Bibliographic Citation=creating a bibliography
IB Connection: Approaches to Learning (How to research and document sources; Homo Faber:
Recognizing the contribution and work of authors/creators of information).
Whenever you use an author's or creator's photos, words, illustrations,
artwork, or even just their ideas, you need to include a source citation to
give them credit. In other words, you need to write down where you found the
information, art, photos, etc. (IB connection:
When you make a list of sources it's called a works cited page or even
reference page but in middle school we tend to call it a bibliography. By
citing the source, you are giving the person credit and also giving yourself
and your readers a list of the titles so they can find the same resources if
they want to learn more about your claims or your topic.
Even if you just paraphrase or summarize the information you should always write down the author,
title, publisher, and copyright date of the book or if it's a database article the title of article,
publication, author, date, and the database where you found it and the date you read it. Good
subscription databases like Groliers often do the MLA citation for you and you just copy and paste it.
If you e-mail the article to yourself it's super easy to put in an e-mail folder and just open it up and
copy and paste the MLA citation. (Homo Faber: Man the creator)
If it's a free webpage it's a pain to cite. You need the URL, name of the webpage, author, creation
or update date and the date you read it. I suggest you print out the first pg. of a web site and save
the page so you can write the URL later. If it is an art print, magazine article, speech, etc. that you are
including in your report then there are certain ways you should write down and list the information.
Click on the links below to see examples of how to create your works cited, reference page, or
bibliography.
Note: there are a few different ways to cite your source. Because we're preparing you for high-school
and college most middle-school teachers use the MLA style. Each school is different and when you
get to college some of your teachers might ask you to use a different style which normally just
means you list your author, title, etc. in a different order.
FOR TEACHERS AND ADVANCED RESEARCHERS ONLY...
Bibliography vs. Works Cited
Depending on your purpose, you may create one of three different lists of
sources: a working bibliography, a list of works cited, or a bibliography.
No matter what type of source list you create, your bibliography citations
will always be written in the same MLA format. See the section MLA Format for
Bibliography Entries for the format for each source.
A working bibliography is the list of books, magazines, and other sources you
collect as you conduct your library research. Usually you list these intended
sources on individual index cards or in your notes, including all the
information you will later need to make your list of works cited. I encourage students to keep close-
track and whenever possible to e-mail themselves the information so they can easily organize it and
retrieve it later. You can also have kids keep a spread-sheet. To find the resources again many
people also include the call number of each book and the library or the database where you find each
source in their notes.
The list of works cited gives only the sources you have actually cited in your
paper. Unlike a bibliography, it does not include the sources you may have
consulted but did not actually include directly in your paper. Type your list
of works cited on a separate page at the end of your paper.
A bibliography is a separate alphabetical list of all the sources you
considered in preparing a research project. Some teachers may ask for both a
works cited page and bibliography. (By high school, most teachers will
require just a works cited listing.) A bibliography appears on a separate page
at the end of your paper after the works cited page, if included.
Bibliographies are often published as resources detailing where you can find
more information on a given subject.
Click on these links below...
Great tutorial with quiz to check your understanding.
http://mte.anacortes.k12.wa.us/library/cite/index.htm
The Citation Machine creates your MLA citation. After you enter the
requested information such as title, author, publication, etc. you just
click on submit. Then, you cut and paste the citation into your document and
voila, done. For eighth graders, it'll even give you the parenthetical
citation to include in your report.
http://citationmachine.net/
Links to citation guides from Duke Library.
http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/works_cited
MLA citation guide. Well-organized, easy to use.
http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html
Print out this MLA style handout created by Lewis Librarians Mrs. Gay and
Mrs. Sims. Follow this format guide to help you create your bibliography.
http://www.teacherweb.com/CA/SanDiego/HardisonSims/htmlpage14.stm
Be sure to ask for help with your research. Library Media Teachers and
Librarians are specially trained information specialists. There are also other Library staff members that
are happy to help you. We can save you time and find the best resources available for your topic, in the
time that you need. If we can't help you, we often know someone or somewhere that
might have just the answer you need. Remember to come to us with your assignment or ideas as early
as possible. We can help. No question, personal problem or topic is too hard or too dumb. We can teach
you where to find your own answers.
Ask for a certificated Library Media Teacher or a professional Librarian at a library near you.