“Ibid” is a Latin term used in footnotes to refer to the same source previously cited, saving space and time. It can also be used to refer to the same author’s multiple works. Different citation rules apply, so it’s important to consult a style manual before submitting material for publication.
Ibid is a contraction of ibidem, a Latin word meaning “the same place”. This term is most commonly used for footnotes in scholarly texts, allowing the author to use it instead of quoting a long title. In legal texts, people may use “id,” an abbreviation of “ditto,” a word meaning “as mentioned above.”
In essence, this term is a fanciful form of ditto signs. If, for example, a writer refers to something like The Effects of Factory Emissions on the Nile Reservoir: An Environmental Study, it’s a long title to refer to again and again. Instead, it can reference the title in a footnote and then use “ibid” in future footnotes. If the writer moves to a new position in the text, he can alert your readers with “Ibid (page 23)” or a similar note, depending on the type of citation format you are using.
When a new source is introduced, the process starts all over again. In other words, if the author quotes The Effects of Factory-Produced Emissions on the Greater Nile Watershed: An Environmental Study once and follows up with four more quotes marked “ibid” before moving on to Cultural Practices in the Southern Nile Floodplain, when the term is used after this source, it would refer to cultural practices in the South Nile floodplain, not the original text.
The use of “ibid” refers to both an author and a text. In some scholarly texts, people use “ditto” to refer to a single author if multiple works by the same author are cited, as in “John Smith, Purple Elephants After Midnight (Saint Louis, University of Missouri Press, 1974), 367; ditto, Under the Lily Trees (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1981), 284.” While replacing an author’s name with “ditto” might seem a little lazy, some authors have rather long names and titles, and the term saves space and time.
Different academic disciplines have different citation rules, and specific faculty, university, and publications may have their own preferences. For this reason, it’s a good idea for a writer to consult a style manual before submitting material for publication, review, or evaluation, to ensure it meets basic stylistic standards for the venue to which it is being submitted. While making small changes to your annotation practices may seem finicky to some, it ensures that the material is standardized and that submissions that have not been properly edited may be rejected.
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