Preparing a Bibliography

The first step in accurately and efficiently citing the sources of information in your report or
project is preparing the final bibliography. Although the bibliography will be the final page of
your report, it is an essential part. It is not only a concise record of the sources you use, but it is a
valuable reference tool for your readers who may seek more information about your topic.
It is best to write the bibliography before you write the report. This is a very easy step, since you
already will have all of your sources listed on note cards (working bibliography).

**Follow all punctuation. Use underline when

handwriting, use italics when typing.
Book: One
Author

Structure: Author (last, first). Title of Book. Place of publication:

Publisher, Copyright date. Print.
Example: Alloway, Lawrence. The Central Division of the NFL. New
York: Collier, 1997. Print.

Book: Two
Authors

Structure: Author 1 (last, first), and Author 2 (first last). Title of Book.
Place of publication: Publisher, Copyright. Print.
Example: Smith, Alvin Z., and Sandra Chen. Football Coaches. New York:
Drachan Press, 1993. Print.

Book: Three
Authors

Structure: Author 1 (last, first), Author 2 (first last), and Author 3 (first
last). Title of Book. Place of publication: Publisher, Copyright.
Example: Rabkin, Eric S., Martin H. Greenberg, and Joseph D. Olander.
No Place Else: Explorations of Fiction. Cardbondale, Southern Illinois
University Press, 1983. Print.

Book: Four or
More Authors

Structure: Author 1 (last, first), et al. Title. Place of publication, Publisher,

Copyright. Print.
Example: Gilman, Sander, et al. Hysteria Beyond Freud. Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1993. Print.

Book: Editor
instead of Author

Structure: Editor (last, first), ed. Title. Place of publication: Publisher,

Copyright. Print.
Example: Sevillano, Mando, ed. The Hopi Way: Tales from a Vanishing
Culture. Flagstaff: Northland, 1986. Print.

Book: No Author

Structure: Title of Book. Place of publication: Publisher, Copyright. Print.

Example: New York Public Library Students Desk Reference. New York:
Prentice, 1993. Print.

Reviewed January 2010

Article included
in an Anthology
(A book full of
different sections,
each by a
different author)

Structure: Author of Article (last, first). Article Title. Title of Book. Ed.
Editor of Book (first last). Place of publication: Publisher, Copyright.
Pages. Print.

Magazine Article
found in Print

Structure: Author of Article (last, first). Article Title. Title of Magazine

Date of Magazine: Pages. Print.

Example: Rosenblum, Robert. A Violent Game. Thinking Mans Guide

to Pro Football. Ed. John Rhodes and Jack Kent. New York: Praeger, 1989.
53-56. Print.

Example: Gruen, John. The Green Bay Packers. Sports Illustrated 23

Nov. 1996: 30-32.
Journal/Magazine
Article from
Database
(like Badgerlink
or CultureGrams)

Newspaper
Article found in
Print

Structure: Author (last, first). Article Title. Journal Title (Date of

Journal): page. Database Name. Web. Date accessed. <web address>.
Example: Doe, John. How to Save the Rainforest. World Preservation
(Fall 2005): 35-37. Academic Search Elite. Web. 1 Dec 2006.
<http://ebscohost.com/academicsearchelite/worldpreseavation/rainforest>.
Structure: Author of Article (last, first). Article Title. Newspaper Title
[City] Date of Newspaper: section & page. Print.
Example: Kramer, Hilton. Wisconsin Cheeseheads. New York Times
[New York] 25 May 1990: B4. Print.

Newspaper
Article from an
Database
(like ProQuest)

Article in a
Reference Book
found in Print

Structure: Author (last, first). Article Title. Newspaper Name Date of

Newspaper, sect & pg. Database. Web. Data accessed. <web address>.
Example: Smith, Betty. Knitting in 2006. Pioneer Press 15 June 2005,
C3. ProQuest Newspapers. Web. 15 Jan 2010. <http://www.proquest.com/
pioneerpress/knitting>.
Structure: Article Author (last, first). Article Title. Reference Book
Title. Edition ed. Copyright. Print.
Example: Frank, George. Football. The World Book Encyclopedia. 28th
ed. 1993. Print.

Brochure in Print

Structure: Company Author. Title. City: Year. Print.

Example: St Croix County Health Department. Child Immunization.
Hudson, WI: 2008. Print.

Brochure found
Online

Structure: Company Author. Title. City: Year. Website Title. Date

published. Web. Date accessed. <web address>.
Example: St Croix County Health Department. Child Immunization.
Hudson, WI: 2008. St Croix County Home. 1 Jan 2005. Web. 14 Jan 2010.
<http://www.stcroixcounty.gov/health/immunization>.

Reviewed January 2010

Television
Program

Structure: Segment/Episode Title. Title of Show. Network. Station ID,

City, Date of airing. Television
Example (local): Football on the Tundra. The MacNeil/Lehrer News
Hour. PBS. WNET, New York, NY, 23 Feb 2000. Television.
Example (cable): Ice World. Planet Earth. Discovery Channel. 1 April
2000. Television

Television
Program watched
Online

Structure: Segment/Episode Title. Title of Show. Network. Date of

airing. Website Title. Date published. Web. Date accessed. <web address>.
Example: Two if by Sea. Ace of Cakes. Food Network. 14 Apr 2000. 1
Jan 2000. Hulu.com. 21 Apr 2000. Web. 14 Jan 2010.
<http://www.hulu.com/ace_of_cakes/two_if_by_sea>.

DVD

Structure: Movie Title. Director (last, first). Performers (first last of

actors). Studio, Copyright Date. DVD.
Example: Cinderella. Director Geronimi, Clyde. Performers Ilene Woods,
Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton. Walt Disney Productions, 1950. DVD.

Video found
Online (from
YouTube, etc.)

Structure: Movie Title. Director (last, first). Performers (fist last of actors).
Web Site Title. Date uploaded or posted to the web. Web. Date accessed.
<web address>.
Example: New AV for Middle School Feb 2009. Director Olson, Amanda.
YouTube. 1 Jan 2000. Web. 4 September 2009. < http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=rKb0CP2h4D0&feature=channel_page>.

Personal
Interview

Structure: Person you interviewed (last, first). Personal interview. Date of

interview.
Example: Farve, Brett. Personal interview. 10 October 2006.

Telephone
Interview

Structure: Person you interviewed (last, first). Telephone interview. Date

of interview.
Example: Farve, Brett. Telephone interview. 10 Oct 2006.

Website

Structure: Author (last, first). Title of page. Website Title. Date

published or last updated. Web. Date accessed <web address>.
Example: Olson, Amanda. Find for Students. St Croix Central Middle
School. 1 Jan 2000. Web. 14 Jan 2010. <www.scc.k12.wi.us/ms/lmc.cfm>.

E-Mail

Structure: Author. Email Subject. Email to (name). Date read. E-mail.

Example: Washington, George. I hate the English. Email to Martha
Washington. 13 Jan 1776. E-mail.

Reviewed January 2010

Digital Image
(Picture)

Structure: Author/photographer (last, first). Title of Image. Date of Image.

Digital Image. Website Title. Website copyright/last updated date. Web.
Date accessed <web address>.
Example: Lyksett, Michelle. Sam Johnson, SCC Basketball. 10 January
2008. Digital Image. Central St Croix News. 11 Jan 2008. Web. 14 Jan
2010. <www.centralstcroixnews.com/scc/sports/sam_johnsn_scc_
basketball.jpg>.

Music

Structure: Band/singer (last, first). Song Title. By Writer (last, first).

Album Title. Band/group. Year Produced. Audio Type (is it a CD, MP3,
MIDI, vinyl recording).
Example: Starr, Ringo. "Yellow Submarine." By Paul McCartney.
Revolver. The Beatles. 1966. Vinyl recording.

Online Bibliography Generators

Below are some websites that will format your bibliography if you plug in the information.

http://www.easybib.com/
http://www.bibme.org/
http://citationmachine.net/

Title Page Format

Title of Report Line 10
Student Name Line 25
School Name Line 27
Teachers Name Line 40
Date Line 42

Rules for Typing a Bibliography Page

1. Each entry begins at the left-hand margin. If the entry goes to the second line, the second line
is indented.
2. Each entry should be single spaced, with a double space between entries.
3. Bibliographies are arranged alphabetically.

Reviewed January 2010

Example
Bibliography
Alloway, Lawrence. The Central Division of the NFL. New York: Collier, 1997. Print.
Cinderella. Director Geronimi, Clyde. Performers Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Verna
Felton. Walt Disney Productions, 1950. DVD.
Doe, John. How to Save the Rainforest. World Preservation (Fall 2005): 35-37. Academic
Search Elite. Web. 1 Dec 2006. <http://ebscohost.com/academicsearchelite/
worldpreseavation/rainforest>.
Farve, Brett. Personal interview. 10 October 2006.
Football on the Tundra. The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour. PBS. WNET, New York, NY, 23
Feb 2000. Television.
Frank, George. Football. The World Book Encyclopedia. 28th ed. 1993. Print.
Gilman, Sander, et al. Hysteria Beyond Freud. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
Print.
Gruen, John. The Green Bay Packers. Sports Illustrated 23 Nov. 1996: 30-32.
Kramer, Hilton. Wisconsin Cheeseheads. New York Times [New York] 25 May 1990: B4.
Print.
Olson, Amanda. Find for Students. St Croix Central Middle School. 1 Jan 2000. Web. 14 Jan
2010. <www.scc.k12.wi.us/ms/lmc.cfm>.
Rosenblum, Robert. A Violent Game. Thinking Mans Guide to Pro Football. Ed. John
Rhodes and Jack Kent. New York: Praeger, 1989. 53-56. Print.
Sevillano, Mando, ed. The Hopi Way: Tales from a Vanishing Culture. Flagstaff: Northland,
1986. Print.
Smith, Betty. Knitting in 2006. Pioneer Press 15 June 2005, C3. ProQuest Newspapers. Web.
15 Jan 2010. <http://www.proquest.com/ pioneerpress/knitting>.
St Croix County Health Department. Child Immunization. Hudson, WI: 2008. St Croix County
Home. 1 Jan 2005. Web. 14 Jan 2010. <http://www.stcroixcounty.gov/health/
immunization>.
Starr, Ringo. "Yellow Submarine." By Paul McCartney. Revolver. The Beatles. 1966. Vinyl
recording.
Two if by Sea. Ace of Cakes. Food Network. 14 Apr 2000. 1 Jan 2000. Hulu.com. 21 Apr
2000. Web. 14 Jan 2010. <http://www.hulu.com/ace_of_cakes/two_if_by_sea>.
Washington, George. I hate the English. Email to Martha Washington. 13 Jan 1776. E-mail.
Reviewed January 2010

Working Bibliography Cards

A bibliography card must be made for each source that you use. Each card should be written in
correct bibliographic form and numbered consecutively so that you can easily identify the source
you have used on each note card. When you are ready to type your bibliography page, the cards
can easily be alphabetized and the information transferred to the Bibliography page.

**Follow all punctuation. Use underline when

handwriting, use italics when typing.
Sample Bibliography Cards
Bibliographic Information
Number of Source
(1)
Alloway, Lawrence. Central Division of the
NFL. New York: Collier, 2001.

(2)
Top Quarterbacks. Sport. Oct. 1999:
56-59.

Reviewed January 2010

Note taking
Note taking involves making choices based on the focus of your report. Information that is
irrelevant to your report must be rejected. Take notes only on material that you will use in your
report.

Rules for Note taking

1.
2.
3.
4.

Always use note cards for note taking.

Each card should contain only one idea.
Label each card in the upper right hand corner with one of your subtopics.
Label each card used in the upper left hand corner with the number of the source used (see
bibliography cards).
5. Put the notes in your own words use keywords and phrases. Do not write notes in complete
sentences. Do not copy sentences word for word from your source unless you plan to quote
them and give credit to the author in your report.

Sample Note
Note card
Source & Page #

Notes

(1) P.56

Subtopic

Dates
Born Jan 12, 1935
Died August 7, 1974
Married May 5, 1954

**Use phrases and bullets when taking notes NOT

complete sentences. If copying down something wordfor-word, put it in quotation marks (asdf) so you
know it is not your words.

Reviewed January 2010