By: Lauren Beth Kelly

A bibliography is an alphabetized list of sources that are used within your article, essay, or research paper. It should be located on a separate page and at the end of a document. While the specific format of a bibliography may vary slightly depending on whether an MLA or APA style is used, all bibliographies generally include the following information:

• author’s name 
• title, date, location, and company of publication
• volume number (when applicable)
• page number(s) referenced 

An exception is for the citation of websites, in which the following information should be presented:

• author and editor names 
• title of the page 
• the company or organization that posted the webpage
• the URL for the page
• the last date you looked at the page
• Be sure to check with your instructor as to which format (MLA, APA, or even Chicago) should be used.

MLA Format

An MLA formatted bibliography tends to be the most common in arts academia, especially in high school. With it, your bibliography should always begin with the centered title, Works Cited. 

Entries should be alphabetized according to the author’s last name. For an unknown author, your sources should be listed by title. 

Dates should be abbreviated, using either the day-month-year style (22 July 1999) or the month-day-year style (July 22, 1999). But you should be consistent. 

Publication names should be either underlined or in italics. Be sure to check with your instructor for a specific preference.

Additionally, all MLA citations require hanging indents.

Here is an example of an MLA Works Cited entry: 

Here is an example of an MLA website citation:

APA Format

With an APA format, your list of citations should also begin at the end of the paper on a new page, but instead with the centered title, References. 

Again, alphabetize the entries in your list by the author’s last name. As with the MLA style, if the author’s name is unknown, then alphabetize by the title. 

Also, as with MLA formatting, you should abbreviate the months of the dates of sources, using either the day-month-year style or the month-day-year style. 

Here, publication names should be in italics.

All APA citations should also utilize hanging indents. 

Here is an example of an APA References listing:

The following is an example of an APA References website citation:

Research