How To Write a Bibliography

  • November 16, 2009
  • 790 Views
Please install Flash

You’ve finished writing a brilliant research paper. Don’t forget to give credit where credit is due with a bibliography.

You Will Need

  • Word processing software
  • Research sources
  • A format handbook (optional)
How To Write a Bibliography: Format the page

Step 1: Format the page

Format a page with double spaces and one-inch margins, and center “Bibliography” at the top. Align the first line of each entry against the left margin, and indent any additional lines five spaces.

How To Write a Bibliography: Alphabetize sources

Step 2: Alphabetize sources

Alphabetize sources by the author’s last name. If no author is listed, use the first word of the title of the source, excluding “A,” “An,” or “The.”

How To Write a Bibliography: List author's name

Step 3: List author's name

Start each entry with the author’s last name and then first name, separated by a comma, and followed by a period. Additional authors are cited with first names followed by last names. The final author is preceded by “and.”

How To Write a Bibliography: List article title

Step 4: List article title

Cite the title of an article in a book, magazine, or internet source two spaces after the period. The title should be followed by a period and be contained inside quotation marks.

Consult a format handbook for how to cite less common sources.

How To Write a Bibliography: List source title

Step 5: List source title

List the name of the book, magazine, or internet source in italics two spaces after the period. Include volume and issue numbers for magazines and, for internet sources, precede the title with the date the source was written.

This source is sometimes underlined. Check any guidelines you were given to see if there is a preference.

How To Write a Bibliography: Add publisher information

Step 6: Add publisher information

Provide the publisher information for a source from a book. Type the city of the publisher, followed by a colon, then the publisher’s name, comma, and then the year of publication.

How To Write a Bibliography: Add magazine or internet information

Step 7: Add magazine or internet information

For a magazine, add the date of the issue followed by a comma and the pages where the article appears. For an internet source, put the date you accessed the source followed by the URL in angle brackets. End with a period.

Did you know? According to a national survey, 54 percent of U.S. students admitted plagiarizing from the internet.

Something wrong?

Report This How-To

Cancel

Comments (0)

There are no comments. Be the first!

or to post a comment. Or, sign in using your Facebook to comment
and share your activity with your friends