How to Write an APA Style Bibliography

Edited byRandomhistory and 17 others A bibliography provides an alphabetized list of all of the sources that were used to create an article, and it is a necessary component of any piece of academic research or writing. By citing your sources at the end of your paper, you are letting your readers know where they can go to verify your research or find more information; you are also acknowledging the research and ideas of others and protecting yourself from accusations of plagiarism. To compile and write an APA-style bibliography for your paper or article, you should follow the steps below: Edit Steps
1. 1 Begin a new page separate from the text for your bibliography or reference list. A reference list is different from a bibliography. Find out which one you need. The only difference is that a reference list includes what you have cited within the text, and sources you have used, but nothing else. Any other sources you have read or seen, but later discarded because they are irrelevant, outdated, etc., should never be included in a reference list, but can be included in the bibliography. 2. 2 Create an alphabetized list of your sources based upon the authors last name. If the source you are using contains two or more authors, use the last name of the author listed first on the title page. According to the 2010 APA manula, For up to 7 authors names list them all. For 8 or more, list the first 6 followed by a comma, an ellipsis or 3 periods then the last author's name. If a book is edited and there is no author named, type the editor's name followed by (Ed.). If your source does not list an author, use the first word of the title to alphabetize the work. 3. 3 For each source, list the authors last name and first initials, with a comma separating the names and initials and periods after the initials. APA calls for initials only to reduce bias. Ex. Smith, M.A. 4. 4

After the authors name, list the date of publication in parentheses, with a period following the closing parenthesis. Ex. (2005). 5. 5 List the title of the article. Capitalize only the first word of the title unless subsequent words are proper nouns. End with a period. This step does not apply if you are referring to an entire book. 6. 6 List the title of the work (book or journal) in italicized text, with a period following the title. If it is a book (or any other source except a journal) you will capitalize only the first word of the title unless subsequent words are proper nouns or the first word after a colon, and end it with a period. Ex. How to write an APA-style bibliography. If it is a journal, capitalize all major words, insert a comma, add the volume number, issue number (in parentheses, if applicable -- if the journal starts the page numbering of each issue with 1, then include this; if the journal continues page numbering issue to issue for a volume, do not include this), another comma, the page number(s) and a period to end the journal citation. Ex. The Statesman Journal, 59(4), 286-295. 7. 7 List the place of publication of the book (city, state or just city) and then the name of the publisher, with a colon separating them. Follow the publisher with a period. Ex. Boston, MA: Random House. 8. 8 Indent all but the first line of every entry (a hanging indent). 9. 9 See the APA website or manual for other questions.

Examples
Book
Morales, L. (1987). The history of Cuba. New York: Franklin Watts. Ellington, W., Jr., & Henrickson, E.B. (1995). The elements of dance (3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.

Oregon State University Soil Ecology Center (1982). A directory of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farms. Columbus, OH: Natural Resources Institute.

Book Chapter
Tizol, W.P. (1976). Brain function and memory. In J.M.O. Corney & H.L. Center (Eds.), An inside look at what we think we know. (pp. 154-184). Springfield, IL: American Psychiatric Press. Journal Article Bauz, R.H. (1982). Manitoba nematodes. Journal of Cool Nematodes, 10, 252-264. Gillespie, R.C., & Tupac, R.M. (1976). How confident people dance. American Dancing, 225, 82-90. The lamb business. (1992, September 11). Willamette Valley Lamb, 97, 47-48.

Magazine Article
Pozo, E. R. (2008, November 19). The way she loved me. Personal Literature, 290, 11131120.

Encyclopedia Article
Parker, S.A. (1947). Fetal development. In International encyclopedia of pregnancy (Vol. 7, pp. 202-207). New York: Aesculapius Publishers.

Newspaper Article
Amazing women. (1955, January 12). The Journal News, pp. D11, D14.

Electronic Journal Article From a Database

Tjader, J.W., Coltrane, J.A., & Taylor, A.A. (1995). A history of mockery. American Psychologist, 50, 750-765. Retrieved from PsycINFO database.

Electronic Journal Article (print version)

Rodriguez, G., Puente, S., & Mayfield , J. (2001). Role of upbringing in family attitudes. [Electronic version]. Journal of Family Research, 5, 117-123.

Website

Summers, M. (2007) Cool scenes. Retrieved August 27, 2007, from http://coolscenesilove.edu/