How to Set Up a Website Bibliography

Library

A bibliography, or works cited list, is a list of sources at the end of a written publication. There are two main styles of scholarly citing of sources, each with different formats and requirements. They include MLA (Modern Language Association), which is used for research sources, and APA (American Psychological Association), which is used for social science sources. Different types of sources require different information, depending on the available information, but the basics are the same and include a reference list and parenthetical references within the document. As an example, this article uses a reference to the online review by Roger Ebert of the movie "Twilight."

Instructions

MLA

1. Create the Works Cited list. The MLA style lists its sources on a page with the header, Works Cited. Begin a new page and type Works Cited at the top of the page and centered. Press enter twice to begin listing sources. Source entries are listed in alphabetical order by author; if the author is not available, short alphabetically by the title of the book or article. Double space each line, within and between each entry. Indent the second and following lines of each entry five spaces.

2. Create a source entry. The following example is for a website source; other sources require similar items but, the exact setup depends on the form of each source and the amount of available information given. The exact setup for a website entry is: Author. Title of Article (in quotation marks). Title of Website. Editor. Date and/or Version Number. Name of Sponsoring Institution (often the same as the title of the website). Date accessed <URL>. Add as many pieces of available information to the entry as possible, skipping over any missing pieces. The date refers to the date that the article was written. The date accessed refers to the date that you found the article. List the date as the day, month (abbreviate all months except May, June, and July), and year. The example is: Ebert, Roger. "Twilight :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews." rogerebert.com :: Movie reviews, essays and the Movie Answer Man from film critic Roger Ebert. 19 Nov. 2008. 24 Jan. 2009 <http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081119/REVIEWS/811199997>.

3. Create the parenthetical references. Parenthetical references are references to the sources within the document they are referred to, so that they link sources within the document to the Works Cited list. List each source as: last name of the author or titles and year of publication (no comma between the name and year, all in parentheses). This text is to be put into the document being written at or near the source that is being referenced, in parentheses within or at the end of the sentence being referenced or at the end of the paragraph in which it is referenced. The example is (Ebert 2008).

APA

1. Create the References list. The APA style lists its sources on a page with the header "References". Begin a new page and type "References" at the top of the page in the center. Press enter twice to begin listing sources. Source entries are listed in alphabetical order by author; if the author is not available, short alphabetically by the title of the book or article followed by the date. Organizations can also be listed as authors. Double space each line, within and between each entry, for copy manuscripts (final manuscripts require single spaces of lines within entries and double spaces between entries). Indent the second and following lines of each entry five to seven spaces.

2. Create a source entry. The following example is for a website source; other sources require similar items but, the exact setup depends on the form of each source and the amount of available information given. The exact setup for a website entry is: Author. Date and/or Version Number (in parentheses). Title of Article. Retrieved Date retrieved, from URL. Add as many pieces of available information to the entry as possible, skipping over any missing pieces. List the author as last name first and first and middle names as initials. The date refers to the date that the article was written (as year, month and day); use n.d., if no date is given. Capitalize the first word of all titles and subtitles in all significant words within the titles. The date retrieved refers to the date that you found the article (as month and day, year); journal articles and books are less likely to change over time and do not require retrieval dates. If the URL does this fit on one line, split it before punctuation marks. The example is: Ebert, R. (2008, November 19). Twilight :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews. Retrieved January 24, 2009, from http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081119/REVIEWS/811199997

3. Create the parenthetical references. Parenthetical references are references to the sources within the document they are referred to, so that they link sources within the document to the References list. List each source as: last name of the author or title, year of publication (all in parentheses). This text is to be put into the document being written at or near the source that is being referenced, in parentheses within or at the end of the sentence being referenced or at the end of the paragraph in which it is referenced. The example is (Ebert, 2008).

Resources

• APA style
• MLA style