Library

Source Management

Creating a Bibliography

Preparing a good bibliography is an important part of writing any research paper. An accurate and thorough bibliography reflects the depth of your research -- the foundation on which your argument or analysis rests. It is an important aid to readers who wish to verify your facts or to pursue some of the topics you have discussed. This is your opportunity to impress the reader with the effort and diligence that have gone into your work.

No matter how thorough, your bibliography will only be useful if it can be readily understood. This requires that all your citation notes and bibliographic entries be presented in a uniform style, one with which most of your readers are likely to be familiar. Different bibliographic styles have been developed by major scholarly societies and publishers. Which style you choose depends on the preference of your instructor or your editors, but it is likely to reflect the subject area of your paper. Whatever your choice, it is essential that you follow one bibliographic style accurately and consistently throughout the entire paper. A sloppy or inconsistent style could create the impression that your bibliography's contents, and even your argument itself, are of doubtful quality.

How to Use Our Guide

This guide provides patterns and examples for citing different types of works in your notes and bibliography. First, determine the bibliographic style preferred by your instructor or editors. Select that style from the sidebar to the left on this page for an explanation of its general format and conventions. Next, on the page for the bibliographic style you selected, choose a particular type of work (books, articles, Web sites, etc.) and follow the citation pattern and examples given for that type. If you can't find the exact type of work you are looking for, you might be able to apply the pattern for a closely related type. Links to additional resources are also given on each style page to help you find any other patterns and examples you might need. See also the links to other resources provided at the end of this page.

Some Common Bibliographic Styles:

Other Resources

You might wish to consult other online guides to bibliographic styles. Here are a few sites that discuss multiple styles:

The Columbia University Press provides a useful guide for citing online works, The Columbia Guide to Online Style. This guide provides patterns and examples for a number of different electronic formats, including e-mail, online databases, and software programs. Note also the older recommendations in Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information by Xia Li and Nancy B. Crane.
The Internet Public Library maintains a list of recommended online style guides, as does Karla Tonella of the University of Iowa.
The University of Pennsylvania Library provides links to a number of bibliographic guides and style manuals. An annotated bibliography of style manuals, some available online, is maintained by Duke University Libraries. Guides to several major bibliographic styles can be downloaded from the University of California Berkeley Library.
Besides the APA, MLA, and Chicago styles, the guide prepared by the Bedford/St. Martin's press describes the bibliographic style of the Council of Science Editors. It also provides references to the style guides of several other scholarly organizations.
The Dr. Abel Scribe, Ph.D., series includes guides for many common bibliographic styles that can be downloaded to computers running the Windows operating system. Briefer guides are also available in PDF format.
The National Archives and Records Administration provides guides for citing government documents. Some modification may be necessary for conformance with the specific bibliographic style you are using.

Refworks

How do I Use RefWorks: Getting Started handout

How do I Use Write N Cite (using RefWorks in Word to automatically generate a bibliography) handout

RefWorks, a new resource provided by the Simmons Library, is an online bibliographic citation management program that allows you to create your own personal database of references. It's great for keeping track of large research projects. You can automatically import references from search results in an article database or enter references manually. Search tools within RefWorks enable you to easily navigate your database and search for references.

RefWorks also allows you to format your references for papers and bibliographies in a variety of output styles, including APA, MLA, Turabian, and Chicago.

One of the main advantages of RefWorks over a program like EndNote is the fact that it is Web-accessible and can be used from any computer with an Internet connection. You do not have to load special software. Additionally, teams/groups or faculty and their research assistants can share a particular set of citations, and all contribute to it.

Creating your RefWorks database: When you first visit RefWorks, you will be prompted to set up your personal bibliographic database. You can then save references from any database to a text file and use the RefWorks Import feature, or manually type new references into the database.

CONTACT A LIBRARIAN TO GET SIMMONS' GROUP CODE, NEEDED FOR LOGGING IN

Note: How do I connect to the library’ catalog with Endnote?

The settings you need to use the Z39.50 interface with our server in Endnote are fairly simple:
Server Address: library.simmons.edu
Port ID: 210 (the default)
Database Name: INNOPAC (Note that the Endnote documentation implies that the database name is usually a four letter string, but this is not so in our case.)
Leave the username and password boxes blank.
If you still have trouble connecting to the library catalog with Endnote, please call the library’ systems department at (617) 521-275

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