Guidelines for a Bibliography | Example of a Bibliography
"How do I cite a source" is meant to be a guide to the most commonly cited types of research materials. It is not all-inclusive. If you do not find an example for a particular type of source or have any questions about examples in the guide, please consult a librarian.
Guidelines for a Bibliography
- Begin your bibliography on a separate page. The heading 'Bibliography' (with no quotation marks, underlining, etc.) should be centered at the top of the page.
- Make the first line of each entry in your list flush left with the margin. The following lines in each entry should be indented one-half inch (or 5 spaces). This is known as a hanging indent.
- Double space all entries, while keeping a single space within each entry.
- Keep in mind that underlining and italics are equivalent; you should select one or the other to use throughout your paper.
- Alphabetize the list of works cited by the first word in each entry, usually the author's last name. If no author is given, use first word of the title.
- Capitalize each word in the titles of articles, books, etc. This rule does not apply to articles (a, an, the), short prepositions, or conjunctions unless one of these is the first word of the title or subtitle.
- Underline or italicize titles of books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and films.
- Use quotation marks around the titles of articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers. Also use quotation marks for the titles of short stories, book chapters, poems, and songs.
Remember:
- Do not number entries.
- Although it is recommended that you separate primary sources from secondary sources, do not list citations separately by categories (i.e., books, magazines, websites).
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Sources used to create this guide
Citing References from LexisNexis Scholastic Edition. 2003.
LexisNexis. http://web.lexis-nexis.com/scholastic/form/school/citation.html
(24 Feb. 2003).
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers,
6th Edition. New York: Modern Language Association of America,
2003.
Kunka, Jennifer Liethen et al. MLA Formatting and Style Guide.
1995-2007. Purdue University.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
(24 Jan. 2007).
Citing Sources. 2007. Duke University.
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/works_cited.htm
(27 Feb. 2007).
Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Uncle Sam - Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications. 2002.
University of Memphis.
http://exlibris.memphis.edu/resource/unclesam/citeweb.html
(24 Feb. 2003).
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Example of a Bibliography
Primary Sources
Mathews, Tom. "Nuclear Accident." Newsweek 9 Apr. 1979: 24-30.
"The Meaning of Three Mile Island." New York Times 12 Apr. 1979: A22.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Online (30 Dec. 2004).
O'Toole, Thomas. "Abolish NRC for Safety, Carter Told." Washington
Post 31 Oct. 1979: A1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Online (30 Dec. 2004).
Scranton, William W. (chairman). Report of the Governor's Commission on
Three Mile Island. 26 Feb. 1980. Dickinson College.
http://www.threemileisland.org/downloads//199.pdf (30 Dec. 2004).
"What Next for Nuclear Power: The Kemeny Report." U.S. News and
World Report 12 Nov. 1979: 33-35.
Secondary Sources
Cantelon, Philip L., and Robert C. Williams. Crisis Contained: The
Department of Energy at Three Mile Island. Carbondale, IL:
Southern Illinois University Press, 1982.
Fact Sheet on the Accident at Three Mile Island. Mar. 2004.
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. http://www.nrc.gov/
reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/3mile-isle.html (29 Dec. 2004).
Kohn, George Childs. "Three Mile Island." The New Encyclopedia of
American Scandal. 2001. American History Online. Online (28 Dec. 2004).
"Major Accident at Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant." Facts on File
World News Digest. Online (29 Dec. 2004).
Meltdown at Three Mile Island. Alexandria, VA: PBS Home Video, 1999.
Videocassette.
Newton, David E. "Three Mile Island Accident." When Technology Fails.
Ed. Neil Schlager. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.
Osif, Bonnie A., Anthony J. Baratta, and Thomas W. Conkling. TMI 25
Years Later: The Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Accident
and Its Impact. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2004.
Stephens, Mark. Three Mile Island. New York: Random House, 1980.
Temples, James R. "The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the
Politics of Regulatory Reform: Since Three Mile Island." Public
Administration Review 42.4 (1982): 355-362. JSTOR.
Online (29 Dec. 2004).
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