How to Write Bibliography for Assignment

A bibliography is as an essential part of every written assignment as the actual text. This term stands for a list of all sources you’ve consulted while completing any given tasks. There are two main types of such resources:

1. Printed – books, articles, reports, etc.

2. Web sources – most of the digital sources.

Many students find completing their first – and second, and third – bibliography pages rather challenging. If you want to know how to write a bibliography for an assignment on any subject and do it well – keep reading this article.

Depending on the source type, the details for the bibliography are highly likely to differ. For every printed source consulted the following info will be a must:

• author of a work should be mentioned by the name and surname; 
• full title (with magazines, make sure you know the volume and number);
• date, place and publishing entity (usually, the city will do);
• publishing company name;
• the page frame.

With web sources, the following details are required:

• title (if there is a clear one)
• name of the company that created the webpage;
• copy the URL itself;
• date when you’ve last consulted this source.

Does it sound a bit too tough a task? Let’s delve into more details!

General Rules for a Bibliographic List

If you want more details on how to write a bibliography for an assignment, some general rules won’t hurt. They are applicable to many specialties and majors:

1. While completing a bibliographic list better use end-to-end numbering. All sources with no exception should be mentioned like this/
2. Before you click submit the paper, cover the basics – make sure no source consulted is omitted.
3. Don’t know in what order to mention your sources? Ordinarily, stick to the established way. In an academic paper, the official literature is the first to be mentioned. Consequently, the foreign authors’ works should go. Further, you should definitely proceed to the native works in another language.
4. If the same author has a bunch of sources, alphabet is your best friend.
5. You don’t want to have theses or term papers in a bibliography. These are educational works.
6. Regarding academic articles, the order of links in a bibliography is guided by a journal’s particular rules. So, if, say, a given style is MLA you should study how to write bibliography in MLA format for an assignment carefully before submitting a paper.
7. Lastly, you should keep in mind that the bibliographic description contains important information on the doc. Its presentation usually follows a set of certain rules. Ordinarily, the aim is always the same – you are to identify and give general characteristics of the document in the bibliographic record. 

Notwithstanding the complexity, knowing these general rules will let you ace in bibliography creation!

Write Bibliography Step by Step

In order to give you a better idea of how to write bibliography for assignment we’ve created a detailed step-by-step guide.

Select the Sources

When it comes to academic assignments there hardly is something more important than sources. Consequently, mastering the skill of conducting research and finding credible materials is crucial for college students. 

Here is an example for you. Suppose you are majoring in Political Science, Security Studies, or International Relations. Conversely, the best approach would be checking Scopus or Web of Science and finding the most credible resources, such as the following academic journals:

• International Security;
• International Affairs;
• American Journal of Political Science.

Evaluate Each Source

Your main task while working on a bibliography goes beyond having some seemingly great sources at hand. Evaluating each and every one of them is a part of the task. Let’s break down common features of credible sources:

• seek up-to-date publications such as those published no earlier than 2011;
• the texts should obviously be written by respected authors;
• when websites are needed, seek those of educational and governmental institutions;
• check out Google Scholar database (if you still haven’t) as well as other academic databases.

Here are a few characteristics of non-credible source for you:

• texts are written by someone without any proper credentials (academic degrees, institutional affiliations);
• stay away from commercial websites to avoid utterly promotional biased materials;
• the texts not backed with sufficient references should be omitted;
• blog posts are not credible enough.

Assess the Author’s Background and Credentials

Lastly, to prepare a great bibliography you need to be picky about not only the sources themselves but authors too. Before adding some resource, answer at least two following questions about its author:

1. Is the author an expert in a given field and with regard to your research questions?
2. What is the school of thought represented by this scientist and is there any intellectual inclination between you and a certain researcher?

Something might not work with all sources. Nevertheless, these simple answers will let you choose the right authors to cite.

How to Refer to Different Sources

Preparing a great bibliography will require you to stick to different patterns while working on varying sources. Below you will find peculiar examples that will eventually lead to knowing how to write bibliography about someone for assignment, whatever the subject may be.

Let’s have the articles first. 

If you work with the one from the journal, the bibliography item will closely resemble the one for a book. Ordinarily, mention the Author’s name, “Title of the article.” Journal name, vol., issue (at times it will be the Year of publication: page frame.

Example:

Parker, Nina, “Melvins” Journal of Science 23:9, (2010): 18-31.

10. If you work with the article from a magazine, the item in the bibliography will mention Author’s last, first name. “Title of the actual article.” Magazine name, date: page frame.

Here’s a sample:

Porter, Nicklas. “What if and when?” Nashville Tone, Jun 18, 2019: 143-5.

1.  If you work with an article from a newspaper, follow the next pattern: Author’s last name, first name. “The title of the article.” The title of a newspaper [city, if it’s not evident from the newspaper’s title] the date, edition if there is some: probably, section: the page frame.

Here’s a sample:

Porter, Nicklas. “What about you?” Daily Mail [London] Nov 11 2012: 44.

1. If you happen to have interviews at hand, follow the next structure. Last, First Name. Position of occupation. Date.

Here’s an example:

Parker, Nina. Researcher. January 11, 2010.

1. If you work with a film mention the Title, Director, Distributor, Year.

Samples:

Avatar, Dir. James Cameron, 20th Century Studios, 2009.

1. If you happen to add an email message to the bibliography, mention: Author of the message, (Date). The subject. The actual email.

Here is a sample:

Nicklas Porter, (March 10, 2016). Every Game. Best RPGs. [email protected]

1. Finally, if you have a web page to add, mention. (The name of it): URL. Author (or item, if mentioned), date.

Example:

(Nashville’s www address) https://www.nashville.com/. Tomorrow’s News, Feb 23, 2021.

1. If you work with a book that has one author, mention one’s last and first name, the actual title, and the location of publishing in the following format: City: Publisher’s title, date of publishing.

Here is an example:

Bandura, A. J. Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1977.

1. If you work with a book where there are two authors, follow these guidelines: mention the author’s last and first name, then proceed to the second author’s name. Then goes the title. Lastly, mention the place of publication: Publisher, and the date.

Let’s add an example:

Smith, Tonya, and Nina Parker. The Unknown. Paris: The Publishing House, 2010.

1. While working with a book with no author, simply mention the title. Later, add the place of publication: the publishing entity, and the date.

Here’s an example:

Good Home. Paris: The Publishing Company, 2005.

1. In case you work with an article in a book without an author you should mention the name of the article first, and follow the same pattern as above: add the place of publication, the publishing entity, and the date.

Let’s throw in an example:

Kitchen. Good Home. Paris: The Publishing Company, 2005.

5. If you happen to work with a book with one editor, one’s name goes first, ed. Then the old pattern of Title. Place: Publishing entity, date.

The example: Smith, Tonya, ed. Melvin. Paris: The Publishing Company, 2005.

1. If you work with a short story or just a chapter of a book, proceed as follows. Mention the author’s last name, then goes the first name. Later add “Title.” The title of the book where you found the source. (ed.) Editor’s full name. Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication. Relevant page-frame.

Here’s a sample:

Parker, Nina. “Melvin’s childhood.” Melvin. Ed. Nina Parker. Paris: The Publishing Company, 2005.

Encyclopedias constitute another type of bibliographic sources. If you want to cite an article with an author or a signed one from there, follow the next structure. Author’s name. “Title”. Encyclopedia title. Volume Number. Place: Publishing entity, date.

Use the following example:

Parker, Nina. “Melvin.” Global Encyclopedia. Volume 7. Paris: The Publishing Company, 1998.

If you work with an article in some encyclopedia without any author or if the article is unsigned, you should mention the ”Title” of the actual article. Further goes Encyclopedia title. Volume Number. Place: Publishing entity, date.

Here’s a sample:

“The Melvins.” Global Encyclopedia. Volume 21. Paris: The Publishing Company, 2003

How to Use Reference Generators

For sure, generating reference is not for everyone. We know this, and we know how students are. So, below is the list of most frequently used reference generators.

Cite

Being very simple in usage, Cite serves as a great tool for those who need help with references. This is especially true for students who need the job done fast. Eventually, you will be able to ace in absolutely varying formatting styles.

Citefast

This particular item is truly a great choice for learners worldwide. Citefast specializes in all the common formats, from Chicago to MLA. Some of these you will surely face while on your road to graduation.

Cite This For Me

Let’s mention probably the most renowned item on this list, too. Whenever your tutor’s syllabus requires following a certain style, don’t hesitate to turn to this platform. Scan the barcode – that’s all that’s needed. Moreover, after you are finally done, you’ll be able to download it as a completed separate doc. 

Bibme

This amazing option is for almost broke students. Luckily, this one is totally free. It’s an awesome choice for those who work with plenty of academic papers. Conversely, to prove Bebme’s worth to you, this platform has them all. Use it whenever spending time on references doesn’t seem like a great endeavour to you.

Citation Machine

Let’s finish this article with this indispensable app for many students. Accordingly, if you decide to stop your choice right here, citations will stop causing your headache. Finally, making references for your assignment becomes a piece of cake!