Bibliography 101
How to Make a Bibliography – A Handy Guideline
– Based on the 6th Edition of MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers.
A BIBLIOGRAPHY is a list of sources used by the writer of a research paper, including books, encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, interviews, and electronic media. All the sources used are listed alphabetically.
NOTE: Book titles must be either underlined: Ants or italicized: Ants.
NOTE: Pay attention to spacing, capitalization and punctuation.
NOTE: When more than one publication location is cited on the title page, the first city should be the one noted on your bibliopgraphy. Place of publication usually includes the Name of the City, and the abbreviation of the State: Greenwood, CT.
NOTE: The information for your bibliography should come from the Title Page of each book, NOT THE COVER, the SPINE or other sources (such as from iBistro).
BOOKS
ONE AUTHOR
Overbeck, Cynthia. Ants. Minneapolis: Lerner Publication Company, 1982.
Author’s last name, Author’s first name. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date.
TWO OR THREE AUTHORS
Sewell, Barbara and Patrick Lynch. A First Look at Ants. New York: Walker & Company, 1992.
First Author’s last name, First Author’s first name and Full Names of 2nd and 3rd Authors. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date.
MORE THAN THREE AUTHORS
Anderson, Norman D., et al. Ants : using biological indicators to investigate environmental conditions. Raleigh, N.C.: Sci-Link/Globe-Net Projects, North Carolina State University, 1999.
Last Name of First Author, First Name of First Author, et al. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
EDITOR
Brandes, Kathleen, ed. Vanishing Species. New York: Time-Life Books, 1976.
Last Name of Editor, First Name of Editor, ed. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
NO AUTHOR or EDITOR
The Secret World of Ants. Washington: National Geographic Society, 1978.
Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
PERIODICAL ARTICLES
(articles from MAGAZINES or NEWSPAPERS)
NOTE: The title is in quotation marks, not underlined or italicized.
If you can find the author’s nam
Conolley, Steve. “Making a Mountain Out of an Anthill.” Scientist Weekly. 12 September 1987: 102-10.
Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of the article.” Name of periodical. Date of the periodical: page numbers of the article.
ENCYCLOPEDIA ARTICLES
NOTE: If the encyclopedia arranges articles in alphabetical order, you may omit the volume and page numbers.
NOTE: If there is no author, list the title first.
Carlin, Norman F. “Ants.” The World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1994 ed.
Author’s last name, Author’s first name. “Title of the article.” Name of encyclopedia. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date.
“Ant.” The International Insect Encyclopedia. Vol.4. New York: Scholastic Books, 1994. 123-42.
“Title of the article.” Name of encyclopedia. Volume number. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date. Page numbers.
VIDEO/DVD
The Life of the Honeybee. VHS. Encyclopaedia Britannica Educational Corporation, 1980.
Title of the Video or DVD. Medium. Publisher/Production company, Copyright date.
ON-LINE DATABASE ARTICLES
from an Institution (such as The Dalton School)
Brian, M.V. “Ant.” Access Science. The Dalton School Libraries, New York, NY. 06 Jan. 2004 .
Author’s name. “Title of article.” Name of the database service. Name of Institution, Place of Institution. Access date
NOTE: If there is no author for the article, start the entry with the title.
WEB PAGES
NOTE: Always try to figure out who the AUTHOR of the web site/page is and where this person got his/her information in order to determine the RELIABILITY of the data. There are many personal interest pages out there that are not trustworthy.
NOTE: ALSO, remember to record the DATE that you accessed your materials or when the web site was last updated because on-line information can be changed daily.
NOTE: The standard DATE format for online materials is Date Month. (3 letter abbreviation) Year: 25 Mar. 2004
NOTE: There are many variants in citing different kinds of web sites. Make sure that you consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (REF 808.02 GIB) or check with your teachers and librarians if you are not sure of the citation format.
ENTIRE WEB SITE
easybib.com and worldcat.org to help you with formatting your bibliography. And, remember, the MLA Handbook can be found in paper copy in the Library. The call # for MS and HS is: REF 808.02 GIB.
