Definition
A bibliography is a list of all of the sources you used in developing your paper. A list of works cited, as the name suggests, includes only those sources specifically cited in the paper. Sometimes, you may want to include a source in your bibliography that you did not actually cite in the essay. In this case, you studied the source, it contributed to your paper, and a reader interested in the subject should consult that source. You should never include a source that you did not read simply to make your bibliography look more impressive. In most cases at the undergraduate level, a works cited page is sufficient, but you are free to use a bibliography, given the restriction above.
Format
In all fields related to English studies, we employ the Modern Language Association (MLA) format, but you should be aware that other fields and disciplines use different formats, and even texts prepared under older MLA style guidelines may appear different from our style specifications. This is one reason you always need to format your own bibliographic entries, regardless of how they appear in a database or in another document.
In setting up your bibliography, you maintain the same format as used throughout the document (i.e., double spacing, 1-inch margins, name and page number in the header, etc.). On the first line of the new bibliography page (which will be the last page of your essay), center the text and type "Bibliography" or "Works Cited," capitalized. Do not underline, italicize, bold, or otherwise change the appearance of the text. Go to the next line, with no extra line, and begin your entries. Be sure to maintain double spacing throughout the bibliography. For all entries that take up more than one line (which will be most entries), indent 0.5" for every line after the first one.
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