APA Style of Bibliography Writing

Goutam Biswas
Research Fellow (Sr), Dept. of Lib. and Inf. Sc,
University of Kalyani, (http://www.klyuniv.ac.in/)
West Bengal, India.

Email: goutambiswas8@gmail.com ,

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:

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later discarded because they are irrelevant, outdated, etc., should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

author’s 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.

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According to the 2010 APA manual, 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 author’s 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 author’s 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

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 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.

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

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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

Bauzá, 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, 1113-1120.

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

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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/

• As you compile your research, you may use information from

sources other than books. To view the modifications you will
need to make in order to reference other types of sources, visit
APA Online.
• APA is only one of many bibliography styles commonly used for
research papers. If your teacher, professor, or editor requires a
different style, check out the online or in related wikiHow articles
for more information on different citation styles.