Guidelines on How to Write a Bibliography

Not so long ago, preparing a bibliography was an arduous task that involved index cards, painstaking attention to the specifics of individual citation styles, and alphabetizing. Modern word processing software, like Microsoft Word, has eliminated the guesswork from this important scholarly task, making it possible to create professional academic bibliographies with minimal effort. As long as you assemble the bibliographic data of your sources as you do your research, putting together the final bibliography is as easy as a few clicks of the mouse.

Things You'll Need

  • Computer with word processing software (such as Microsoft Word)
  • Sources for bibliography (books, articles, websites)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Open your word processing software and navigate to the References section. In Microsoft Word, it is located on the horizontal ribbon at the top of the page.

    • 2

      Select a style for your bibliography (APA, Chicago, MLA, and so on). In Microsoft Word, this can be done with the drop-down box next to the word "Style." Different styles are preferred by various academic disciplines, and should be listed on the syllabus of your course; if not, consult with your instructor.

    • 3

      Click "Insert Citation" and "Add New Source." A box labeled "Create Source" will appear.

    • 4

      Select the "Type of Source" drop-down box and choose from a wide variety of sources: books, articles, films, websites and so on. The "Bibliography Fields" will immediately adapt to reflect the information required for the bibliographic style you selected.

    • 5

      Enter in the required fields and click "OK." Repeat for all sources used in your paper.

    • 6

      Position the cursor to the end of your paper and click "Bibliography" on the References tab. Choose "Insert Bibliography," and your sources will automatically appear in alphabetical order.

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