When writing a paper or book, a bibliography or bibliography is very important. Through a bibliography, readers will know the sources you are using. It lists all the books, articles, and other references that you have cited or used to complement your work. The bibliography format is usually based on the following three styles: the American Psychological Association (APA) for science papers, the Modern Language Association (MLA) for humanities papers, and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) for the social sciences. Make sure you know the preferred style of your reviewer, whether professor or boss.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Writing a Bibliography APA Style
Step 1. Make a list of references
Provide a page at the end of the paper to write a bibliography. You may give the title "Reference". Below that you can list all the sources used to write the paper.
Step 2. Sort your references alphabetically by author's last name
You should include the author's last name, followed by first and middle initials if applicable. If it turns out that there is more than one author, write in the order in which the name appears in the reference source, arranged alphabetically by the last name of the first author.
For example, if the author's name is John Adams Smith, you'll need to include “Smith, J. A.,” before writing the title of the work
Step 3. Use an ellipsis if there are more than seven authors
Include the names of the seven authors and then use an ellipsis (in the form of three dots). After the ellipsis, write the last name of the author listed in the reference source.
For example, if the source has twelve authors and the seventh author is named “Smith, J. A.” then the twelfth author was named “Timothy, S. J.” then write down the first six authors and then write “Smith, J. A. …Timothy, S. J.”
Step 4. List sources by the same author chronologically
Sometimes when writing certain types of papers you will use sources that come from the same author. Start with the published source first followed by the rest in chronological order.
Step 5. Use whatever information you have if there is no author
Sometimes a source is issued by an organization such as the American Medical Association, or even without an author at all. If the author is an organization, write the name of the organization. Then, if there is no author, just write the title of the source.
For example, if you have a WHO report without an author, please write, "World Health Organization, "Report on Development Strategies in Developing Countries," July 1996."
Step 6. Write the second line of each indented source
If the source consists of more than one line, the second and subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm. Then, when changing to the next source, start at the original margin limit.
Step 7. Enter the description of the article used
The article description is written by including the author's name, followed by the year, then the title of the article, the name of the publication in italics, the volume and issue number (if any), and the page number. The format is like this: Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). "Title of the article." “Journal Title”, volume number (issue number), page.
- Examples of article descriptions include: Jensen, O. E. (2012). "African Elephants." Savannah Quarterly, 2(1), 88.
- If it comes from a periodical that always starts each article from page 1 (this type of periodical is called a “issue with page numbering according to the article”), you should also include the whole group of pages of the article.
- If the article is taken from cyberspace, end with the words "Taken from" and followed by the web address.
Step 8. List the books cited
Start with the author's name, followed by the year of publication, the title of the book in italics, the place of publication, and the name of the publisher. The format is as follows: Author, A. A. (Year). Book title. Location: Publisher.
- For example: Worden, B. L. (1999). Echoing Eden. New York, New York: One Two Press.
- If the title is more than one word and does not contain special nouns (proper nouns; such as names of people, names of days, names of animals, etc.), only the first word is capitalized. Then, only the first letter of the subtitle needs to be capitalized.
Step 9. List the cited website. Enter the author's name, full date, article title, and the words “taken from” followed by the web address. The format is as follows: Author, A. A. (Year, Month, Day). Title of article/document. Taken from https://URL on specific page.
- An example of a website citation is as follows: Quarry, R. R. (May 23, 2010). Wild Skies. Taken from
- If there is no author, just start with the title. If the title is also not available, write "n.d."
Step 10. Check other trusted sources for other citation rules
APA has many rules regarding citing sources in reference lists. If you use sources such as films, dissertations, online periodicals, and more, look for other reliable information about these as well. Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) website includes help worth considering.
Method 2 of 3: Writing an MLA Bibliography
Step 1. Create a page for compiling a list of references
Prepare the page at the end of the paper for the bibliography, known as a “work citation” in MLA style. Write “Work Quotes” at the top of the page. This page should use a header with your last name, just like any other page. The page numbering is still continuing from the previous page..
Step 2. Write all words in the title in capital letters, except for articles, prepositions, and conjunctions
You must capitalize every word in the source title, except for words like “at”, “to”, etc. If you are not sure how to write the title in capital letters, it is okay to re-read the regulations in the PUEBI or the General Indonesian Spelling Guidelines.
Step 3. Use double spacing for bibliographic pages
All pages in the MLA-compliant bibliography must be double-spaced. There's no need to put extra spaces between sources as long as you use double spaces.
Step 4. Write the second line of each indented source
If the source contains more than one line, the following lines are indented by 0.5 inches (1.25 cm). When writing a new source, return to the initial margins.
Step 5. Arrange your sources alphabetically by author's last name
After the author's last name, please write down the first name and middle name or initials, if it is included in the source.
There is no need to write the title or predicate of the author in the bibliography. It should be so even if the original source lists it
Step 6. List the books cited
Write the author's last name and first name, separated by a comma and ending with a period. Then, the title of the book is written in italics and ends with a period. The location and publisher name are separated by a colon, followed by a comma and the date of publication.
Examples like this: Butler, Olivia. Parable of the Flowers. Sacramento: Seed Press, 1996
Step 7. List the cited articles
Begin with the author's last and first name, followed by a period. Then, the title of the article is written in quotation marks and ends in a period (but still in quotation marks). The name of the periodical or book is written after it in italics, followed by a comma, volume number, issue number, and date of publication, all separated by a comma. Finally, a colon is used to separate the date of publication, the title of the article, the name of the publication, the volume and issue number, the date, and the page source.
- For example, writing an informational article published in a scientific journal would be like this: Green, Marsha. "Life in Costa Rica." Science Magazine vol. 1, no. 4, Mar 2013: 1-2.
- If you are citing an article in a newspaper, you only need the name of the newspaper followed by the date of publication, and the page number. Examples like this: Smith, Jennifer. “Tiny Tim Wins Award.” New York Times, Dec. 24, 2017, p. A7.
Step 8. List the cited websites
Begin with the author's last and first names (if both exist) and follow a comma. Then, write the title of the article or project in quotation marks, followed by the name of the website. Both end with a period. then, include the date of publication and the name of the sponsoring institution written in brackets and separated by commas. Finally, write down the date you accessed and the full address of the website.
- An example of a website quote is the following: Jong, June. "How to Write an Essay." Writing Portal. 2 Aug. 2012. University of California. 23 Feb. 2013.
- Some websites, especially academic ones, usually have a DOI (digital object identifier). If the website has that identifier, write “doi:” in front of the number instead of the url.
Step 9. Use trusted sources when learning the rules for creating bibliographies from different types of sources
There are various types of sources that can be used in compiling research papers. Use trusted sources for citation rules. You can also purchase a book on the MLA style guide or access a web site such as Purdue University's Online Writing Laboratory (OWL) for information that fits your source.
Method 3 of 3: Writing a CMS Style Bibliography
Step 1. Prepare a bibliography page
This page is right after the last page of the paper. Write “Bibliography” at the top of the page. The first title and source should be two lines of space apart.
Step 2. Arrange your sources in alphabetical order by author's last name
The names of each author must be arranged in the order in which they appear in the source. if some sources have no author, use the first letter of the source title.
Step 3. Leave one space between each entry
Regardless of the number of lines, the distance between sources should be only one space. Leave a line of space to separate each entry.
Step 4. Write the second and next line indented
If the source has more than one line, write indented 0.5 inches (1.25 cm). Then, add a single line of space to separate the source from the next entry. For the record, the next entry must start from the initial margin.
Step 5. List the cited articles
Start with the author's full name. In order, last name followed by a comma and first name. Then, write the title of the article in parentheses, with a comma at the end of the title, still in brackets. The name of the journal or magazine is italicized, followed by the volume number and issue number. Issue number is preceded by “no”. The month and year the article was published is written following and in parentheses, followed by a colon and the coverage of the article page.
Example: Skylar Marsh. "Walking on Water." Earth Magazine 4(2001): 23
Step 6. List the books cited
Write the full name of the author, starting with the last name, followed by a comma and the first name. The title of the book follows later in italics. then, write down the city where the publisher is located followed by a colon. Publisher's name and year of publication are separated by commas. All citations of these sources end with a period.
For example, a book entry would look like this: Walter White. Space and Time. New York: London Press, 1982
Step 7. List the websites you cited
Write the name of the company or organization, the name of the website or article, the last modification date, and the full web address. If there is a digital object identifier, it's better to use that instead of the url address. Most DOIs can be found at the bottom of the website or at the top, near the title information.
- Example: University of California. "History of the University of California." Last modified April 3, 2013.
- If there is already a delivery date for the website you quoted, there is no need to enter access data anymore. However, if you do have an access date, just write it at the end of the source listing.
Tips
- Make sure you have included all the sources used as references for writing the paper.
- Ask your teacher or professor what style you should use to write papers.
