How to write a bibliographic citation for a book

Below are standard formats and examples for basic bibliographic information recommended by the Modern Language Association MLA. For more information on the MLA format, see http:

You can find out more about how to use parenthetical references. For the months May, June, and July, spell out the months. For all other months with five or more letters, use abbreviations: Note that there is no period after the month.

For instance, the period after Jan. If no months are stated, use Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, etc. These are not publication dates. Always use square brackets [ ] to indicate information that is not given but is supplied by you. Example of a work in an anthology page numbers are for the entire essay or piece of work: Fish, Barry, and Les Kotzer.

Beating One of the Two Certainties in Life. The Meditations of Linus. Footnote or Endnote example 1 Charles M.

3 Clear and Easy Ways to Write an APA Style Bibliography

Schulz, The Meditations of Linus N. Where page numbers may be counted or guessed accurately, count the pages and indicate the page number or numbers.

Above article starts on pagecontinues on pages andadvertisement appears on pagearticle continues on pageand ends on page Normally, do not use Roman numerals for page numbers from the main part of the book where Arabic numbers are used.

Also, do not use Roman numerals for encyclopedia volume numbers if Arabic numbers are given. If there is an author, cite the author. If no author is stated, begin the citation with the title of the article.

Underline the title of the encyclopedia and provide the year of edition, e. Do not confuse a subheading in a long article with the title of the article, i. Where the encyclopedia cited is not a well-known or familiar work, in addition to the author, title of article, and title of the encyclopedia, you must also indicate the editor, edition if available, number of volumes in the set, place of publication, publisher, and year of publication, e.

Indent 5 spaces or half an inch for the second and subsequent lines of citation. Some citations are short and may fit all on one line.

Nothing is wrong with that. Do not type author on one line, title on a second line, and publication information on a third line. Type all citation information continuously until you reach the end of the line.

Indent the second line and continue with the citation. If the citation is very long, indent the third and subsequent lines. Standard Format for a Book: Publisher, Year of Publication. If a book has no author or editor stated, begin with the title.

If the city or town is not commonly known, add the abbreviation for the State or Province.a) Page numbers are not needed for a book, unless the citation comes from an article or essay in an anthology, i.e. a collection of works by different authors.

Example of a work in an anthology (page numbers are for the entire essay or piece of work). A bibliography, by definition, is the detailed listing of the books, journals, magazines, or online sources that an author has used in researching and writing their work.

Make a list to keep track of ALL the books, magazines, and websites you read as you follow your background research plan. Later this list of sources will become your bibliography. Most teachers want you to have at least three written sources of information.

Write down, photocopy, or print the following information for each source you find. Presents citation styles from The Chicago Manual of Style, the American Sociological Association Style Guide, the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, The ACS Style Guide, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and the APSA Style Manual for Political Science.

Cite Anything and Everything in APA Format. Get the facts on citing and writing in APA format with our comprehensive guide. Formatting instructions, sample papers, and citation examples provide you with the tools you need to style your paper in APA.

How to Cite a Book Online in MLA. Include the same information as a regular book. Add as much as the original publication information as possible. After citing the original publication information, add the electronic publication information.