Ibid. for Dummies
adverb
What does Ibid. really mean?
Ibid. is a unique and intriguing word that is often used in academic writing and research materials. Now, before I delve into its meaning, let me ask you a question – have you ever read a book or an article and noticed those little numbers or footnotes? You know, the ones that appear after some sentences or at the bottom of the page? Well, those numbers are often used to refer to other sources or references that have been used in the text.
Now, imagine you are reading an article, and you come across a sentence that has a little number like this [1] at the end. You might be thinking, "What does that number mean? Where can I find more information about it?" Well, my curious student, this is where our word "Ibid." comes into play. When you see "Ibid." written in the footnote or at the end of a sentence, it is a signal that the information or source being referred to is the same as the one mentioned in the previous footnote or sentence. Essentially, "Ibid." is a short form of the Latin word "ibidem," which means "in the same place."
Let me paint you a picture with a little analogy. Imagine you are invited to a fancy buffet, and you are trying different food items from the buffet table. As you stroll around, you spot two plates of the same delicious pasta dish. Now, instead of writing the name of the dish twice on your list, you can simply jot down "pasta dish" next to one of the plates and write "ibid." next to the other plate. This way, when someone reads your list later, they will know that both plates contained the same pasta dish. Similarly, when authors use "Ibid." in their writing, they want to save space and indicate that the source being referred to is the same as the previous one.
But wait, there's more! Sometimes, "Ibid." is not enough to provide all the necessary information. In these cases, additional details are given to ensure clarity. For example, if the previous source had multiple pages referenced, the author might use "Ibid., p. 54" to specify the exact page being referred to. This way, readers can easily flip to page 54 and find the relevant information without any confusion.
So, my eager student, now you know that "Ibid." is a word used in academic writing to indicate that the source being referred to is the same as the one mentioned previously. It's like a little breadcrumb that helps readers find their way back to the initial source without getting lost. And remember, next time you come across "Ibid." in a text, you can impress your friends or classmates by confidently explaining its meaning!
Revised and Fact checked by Mia Harris on 2023-10-27 23:39:19
Ibid. In a sentece
Learn how to use Ibid. inside a sentece
- When writing an essay, we may need to refer to multiple books or articles. Instead of writing the full source citation each time, we can simply write 'Ibid.' to indicate that we are citing the same source as the previous one.
- In a research paper, if we mention a fact from a particular page of a book and then mention another fact from the same page later, we can use 'Ibid.' to show that both facts came from the same page.
- Imagine you are writing a report about a famous scientist and you need to cite their research papers. If the scientist has multiple papers published in the same year, you can use 'Ibid.' to refer to the same paper without repeating the same title and author again and again.
- In a history assignment, you are analyzing different sources from the same historian. Instead of writing the historian's name, book title, and publishing details each time, you can use 'Ibid.' to refer to the same source.
- When creating a bibliography, you may include multiple sources written by the same author. Instead of writing the author's name again and again, you can use 'Ibid.' to refer to the same author in consecutive entries.
Ibid. Synonyms
Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.