How to Write a Bibliography

A bibliography is a list of sources that was used while compiling a report. The list may include books, magazine articles, encyclopedias, television programs, computer software, the Internet, films and even interviews with people. The examples below demonstrate the different entries used for each kind of source.

Book

Anthology
Last Name, First Name, ed. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication. 

	McNally, John, ed. Humor Me: An Anthology of Humor by Writers of Color. Iowa City: U of Iowa P, 2002.

One author
The author’s name is written last name first, followed by the underlined title of the book, the place where
 it was published, the publisher, the year of publication and the pages used. 

	Costello, David F. The World of the Porcupine.  New York: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1995. pp. 55-67.

Two authors
Author Last Name, First Name. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication.

            Lawrence, Jerome, and Robert Lee. The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail. Toronto: Bantam, 1970.

Several authors
Author Last Name, First Name, et al. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication. 

        Chafe, William H., et al. Civilities and Civil Rights. New York: Oxford UP, 1980.

Editor
Last Name, First Name, ed. Title. Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication. 

        Engberg, Robert, ed. John Muir Summering in the Sierra. Madison, Wisconsin: U of Wisconsin Press, 1984.

Computer Software
Begin with the author’s name. If no author is listed, begin with the title of the software followed by the version, the date of publication and that it is a computer program. Conclude with the place of publication and company’s name. Example:

Sanford, J.A. & Browne, R.J. Captain’s log: Cognitive Training System (Version 1.0) (1995). [ Computer Program ]. Indianapolis: Physical Software Services, inc.

Encyclopedia
As most articles in encyclopedias do not have a single author, the name of the article is written first, followed by the underlined name of the encyclopedia, place of publication and publisher, edition, copyright date and pages used. Example:

“Education.” World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc., vol. 6, 994., pp.17-25.

Film
Begin with the underlined name of the movie. Next comes the director’s name, the studio that produced the film and the year it was made. If the film was based on a book, include that information last. Example:

2001: A Space Odyssey. Director: Stanley Kubrick. MGM, 1969. Based on Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Internet Resources
List the author’s name if known, the title, the title of the site or larger work (if applicable). Include the date of the document. List the Internet address. End with the date you accessed the information. Example:

Clinton, Bill. “The Benefits of Net Day.” Speeches of the President. 12 Dec. 1996. Online. http://www.white house.gov. (25 March 1997).

Interview with an Expert
Be sure to verify that your teacher considers your selection an expert in his/her area. Example:

Gingrich, Newt. Personal Interview. Washington, D.C., July 25, 1996

Magazine Article

With A Mentioned Author
Some articles in magazines are signed by the author. Always look at the beginning and end of the article for the author’s name. Author’s name, last name first, is followed by the title of the article in quotation marks, the title of the magazine underlined, volume number, the complete date of the magazine in parentheses, and the number of pages used.
Example:

Woodyatt, Ali Judy. “Instant Horse Breaking.” Horse and Rider, vol. 15,
(August 24, 1996), pp.16-20.

Without A Mentioned Author
Example:

“ Human Powered Speed Championships.” Newsweek, Vol.7, no. 1 ( june 8,
1996) , pp.52-55.

Newspaper
List the author’s last name first. The title of the article with quotation marks around it, then name of the newspaper underlined with the month, day and year in parentheses will follow. Add the section of the newspaper from which this article was found and the page number.
Example with an author:

Matherson, Eric. “The New Generation.” Los Angeles Times, (July 16, 1996),
Sec.2., p. 20.

Example without an author:

“Crime in America.” The Daily News, (July 16, 1996) Sec. A, p. 10.

Pamphlet
Give the pamphlet title in quotation marks. Write the work “pamphlet”. The publishers name, date of publication and page numbers used will be listed last in that order.
Example:

“Research Paper.” Pamphlet. Kenneth Publishing, 1995, p. 15.

Television Program
List the title of the television show first, followed by the producer of the show, underlined. If there is a narrator, list his/her name next, then the network name, the city from where the program was broadcast and the date of the broadcast.
Example:

“Gorilla. National Geographic Society. Narrator: E.g. Marshall. PBS. KCET,
Los Angeles. April 1996.

Completed Bibliography
The completed list of sources should be arranged in alphabetical order using the first word or name. If the first word is “a”, “an” or “the”, the second word is used. Numbers are arranged alphabetically as they would be spelled. The titles of the books, encyclopedias and magazines are underlined. All important words in titles are capitalized. Pay special attention to commas, periods, parentheses and indentation. If no date or year is given put n.d.(which means no date).