Bibliography- MLA style
A bibliography, sometimes called a Works Cited page, is a list of citations for the sources you use in a project or paper. These sources may be books, websites, magazines, videos, audio files, and more. You must follow formatting requirements for a bibliography page.
Bibliography vs. Works Cited:
What's the difference between the two?
Bibliography may include sources consulted but not used in a paper whereas every source on a Works Cited page should have an in-text citation!
Formatting:
Title-"Works Cited" or "Bibliography"- bold and centered on the page.
Works listed in alphabetical order based on first piece of information, which may be an author's last
name or the title of an article.
All sources written using hanging indention, like the sentence preceding this one.
The whole page should be double spaced.
Resources:
Citations may be copied directly from any school database.
Create your own citations using www.easybib.com
Learn about formatting for all types of resources at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Bibliography vs. Works Cited:
What's the difference between the two?
Bibliography may include sources consulted but not used in a paper whereas every source on a Works Cited page should have an in-text citation!
Formatting:
Title-"Works Cited" or "Bibliography"- bold and centered on the page.
Works listed in alphabetical order based on first piece of information, which may be an author's last
name or the title of an article.
All sources written using hanging indention, like the sentence preceding this one.
The whole page should be double spaced.
Resources:
Citations may be copied directly from any school database.
Create your own citations using www.easybib.com
Learn about formatting for all types of resources at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Sample Bibliography:
The Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a bibliography that includes an analysis and summary of the source below each citation. This information is 1-2 paragraphs (about 150 words) and this pattern:
Formatting:
Title- "Annotated Bibliography"
Works listed in alphabetical order, just like a regular bibliography.
Hanging indentation for citation, just like regular bibliography.
The annotation should also be indented, so that only the first line of each citation is to the left.
The whole page should be double spaced.
If an annotation has more than one paragraph, there should be an extra space or extra indention
at the start of the second paragraph.
Your eye should be able to easily decipher information from a distance.
Sample Annotated Bibliography:
- Summarize- What are the main arguments? What is the point of the information? What topics are covered (scope)? How would you describe the information to someone else?
- Assess- Is this source useful? How does it compare to the other sources in your bibliography? How does it fit with the questions below on evaluating articles (authority, accuracy, currency, objectivity, scope)?
- Reflect- Does this source help your project? Does it support or go against your argument? How would you use it in your project? How does it change your thinking about your project?
Formatting:
Title- "Annotated Bibliography"
Works listed in alphabetical order, just like a regular bibliography.
Hanging indentation for citation, just like regular bibliography.
The annotation should also be indented, so that only the first line of each citation is to the left.
The whole page should be double spaced.
If an annotation has more than one paragraph, there should be an extra space or extra indention
at the start of the second paragraph.
Your eye should be able to easily decipher information from a distance.
Sample Annotated Bibliography:
Evaluating Articles/Sources
Authority
- Who is the author of the website? Who do they represent?
- Is the author a qualified expert in relation to the information presented?
- Has the other written other things?
Accuracy
- Does the article/source cite other sources for information?
- Do other articles/sources give the same information?
- Does the original publisher have overall integrity and reliability?
Currency
- When was the article published?
- Is the information presented recent or outdated?
- Have the facts presented been proven false?
Objectivity
- Is information provided balanced, objective, factual or subjective and opinionated?
- Is the point of view balanced with supportive arguments?
- What's the bias?
Scope
- What is the purpose of the article/source? Who is the intended audience?
- Is the information relevant to your needs?
- How in depth does the information go?
Research Tools for Advanced Searching
Remember the Boolean Operators
Boolean Operators are AND, OR, NOT. Using these operators while searching allows you to combine or exclude keywords in a search, which will help provide more precise results.
Boolean Operators are easily understood through Venn Diagrams.
Boolean Operators are easily understood through Venn Diagrams.
|
AND
Using AND will only show sources that include both keywords in the search results. |
OR
Using OR will show sources that talk about either keyword. Sources may include one or both keywords. |
NOT
Using NOT will only show sources that include the first keyword but not the second keyword. |
Advanced Search
When starting research, it is best to use keywords (closest to natural language) that yield many results. Then use subject terms (predesignated tags for a resource) that yield more relevant results. To narrow even further, use advanced search features.
