WRITING A BIBLIOGRAPHY

Writing a reference-list also allow the reader, or the person marking the paper, to check the original sources if they require more detail.

Your bibliography, often called a citation list, always comes at the end of the paper, and it must include all of the direct sources that you referred to in the body of the paper.

For the vast majority of scientific papers, APA or MLA style references are used, alphabetically ordered by the surname of the author. For any sources with no author, use the name of the organization or website or, if there is no other choice, use the title of the work.

As with in text citations, it is important to stick to one style and avoid confusing the reader.

All entries in the bibliography should be in alphabetical order, and they should use a hanging indent.

If you use more than one source from the same author, you should order them by date and then by the first letter of the title, if the year of publication is the same.

WRITING A BIOGRAPHY – SOME EXAMPLES OF APA AND MLA FORMAT

Citation examples are from
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/06/, and
http://www.aresearchguide.com/12biblio.html

As for APA and MLA citations, here's how to write a bibliography:

Book with one Author:

APA:

Sagan, C. (1980). Cosmos. New York: Random House.

MLA:

Sagan, Carl. Cosmos. New York: Random House. 1980

Book with two Authors:

APA:

Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

MLA:

Bohlman, Herbert M., and Mary Jane Dundas. The Legal, Ethical and International Environment of Business. 5th ed. Cincinnati, OH: West, 2002.

Edited Book:

APA:

O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and women's gender role journeys: Metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107-123). New York: Springer.

MLA:

Swanson, Gunnar. "Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and The 'Real World.'" The Education of a Graphic Designer. Ed. Steven Heller. New York: Allworth Press, 1998. 13-24.

Journal Article:

APA:

Hlastala, S. A. Frank, E. Kowalski, J. Sherrill, J. T. Tu, X. M. Anderson, B. Kupfer, D. J. (2000). Stressful life events, bipolar disorder, and the "kindling model. Journal of abnormal psychology, 109(4):777 - 86.

MLA:

Nielsen, Laura Beth. "Subtle, Pervasive, Harmful: Racist and Sexist Remarks in Public as Hate Speech." Journal of Social Issues 58.2 (2002): 265.

Article from an Online Journal:

APA:

Monroe, S. Harkness, K. (2005). Life Stress, the “Kindling” Hypothesis, and the Recurrence of Depression: Considerations From a Life Stress Perspective. Psychological Review, 112 (2). 417 – 445. Retrieved from: http://psyc.queensu.ca/~harkness/documents/PR_Kindling_Paper.pdf

MLA:

Nielsen, Laura Beth. "Subtle, Pervasive, Harmful: Racist and Sexist Remarks in Public as Hate Speech." Journal of Social Issues 58.2 (2002), 265-280. 7 June 2003. <http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1540-4560.00260>.

There are many more subtle variations when writing a bibliography and the whole process of creating a bibliography can be a minefield.

The above sources contain plenty of information about the correct format, but remember to check with your supervisor. The supervisor also might help writing a reference if you have trouble with a particularly difficult citation.

Many academics have their own preferred style, and they will be the ones marking your research paper, so it is best to stick to what they say.

by Martyn Shuttleworth (2009).