How to Make a Bibliography When Doing a Report
To write a paper on any topic, you usually have to find a source that will help you fully grasp and write about your topic. If you go to a book, use an online source or reference any type of media, it is important that you give the proper credit to whom it is due for the information you have gathered. To cite them correctly, you must know how to properly write a bibliography. This includes knowing what information to look for, and following the correct format and style of the bibliography. The following examples are in MLA (Modern Language Association) style.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Cite a book with one author by finding the author's last and first name, title of the book, the place it was published, who published it and the copyright date. All this information can be found around the first couple of pages in the book you are reading. According to Dalton.org, the format is as follows:
Author's last name, Author's first name. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date. -
2
Use the same format for a book with two authors. This time however, write the first author's last and first name, write the word "and" and then write the second author's first and last name.
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3
Create a bibliography entry for a book with three or more authors. Write the first author's last and first name, then write a comma and add the phrase "et al." Everything else is the same.
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Cite a magazine or periodical by finding the author's name, the title of the article, the name of the magazine it was published in, when it was published and the pages you can find it on. This information should either be at the beginning of the article or at the end. Here is an example of the format, according to Dalton.org:
Author's last name, author's first name. "Title of the article." Name of periodical (which is underlined). Date of the periodical: page numbers of the article. -
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Cite an encyclopedia by finding the author's name, the title of the article and the page number, unless, according to Dalton.org, the articles are arranged in alphabetical order. These items can be found at the article itself. You also need the encyclopedia's name, where it was published, by whom and the copyright date. You also need its volume number, unless the articles are in alphabetical order. All of these items can be found close to the first couple of pages of the encyclopedia. An example of the format, according to Dalton.org, is
"Title of the article." Name of encyclopedia (underlined). Volume number. Place of publication: Publisher, copyright date. Page numbers. -
6
Cite an entire website by finding the name of the site you are on, the author's name, whoever published the article and the web address where you found the information. All of this information can be found on the website. You also need the date you accessed the material. The example for this citation, according to Dalton.org, is
Title of the site (underlined). Name of the author/editor. Publication information (sponsoring company, organization, institution and so forth). Date of access <URL>.If you are only using part of the website, include the title of that part in quotation marks at the beginning of your bibliography. If you had to follow a certain path to get to your topic, include that on the end of your bibliography. According to Dalton.org, an example would be:
Path: Biological Resources; Invertebrates; Species Accounts/Descriptions.
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Tips & Warnings
Other formats you can write bibliographies in would include AP (Associated Press), CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) or APA (American Psychological Association).
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