HOW TO PREPARE A BIBLIOGRAPHY

       A BIBLIOGRAPHY is a LIST of all the materials used to prepare a written, oral or AV presentation. A bibliography serves two purposes. First, it shows what research has been done. Second, it indicates sources for others who may be interested in finding out more about the subject.

GENERAL RULES

1. All items in a bibliography are arranged alphabetically by the last name of the author, IN ONE LIST. If no author is given, the first word of the title (not “A”, “An”, or “The”)determines the order.
2. Entries are not numbered.
3. Indent the SECOND line of each item. Single space each item, but leave a space between entries.
4. The bibliography, in a written report, is placed at the end of the report on a separate page titled ‘BIBLIOGRAPHY”.
5. Use italics (underlining if handwriting) for titles of books, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, pamphlets, and AV materials. See the example page for when to use italics.
6. Capitalize only the first word, proper nouns and first word of a subtitle for all titles and encyclopedias. Publisher and author names are capitalized.
7. Consistent punctuation is IMPORTANT. Follow the examples of the following pages carefully.
8. Shorten the form of the publisher’s name, omitting such terms as “Inc.”, “and Co. Ltd.” and “of Canada Ltd.” becomes “Macmillan”.
9. All authors are written in reverse order, with a comma after the last name. (Last name first, then first name and initial)

A WORD TO THE WISE

      Collect “bibliographical data” as your research progresses even if it may not
be used in your final paper. A separate card for each item makes sorting into alphabetical order easy. Also save time by coding each card. Use this same code on each note card which has information from that item.

Adapted from Ms. McMillan