How to Write a Bibliography

Guide Note: In order to properly cite your sources when writing a research paper, it is important to include a section at the end of the paper (usually called a "Bibliography") that provides detailed information on each of the sources. The information on this page will help you learn How to Write a Bibliography.

Table of Contents:

CC photo by Eric Schmuttenmaer
CC photo by Eric Schmuttenmaer

Introduction

  • If you've ever written a research paper for school, chances are that you've had to include a bibliography section that lists all of the sources that you used in researching your topic. While it may not be the most exciting part of writing your paper, it is still one of the most important. Besides the quality and strength of your own original ideas, teachers and professors will often look at how well you incorporate outside research into your arguments and how accurately you document those sources. If you're having trouble figuring out how to properly write a bibliography, just follow the simple steps in this guide. Your professor will be happy and your grade will be that much better!

Keeping Track of Your Sources

  • During the process of researching and editing your paper, it is critical that you keep track of Every source you use. While you may not end up using every source in your paper, if you write down detailed bibliographic information on each source, you'll save yourself the time and hassle of having to go back and find that information. Here is the general information that you should write down for each source you use:
    1. The author(s) of the work being cited
    2. The title of the book, article, or blog post being cited
    3. The specific pages of the work you are referencing
    4. The publisher of the work
    5. The city that the publisher is located in
    6. The date the work was published
    7. The website url (if an online source)

Tip: In order to keep track of your sources, it can often be helpful to write down their information on separate index cards. This will make it easier when it comes time to write your bibliography

General Bibliography Guidelines

  • Once you've finished researching and writing your paper, you can begin to start putting together the bibliography. As we've discussed above, the bibliography is basically a list of all of the sources that you've used in writing your paper.

Basic Rules

  • Here are some basic rules for setting up and formatting your bibliography:
    1. The bibliography should be located on a separate page at the end of your paper.
    2. The title "Bibliography" should be written and centered at the top of the page.
    3. Each entry should be listed in alphabetical order by the first word in the entry.
    4. The margin size should be the same as in the rest of your paper.
    5. The second line of each entry should be indented five spaces.
    6. Include a page number at the bottom of the page.

Formatting Entries

  • How you format each bibliography entry depends on the type of resource you are citing. Here is how to structure some of the most common types of bibliographic entries:


  • Book with One Author:
  • Author's last name, first name. Title of book. City: Publisher, Date published.
  • Example: Johnson, Sally. The Age of Enlightenment. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  • Book with Two Authors:
  • Author's last name, first name and second author's full name. Title of book. City: Publisher, Date published.
  • Example: Franklin, Joseph and Bobby Smith. The Tyranny of the Masses. San Francisco: Random House, 1998.
  • Book with an Editor:
  • Editor's las name, first name, ed. Title of book. City: Publisher, Date published.
  • Example: Adams, Jocelyn, ed. 30 Great Sci-Fi Stories. New York: Penguin, 1978.
  • Magazine Article:
  • Author's last name, first name. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine Publication date: Page numbers.
  • Example: Bibby, George. "The New Tech Bubble." Newsweek Aug 4, 2007: 35-39.
  • Encyclopedia Entry:
  • Encyclopedia Name, Edition date. Volume, "Title of entry," page number(s).
  • Example: The Encyclopedia Galactica, 2006. Volume 36, "Quasars," pp. 109-111.
  • Website:
  • Name of Site. Date of last update. Author (if available). Date you viewed the site <Site URL>.
  • Example: TeenLink: How to Write a Bibliography. 3 Jun. 2004. Rich Gubitosi. 13 Mar. 2008 <http://teenlink.nypl.org/bibliography.html>.
  • Fig. 1: Example of a Bibliography
    Fig. 1: Example of a Bibliography

Other Bibliography Formats

  • While the method described above is a general guide for how to write a bibliography, there are other bibliography formats that you may be asked to use - depending on the type of paper you are writing and the format you are asked to write it in. Here are guides to some of the most common citation styles:

Conclusion

  • The bibliography is an important part of any research paper. Besides letting your reader know what sources you used to write your paper, it can also help protect you against charges of plagarism and intellectual theft. Before you begin working on your bibliography, it is important to first check with your teacher or professor to find out what bibliography format they want you to use. If they don't specify a certain format, then go ahead and use the one described above. Be sure to take your time and collect all of the necessary details from your sources. It'll pay off in the end.

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