In regular MLA- and APA-formatted papers, the works cited and references pages at the end of the paper indicate the sources cited in the paper, whether they are quoted, summarized or paraphrased. A bibliography lists all the resources used during the preparation of the paper, not just those cited in the paper. This may include information termed "common knowledge," concepts found in numerous sources that students might introduce with statements such as "critics agree."
An instructor may require a bibliography in addition to a works cited or references page for various reasons. A bibliography gives the reader more information to check sources, lends more credibility to the paper since it establishes the use of multiple sources and validates the reliability of the sources used since it gives detail about publishers and dates. Current information from knowledgeable sources is more trustworthy than ideas from older pieces and check-out aisle tabloids.
The format for the bibliography page varies depending upon the particular documentation format required, although the basic information included is the same: author, title and publication information. For example, an APA bibliography entry for a book follows this format:
Author Last Name, Author First Name. (Publication Year) Italicized Title. Publisher’s City: Publisher. p. or pp. and numerals for page numbers.
An MLA format entry instead follows this format:
Author Last Name, Author First Name. Italicized Title. Publisher's City: Publisher, Publication year. Print.
Follow the specific guidelines for the assignment carefully.
Many times, when instructors assign a bibliography, they are looking for an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography includes the reference information but also includes commentary about the reference. A brief summary follows each entry, written in full sentence form, explaining the main idea behind each source. Entries may include evaluation of the source such as how the writer uses the source in the paper and if the reference is potentially biased. Instructors often assign an annotated bibliography toward the start of a research project to give students the opportunity to learn more about their topic and potential sources.