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 is related to the list of a group of texts, used as consultation tools when preparing a written work or research. In this case, the bibliography concentrates the publications of most interest, which are related to the topic to be investigated, it represents an important element when starting an investigation.
Bibliographies provide validity to scientific, academic, and monographic research works, since they indicate the concern of the author to seek sources that could support the bases of his research, in the same way it serves as guidance and adds value. The bibliographies are generally located at the end of the book, their purpose is to show the documentary support that the research had, in this way the readers will be able to observe the repertoire of texts consulted by the writer, and that could serve as a reference for the analysis of a particular topic.
On the other hand, the term bibliography is used to define the science dedicated to the analysis of the description and ordered classification of books and other written materials. There are different types of bibliography, all of them are focused on the same research element that can be a book, records, films, etc. The bibliography is divided into:
Analytical bibliography, is one that details the documents as bibliographic units, among them are: the descriptive one, in charge of knowing in an exhaustive way the techniques and materials used in the publication of certain material. The historical one, is in charge of the study of the origins of the book, its first publications, etc. and the textual, is one that applies the principles of analytical bibliography for the interpretation and modification of a text.
Enumerative or systematic bibliography, its purpose is to gather information about 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 are in turn classified in: author bibliographies; bibliographic catalogs, guides to literature, thematic, national, selective bibliography and universal bibliography.
