Analysis of Bibliographic References by Textbook Authors in Nigerian Polytechnics

The study analyzed references listed by textbook authors from Nigerian polytechnics. The educational qualifications, subject background, and institutional affiliations of authors and publishers of textbooks were examined. Documentary research design was adopted for this study. A total of 102 books were examined using the availability sampling technique. Data gathered were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The study revealed that a significant majority of the textbooks were filled with citation errors. Findings revealed that a majority of the textbooks used the American Psychological association (APA) format of referencing. Further analysis revealed that a significant number of textbooks had no references at all. It was discovered that books by authors with lower qualifications are the most involved in the different types of citation errors. The study also revealed that few textbooks cited electronic information. The paper recommends that serious attention be given to bibliographical references by organizing workshops and seminars for authors.