As scholars build upon the work of others, you need to be mindful of documenting your research and citing your sources. After completing the research cycle and determining which resources to include in the final product, you need to generate a bibliography. According the Purdue Online Writing Lab, a bibliography is "a list of sources (books, journals, websites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic" (2012). A bibliography serves two main purposes, it:
What are the consequences for plagiarizing? It depends upon the circumstances and where you publish the finished product. You could be expelled from a University, publicly sanctioned, lose your job, or be sued for violating copyright depending on the nature of the work that you used and claimed to be original.
- credits the author for his/her work, and
- provides readers (e.g., teachers, peers, parents and family members, etc.) with a way to understand how you formulated your arguments and identified suitable resources.
What are the consequences for plagiarizing? It depends upon the circumstances and where you publish the finished product. You could be expelled from a University, publicly sanctioned, lose your job, or be sued for violating copyright depending on the nature of the work that you used and claimed to be original.
Citation Tools
While you are writing and researching your topic, be sure to keep track of each resource. You will use this information to construct a bibliography, or a roadmap, to your research. To ensure that all of your resources are properly formatted and organized, you need to choose a citation style -- which governs how you cite resources in a paper and outline how resources (e.g., books, newspapers, websites, etc.) need to be formatted in the bibliography.
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab maintains an extensive set of resources and instructional guides for teachers and students. Learn about to use each citation format and to properly document your sources. Here are links to three of most commonly used citation styles for research:
You may also be asked to create an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography includes a brief summary and evaluation of each reference along with the citation. You may highlight, for example, the benefits of a selected work and how it contributes to your understand of the topic under study. The Purdue Owl site also maintains a guide to annotated bibliographies. It showcases completed examples as well as outlines in detail how to create such a bibliography.
The Purdue University Online Writing Lab maintains an extensive set of resources and instructional guides for teachers and students. Learn about to use each citation format and to properly document your sources. Here are links to three of most commonly used citation styles for research:
- Chicago Manual of Style - Formatting & Style Guide
- Modern Language Association (MLA) Format - Formatting & Style Guide
- American Psychological Association (APA) Format - Formatting & Style Guide
You may also be asked to create an annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography includes a brief summary and evaluation of each reference along with the citation. You may highlight, for example, the benefits of a selected work and how it contributes to your understand of the topic under study. The Purdue Owl site also maintains a guide to annotated bibliographies. It showcases completed examples as well as outlines in detail how to create such a bibliography.
Create a Bibliography
Need to generate a detailed, organized and professional bibliography? There are great resources available online to help you accomplish this goal. Here are some free tools:
- EasyBib: Write Smart. You can generate a citation in MLA format for free. In order to switch between various styles, users need to purchase a subscription.
- Citation Machine: Serving Students & Teachers, K-12, College, and University. It is an online tool that is designed to help students document and format resources. You can register for a free account and then enter your sources.