Are bibliographies counted in written work word counts for applications?

Hello,

I really only have one good piece to submit for my written work on my application, and it is 2096 words long including the bibliography. I can't really shorten it by the full 96 words, so I was wondering if the bibliography (which is 227 words), is included. I cannot find anything on the website that clearly states the policy on this matter. I've had it go either way in the past, and thought I'd double check before begging for a bonus assignment that I can write in time.

I have emailed to ask, but not yet heard back (and all previous queries have gotten replies that make me question if they actually read the message, even on plain yes or no questions (ie: they answer and i cant actually tell if its a yes or no.))

Thank you for any responses.

Hello,

I really only have one good piece to submit for my written work on my application, and it is 2096 words long including the bibliography. I can't really shorten it by the full 96 words, so I was wondering if the bibliography (which is 227 words), is included. I cannot find anything on the website that clearly states the policy on this matter. I've had it go either way in the past, and thought I'd double check before begging for a bonus assignment that I can write in time.

I have emailed to ask, but not yet heard back (and all previous queries have gotten replies that make me question if they actually read the message, even on plain yes or no questions (ie: they answer and i cant actually tell if its a yes or no.))

Thank you for any responses.

Think about it. Even if they did count, the cut off would be in the bibliography! They don't care, they just want to stop obsessives with no judgement from sending in 10,000 word rants when an academic can tell the quality of a piece within a few 100 words.

Hello,

I really only have one good piece to submit for my written work on my application, and it is 2096 words long including the bibliography. I can't really shorten it by the full 96 words, so I was wondering if the bibliography (which is 227 words), is included. I cannot find anything on the website that clearly states the policy on this matter. I've had it go either way in the past, and thought I'd double check before begging for a bonus assignment that I can write in time.

I have emailed to ask, but not yet heard back (and all previous queries have gotten replies that make me question if they actually read the message, even on plain yes or no questions (ie: they answer and i cant actually tell if its a yes or no.))

Thank you for any responses.

I can understand the confusion - it is a bit vague on the website. I would think that the bibliography would be excluded, as most people just submit regular school work that doesn't require one. Even if the bibliography technically went over, I doubt a tutor would be so harsh as to reject you for it. However, I can't really give you a definite answer. If you haven't already, I would recommend emailing the college, rather than just the faculty. They deal with all the written work, and different colleges might have different preferences in this regard. Keep in mind that term hasn't started yet at Oxford, so they might be a little slow at the moment.

Actually, in this case the bibliography is probably the part of this I'm most proud of in many ways. Additionally, I do not want my application rejected out of hand for failing to meet criteria, and would rather write a new paper than risk that if I cannot confirm that either footnotes or bibliographies are not counted, and I am over the limit.

Seriously? Get a grip and some perspective. They do not care! If they cared, there would be clear notes. You aren't helping your application by asking the College questions like this.

Seconded.

It's also a bit odd to be more bothered about the biblio than the argument presented in the work

My apologies. I’ve had applications to other things rejected due to formatting issues even, and it does say very firmly and repeatedly that 2000 words is the hard maximum. I do not think it is outrageous for me to wonder how hard the maximum is, and what it includes, rather than assuming I can exceed it as unimportant when it’s importance is clearly emphasise. I do not think sending a two sentence yes or no question as to if bibliographies and footnotes are both counted is unreasonable, when the answer is not stated and can easily go either way depending on institution.

I’m proud of the bibliography because the research for this paper was a pain in the ass and their are some source that are not the expected ones that took quite a lot of effort to find and use, as I could not find secondary sources discussing my points of interest, and had to go to entirely primary for my major points. The essay itself is on the good end of fine, but it’s not the most amazing writing I’ve ever done, and the research is definitely the stronger part of it.

Hi, I was just wondering if you had a reply on this? I am facing a similar situation.

Many thanks