Creating A Research Paper Bibliography In The Apa Style
When reading through a research paper, having the bibliography gives the reader a list of any sources that were used in alphabetical order. While it may be optional in some types of writing, when it comes to a research paper, the bibliography is absolutely crucial.
Although the APA style is most commonly used for students who are in the social sciences, it can also be requested by your instructor for any other course of study. The great thing about APA is that compiling it and writing is simple if you spend just a small amount of energy and effort.
Here are the steps that you will need to follow to be certain that your bibliography is done following the proper and accepted standards for APA:
- Start fresh: Start your bibliography on a new page that is separate from the rest of your work.
- Place the title: With the text centered, write "Bibliography" without quotations, underlining, or italics.
- Create the list: The alphabetical list is done by using the last name of the author you are citing. If there happens to be more than one author listed on the work, the accepted method is to use the last name of who is first listed on the title page. If there is no author listed, use the first word of the title instead, but do not include words such as "the", "A", or "And".
- Getting the name right: After the last name of the author, a comma should be used before the initials. Only the initials are used in APA so that no bias occurs. Ex. Black, T.M.
- Publication date comes after author: The date of the publication is put inside parentheses and should have a period which follows. Ex. (1997). Every month except May, June, and July should be abbreviated. Ex. Feb. 14, 1997.
- List the article title: The title should be in italics, followed by a period. For everything except a journal, only the first word in the title is capitalized, unless the word comes right after a colon or the next words are proper nouns. Finish with a period. Ex. Where to find information on feeding dogs. When using a journal source, all of the major words require capitalization, followed by a comma, the volume number, issue number in parentheses, a comma, number of the page(s), and a period. Ex. A Science Journal, 68(7), 342-347.
- Place of publication and name: Either just the city itself or the city, state needs to be listed, followed by a colon, and then the name of the publisher needs to be listed. Finish with a period. Ex. Brooklyn, NY: My Company.