ARC199: Bibliography/Works CIted

What is a bibliography?

• A bibliography is a list of sources (books, articles, websites, reports, etc.) an author used and consulted in writing an article, research paper, or book. -essentially any type of academic work
• It can be referred to as a works cited page or a reference list.
• It is typically found at the end of a source.

Why do I need a bibliography?

• If you use any source to make your 'argument' or 'support' on your topic, even if you don't use direct quotes. You will still need to acknowledge where you found the information. 
• It is a record of your research process.
• It gives readers the opportunity to explore the sources you referenced in your research.

There are specific citation styles such as: MLA, APA, or Chicago, which dictate the order and presentation of the information. The order of the information is different in each of the citation style however, they all use the following details:

For books and/or journals:

• Author name
• Title of publication
• Article title (if using a journal)
• Date of publication
• Place of publication
• Publisher
• Volume number of a journal, magazine or encyclopedia
• Page number(s)

For websites:

• Author and/or editor name
• Title of the website
• Company or organization that owns or posts to the website
• URL (website address)
• Date of access

Annotated Bibliography: an annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.

What does an annotated bibliography do? 
A good annotated bibliography:

• encourages you to think critically about the content of the works you are using, their place within a field of study, and their relation to your own research and ideas.
•  proves you have read and understand your sources. establishes your work as a valid source and you as a competent researcher.
• situates your study and topic in a continuing professional conversation. provides a way for others to decide whether a source will be helpful to their research if they read it.
• could help interested researchers determine whether they are interested in a topic by providing background information and an idea of the kind of work going on in a field.

What an annotation should include:

• Complete bibliographic information.
• Some or all of the following: Information to explain the authority and/or qualifications of the author. For example: Dr. William Smith, a history professor at XYZ University, based his book on twenty years of research.
• Scope and main purpose of the work. Any biases that you detect. Intended audience and level of reading difficulty.
• Evaluation or why you feel this work is suitable for your topic