and other written materials. There are different types of bibliography, all aimed at the same element of research that can be a book, album, film, etc. The bibliography is divided into:
The analytical bibliography is one that details the documents as bibliographic units, among them are: descriptive, in charge of exhaustively knowing the techniques and materials used in the publication of certain material. The historical is in charge of the study of the origins of the book, its first publications, etc. and the textual one, is the one that applies the principles of analytical bibliography for the interpretation and modification of a text.
The enumerative or systematic bibliography, aims to collect information on individual texts or other graphic materials, within a logical and appropriate order, books are not seen as physical objects, but as intellectual entities. These bibliographies, in turn, are classified as: author bibliographies; bibliographic catalogues, literature guides, thematic and national bibliography, selective bibliography and universal bibliography.
