Bibliography 101

When you have already spent several days writing and polishing your essay, the sad fact is that there is one last thing to do before you turn it in: That is the Bibliography. This is a list of all works, documents, reports and data sources that you have you have in some way used to write your report. Traditionally, the information shown in a bibliography follows a traditional format:

Author – Title – Publisher – Date

Alexander Carlyle, From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press, 1995
Of course, the exact requirements for a bibliography can vary between assignments, and of course, between different professors and programs of study. Some wish to list the author’s surname followed by their first name:

Surname, First name - Title - Publisher - Date

Carlyle, Alexander, From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press, 1995
However, if you are following the Harvard citation system, sometimes referred to as the Author-date system, your bibliography references will appear in the following format:

Surname, Initial of First Name - Date- Title - Publisher -

Carlyle, A., (1995), From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press.
Please note that the titles of the book are always in italics. This is to allow anyone scanning through your bibliography to find the titles of whatever resources you have employed in writing your essay. Because you list the author’s Surname first, your bibliography will you’re your sources alphabetically using their surnames instead of their first names.

If you are using a “Standard text,” give the name of the editor (ed) first as shown below:

Editor - Title - Publisher - Date

Alexander Carlyle (ed), From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press, 1995

Remember to list your bibliography in alphabetical order following the Surnames of the authors and editors, and above all else, remember to cite sources that you have used. Listing sources that you did not work gives the impression that you are trying to get credit for work not done. It can sometimes seem as if you your footnotes or endnotes contain identical information. Do not worry about this similarity because they have two completely different functions.