How to Write a Bibliography for a Research Report

Keep a list of the sources you use when writing your research paper.

Research papers include important facts and ideas that are gathered from various sources. It is important to keep a list of the sources you use during your research so you can cite them on a bibliography page at the end of your research paper. A bibliography page gives the source authors credit for their work and is often a requirement for research papers completed for school. Writing a bibliography page is not difficult as long as you follow the proper format.

Things You'll Need

• Sources
• Style book
• Notecards
• Pencil
• Paper
• Computer with wordprocessing

Instructions

1. Gather all of the sources that you used for your research paper and place them together on your table.

2. Create a notecard for each book you use as a source in your research paper. Different professions use different bibliographic formats for research citations. For example, humanities research follows formats established by the Modern Language Association, while various professions follow the format established by the American Pyschological Association (APA). These organizations publish style books that explain their formats in detail. Ask your teacher which style you should use. It is helpful to have the right style book on hand.

   Although bibliographic styles vary, citations for books typically follow this basic format, including punctuation:

   Author last name, first name. Title of the book. City of publication: Publication, year of publication.

3. Create a notecard for each newspaper and magazine you use as a source. These sources are typically cited in the following format:

   Author last name, first name. "Article title: subtitle." Title of newspaper or magazine (underscored or italicized). Day, month, year of publication: page number of article.

4. Create a notecard for each website you use as a source. These sources are typically cited in the following format:

   Author last name, first name. "Title of website article." Website name (underscored or italicized). Date and year the article was created. Date you viewed the website. <website address>

   Keep in mind that all websites are different and some will not provide all of the information above. Note the information that is available and consult your instructor.

5. Arrange your notecards in alphabetical order, using the last name of the source authors.

6. Create your bibliography page. Type "Bibliography" in boldface print at the top center of your page. Some styles may require a different title, such as "Works Cited." Include a page number for you bibliography, which will be the last page of your research paper.

7. List all of your sources in alphabetical order. Typically, the first line of each citation will start at the left margin of the page. Subsequent lines will be indented five spaces.

Tips & Warnings

• Attach the bibliography page to the back of your research report.

• Librarians can assist you if you have any question about citation formats.

References

• Barrie Public Library: How to do a Bibliography