Bibliography

 

Writing the Bibliography

A bibliography is the list of sources used during the research phase of the paper. Each entry in the list is called a citation. The goal of the citation is to allow the information to be retrieved again. Putting the bibliography together is usually the final stage in the paper writing process.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you are doing the bibliography:

  • If a specific bibliographic format has been assigned, be sure to use it.
  • It is very important to keep the overall format consistent. The first line is used as a guide. The following lines of the citation are indented 5 spaces.
  • Citations are arranged alphabetically by the author's last name. If there is no author or editor, then alphabetize by title.
  • When citing a work, the information is usually arranged in three major divisions: author/editor, title, and publication details.
  • Each division is followed by a period and a space.
  • If a source is missing a piece of information, fill in with the next one. If a book doesn't have an author or editor start the citation with the title.
  • Each citation is single-spaced with a double space between citations to separate them.

 

The following sample citations are in the MLA Style from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th edition.

Book

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
      3rd ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of
      America, 1999.
 

Encyclopedia or Dictionary

"Dog." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1998 ed.

"Hamster". Webster's Third New International Dictionary
      Unabridged. 1961.
 

Magazine Article (Journals)

Kollus, Brad, "A Place for Wild Cats," Cats Magazine, vol. 57
      issue 5, (May 2001):  22.
 

Web Site
Punctuation and capitalization, especially in the URL or "electronic address" of the resource, should appear just as it is used in the Web page or database.

britannica.com. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Jan. 15,2001.
          <http://search.britannica.com/search?query=cat>.

Sojourner Truth (Isabella Baumfree). Lakewood Public Library
      Women in History. May 02,2001
      <http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/figures.htm>
 

Music Recording

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Szell conducts Mozart
      [compact sound disk]. George Szell. Cleveland
      Orchestra. New York : Columbia/Odyssey, 1978.

Bob Marley and the Wailers. Buffalo Soldier on
      Legend [compact sound disk]. [New York]:
      Distributed by Island, [1986], p1984.
 

Movie

Saving Private Ryan. dir. Steven Spielberg, Dreamworks
      and Paramount Pictures presents an Amblin
      Entertainment production. Universal City, CA:
      Dreamworks, 1999, c1998, video recording.
 

CD-ROM

Seuss, Dr.  Green Eggs and Ham. CD-ROM. Novato,
      California: Living Books, 1996.
 

Map, Table or Illustration

Lake, D. J. . Atlas of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, from
     actual surveys by and under the directions of D. J.
     Lake, C. E. (Philadelphia, Titus, Simmons & Titus,
     1874), map 133.

Wouldn't it be great if someone invented a citation machine? Well, someone did!

The Son of Citation Machine generates bibliographic citations in MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) formats. All you do is fill in a form with information about your source.You can get the syntax for single- or multiple-author books, articles (both print and online) from encyclopedias, anthologies, magazines and newspapers, Web sites, broadcast media and more.

 

 

 

 

 

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