Jonathan Hatch
What is a bibliography?
For the purposes of this page, we will look at a bibliography as an organized list of sources used for researching a topic (also known as a works cited page).
When you write an essay, you will often use outside resources to gather information and quotes that support your purpose or thesis (see how to write a thesis statement). These resources can include books, magazines, newspapers, interviews—virtually any kind of media or communication you can think of.
You need to give proper credit to any source you use in your essay (not doing this can be considered plagiarism) and a bibliography, or works cited page, is the place to do this.
Generally, you will use a short in-text citation (a note within your essay) to refer your reader to the bibliography (included at the end of your essay) for the full source information.
The exact format of your citations and bibliography will depend on the style appropriate to your topic, essay, or class. For more information, see our pages on writing in the MLA style and APA style.
Note: an annotated bibliography is a more detailed version of a regular bibliography, including author notes on each source that detail how and why that particular source was chosen, read, quoted, etc.
How to Write a Bibliography
Writing a bibliography is an essential part of writing a researched essay (or longer work). An accurate bibliography is highly detailed, giving your reader all the information they would need to find the same book, article, radio show, etc., that you used and then (ideally) find the exact information that you cited in your writing. Writing a bibliography will be a lot easier and a lot less time-consuming if you pay attention to the details of your sources while you’re writing.
During my years as a writing tutor, I saw far too many students polish their essays to perfection and then frantically try to cobble together a bibliography after they’d returned their library books and thrown away their notes. Don’t do this. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress by planning ahead and incorporating the process of writing your bibliography into the process of writing your essay, as the tips below explain.
Hold onto your sources until you're done writing the bibliography.
Keep all of your research materials until you’ve revised your essay and finished a complete version of your bibliography. This way, you can’t lose any of the important information (like publication dates, page numbers, etc.) that you’ll need for the bibliography and in-text citations. Also, as you revise your writing you may find that you’ll need more or different information from your sources and making those changes will be a lot easier if all your materials are still on hand. If you’re checking books out from the library, ask for an extension. If you’re using a lot of online sources, bookmark each page or write the url down somewhere you can find it later. If you only have limited access to your materials, make a copy of all the pages and information you might need later (including publication information).
As you write, collect information in a rough draft of the bibliography.
You don’t need to save all the work of writing a bibliography until the end. Save yourself a lot of time and hassle by collecting the necessary information from each source as you use it. Most writing styles (see the information below) require the same general information about a source, so even if you don’t know exactly how you’ll need to format your bibliography you can get a head start by writing down the following about each source, where applicable: author(s) name(s), editor(s) name(s), publisher name and location, publication date, title of the publication (for a shorter a piece within a larger work, like an essay in a collection, you’ll need the title of both works), and the page number(s) of any information of you use.
Some sources, of course, will be unique. For websites you’ll need to record the exact address of the page(s) you use and the date you accessed the page. For periodicals like newspapers and magazines, you’ll need to find the volume and issue number or name. For non-print sources, such as personal interviews, movies, or radio shows, you should gather any general details you can until you’re able to look up the exact requirements of the formatting style you’re working in (see below).
Format your bibliography according to the required writing style.
Most bibliographies or works cited pages will need to be formatted according to the appropriate writing style, such as APA or MLA, the two styles used most often in academic writing. APA is the acronym for the American Psychological Association, and the APA writing style is most commonly used for writing in the sciences (physical and social). MLA is the acronym for the Modern Language Association, and the MLA writing style is most commonly used for writing in the humanities. Therefore, if you’re writing an essay for college composition or medieval philosophy, you’ll use MLA. If you’re writing a paper for sociology or biology, you’ll use APA. If you’re not sure which style to follow, ask your teacher or a writing tutor.
Each style has its own detailed rules about how to format bibliographies and in-text citations (and much, much more), so if you’re looking for specifics, see our pages on how to write a bibliography in MLA or how to write a bibliography in APA.
Get help if you have questions about writing your bibliography.
Writing a bibliography can be tough, especially if you’re doing it for the first time. We’ve tried to provide some general guidelines to help you organize information for your bibliography and learn about formatting a bibliography in APA and MLA styles, but if you have more specific questions about your bibliography or sources, it’s always a good idea to get help in person. If you’re writing for a class, ask your teacher to clarify anything you don’t understand. Or find a writing help center (most college and universities should have one) and have a tutor there help you. When you ask for help, be sure to bring any relevant materials (your essay, your bibliography, your sources) with you; this will make it easier for your teacher or tutor to answer your questions and give you the help you need to write a good bibliography.
How to decide which sources to include in your bibliography.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to include any resource you use in your writing in your bibliography. You need to give credit to any source you’ve drawn information from and/or quoted in your essay. If you don’t, you will be plagiarizing and there are serious consequences for plagiarism.
There is, however, a distinction between a source of unique information necessary to the construction of your essay, and a source of “common knowledge.” Common knowledge sources do not usually need to cited or included in your bibliography, and doing so can be confusing and clutter your writing. Dictionaries are common knowledge sources that a lot of inexperienced writers often cite unnecessarily. If you’re writing a paper for a class, general information included in any class lectures probably doesn’t need to be cited (although your professor will probably be flattered to see themselves listed as a source).
If you’re unsure about whether or not to include a source in your bibliography, ask yourself if the ideas and information in your writing can hold up without that source. If the answer is no, include the source. If you’re still unsure, as a teacher or writing tutor for help deciding which sources to include in your bibliography.