If you are pursuing or planning to pursue research, bibliography is perhaps the most important element in a research exercise. Without a bibliography, the work is in essence useless. While this may sound extreme, it is true that research without fact checking is worthless. No professor or referee will accept a thesis or research paper without citation and citation is incomplete without a bibliography or reference page. So what exactly is a bibliography?

A bibliography is a list that goes at the end of a work of research writing. The list contains all the sources utilized in the thesis. Every bibliographic reference must have the following:

• The author’s name: In every citation format, the author’s name is listed first in the bibliography. The bibliography is also ordered by author’s last name and in alphabetical order. The only exception to this is in footnotes, for Turabian format, the author’s first name is listed first. This style presents bibliographic information in footnotes or endnotes.
• The title of the resource: The title identifies the specific resource used. The title is generally the creative element of the piece; the title of the book, article, news, advertisement gives a hint of its character and lets the reader know what to expect.
• The publisher who published the source. The name and place of publication is important for verification of the type of source material. For example, if a book is published by McMillan Publishers, it is trusted to be a valid, verified resource and you can count on the facts being true. Each publishing houses have editors that fact check and no book would be published by a trustworthy publisher that contained non-verified information.
• The date of publication: The date of publication is included in the work to let the reader know when the information was published. Remember in today’s world, each data has its life. The date is important in your thesis because the reference which you present should not be out of date. The data collected and presented by you also has its life. It’s therefore advisable to conclude your research in record time.

 The scholars are required to use a format depending on the number of sources used in the thesis, setting of the sources in the chapters and the source where the information was taken from. Each element is vital for proper bibliographic listing. Please remember all your bibliography helps other scholars to find resources they may not have known to have existed before. It also facilitates the referees or examiners of the thesis or research paper to trace the steps a student took in preparing his research work.

A citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression fixed in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of acknowledging the relevance of the works of others to the topic of discussion.

Citation helps referencing; it’s a way to give credit to the writers from whom scholars borrow words and ideas. By citing the work of a particular scholar, students can acknowledge and respect the intellectual property rights of that researcher. A student can draw on any of the millions of ideas, insights and arguments published by other writers, many of whom have spent years researching and writing. All that is needed is to acknowledge their contribution in building newer assignments.

Research scholars must take advantage of the works of others while researching their own topic. Going to the library and opening a relevant book or journal and going through the  author’s bibliography, students can find more resource material listed there, to hunt for in the stacks and, after having such material, add it to their bibliography, as well.

 An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

One of the reasons behind citing sources and compiling an extensive and logical bibliography is to prove that you have done some valid research to back up your logic and claims. Readers of the thesis can refer to the citation in the bibliography and then go look up the material themselves. I want to point out here, that a well reported bibliography influences positively the examiners of the thesis. The examiners can double check a claim or interpretation done by the research scholars.

The research work shapes up stably when the scholar reads up more and collects lot of references. More information and more reading make the researcher an expert on his chosen topic. He braces the ability to explain the content of the sources and assess their usefulness. He can use and share this information with others who may be less familiar with certain terms. A good researcher will gather sources, analyze them and discuss them with experts.

The bibliography is the key element of a thesis which is used to judge the quality of the work done by the researcher.  Therefore, use up-to-date resources and be sure you know how to cite the references. Please do not ignore the nuances of a bibliography. It exhibits your critical thinking, it proves you have read and understood your sources, it establishes your work as a valid source and you as a competent researcher, and it situates your study and topic in a continuing professional conversation. And lastly, your bibliography might stimulate other researchers to carry on further work on your chosen topic of research.

Too much of flak is thrown at Narendra Modi’s cabinet selection; especially his decision of giving Smriti Irani the charge of HRD Ministry is stormed out of proportion. Congress leader Ajay Maken has condemned the selection with a series of tweets questioning educational qualifications of Smriti Irani. ‘Wondering how someone who has been made in charge of HRD falls short of educational qualifications she is not even a graduate’ Ajay Maken tweeted. BJP Party loyalist Madhu Kishwar also twitted that HRD is a crucial ministry deserving heavy weight who can deal with Chief Ministers, Vice Chancellors, Researchers and Research Institutions and that she hopes that Smriti Irani’s selction  will not saddle HRD ministry with lightweight who knows nothing about intellectual challenges facing education sector.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah criticized Mr Maken’s comment saying “To say that someone needs to be educated to be HRD Min is like saying one needs to be a pilot for Civil Aviation or a miner for Coal Min (sic).”

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) was established in 1985 dissolving the Ministry of Education. The MHRD has two departments: Department of School Education and Literacy, which oversees primary school education and literacy, and the Department of Higher Education, which oversees with secondary and post-secondary education. The Ministry’s function is to address the public and private education sector functioning by writing policies, programmes, schemes and legislation in coordination with other Ministries for the betterment of people’s education and literacy.

Some veterans in this trade believe that for running ministries such as HRD, Communications, Science and Technology, Finance it is essential for a minister to be formally studied these disciplines. On the other hand, if it is tourism ministry, child and women welfare, or the ministry of religious affairs, then educational qualifications should not matter much; the minister’s common sense should be sufficient.

Pakistan had a minister of railways who was a retired ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] general who didn’t know a bit of knowledge or inclination about engines or coaches: it seems, the ones he ordered from China were too big to fit the Pakistani railway platforms so the platforms had to be widened all the way from Karachi to Peshawar, and by then, most of the railway engines turned out to be junk. In India we have witnessed Lalu Prasad who’s famous for his rustic sense and logic. He kept his kin out of Rail Bhavan when he got complaints about them. He had the wisdom to appoint Sudhir Kumar as Officer on Special Duty and back him up fully in reforming the Railways; Lalu Prasadfor change will be remembered for bringing life back to Indian railways.

Haven’t we seen assembly’s in the world with only graduates and post graduates who have given shattering performances? I am of the opinion that a formal qualification will carry weight if it is from a genuine institution; and if it genuinely attended by the degree holder. So we have to think of better criterion other than qualifications. Knowledge without an ability of execution is worthless. Emphasis should be on the actual competence of the person than the glitterati.  When it comes to Ministers of this most diverse nation, a formal training in some disciplines is vital. Public at large is observing each action of the ministers and they would want to see a track record. Another point that begs a thought – Can a ministry be run like a corporate?  Why not? It is like a new government taking over from the older government.  The new government needs to realize realities, tackily all problems created by the older government, do a feasibility study, counter the deficits in budgets, complete the incomplete projects of previous government, put an end to the gaffes of the previous government, redesign the policies, redesign the mandates, redesign the strategies and reposition itself. In short, the government cannot be stuck in the past. And, for sure, Narendra Modi will act fast, make quick decisions, and implement effective policies.

A first time minister should be groomed; trained to read and digest policy matters, be given briefing on effectiveness, presentation and communication. Why can’t a good handbook of do’s and don’ts be prepared by veteran ministers in collaboration with expert academicians? A structural briefing is a must until the ministers are mastered and trained. So, let’s not condemn Smriti Irani’s qualifications, let’s give her some time, and let’s observe her style of decision making.  Credentials are good but they don’t entitle you to success. Many successful people, business leaders are school dropouts – they possess the uncommon prerequisite and that is “common sense.”