Archive for September 2011
You hear about footnotes and endnotes from time to time.
Citing your paper in Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) formats depend mostly on the subject you are writing on. Mainly, APA style citations are used to cite writings that have a social science focus: Psychology, Business, the Social Sciences, Economics, Medicine, and Criminal Justice and Law. On the other hand, MLA style citations are used to cite writings that have humanities focus: Literature, Mass Communications, Media Studies, etc.
Basic APA/MLA Differences
1. A paper written in MLA format has the author’s name and page number displayed in the top right corner of each page. In APA format, the first few words, usually the first three, of the title with the page number runs on the top, right corner of each page.
2. In a MLA formatted paper, the author’s name, both first and last name, is spelled out on the bibliography page. In APA, only the last name of the author is spelled out while the first name is an initial.
3. The in-text citation is slightly different. In MLA, the last name of the author and the page number from which the reference was taken is displayed. In APA, the last name and the year of publication are displayed (separated by a comma).
4. The title in MLA and APA style formats has differences in its capitalization. In APA, only the first word of the title is capitalized and in italics. In MLA, all the major words of the title are capitalized.
5. In an MLA formatted paper, there is no abstract required. APA formatted papers does require an abstract.
6. The source page that list the bibliography information is called “Works Cited” in MLA and “References” in APA format. The source page should be the last page of the paper. “Works Cited” and “References” must be centered in both formats.
The differences between MLA and APA citation formats are minor. But writing in either format will ensure that papers are properly cited and the author’s chances of plagiarizing are reduced. There are several websites available, via the popular search engines, which give detailed requirements for both APA and MLA style formats.
Over the years, many changes have been made to both formats. When searching for format samples, you must be aware of outdated versions. I have found that by looking for the “Last Updated” dates on web pages, you can reduce your chances of following a version that has been outdated for several years.
A bibliography can be easily described as any work that describes a book. You might think that making one is tedious and boring considering its nature. On the contrary, writing a bibliography can be quite a fulfilling experience that can help you understand the nature of the text, as well as gain insight into the mindset of the author who created it.
Interested? Well, here are some ideas on how to write a bibliography without the hassle.
Types Of Bibliographies
Knowing how to write a bibliography requires you to understand that there are two ways to make one; each of which will affect the overall content of your project.
You can create an “enumerative” bibliography that defines the book in a comprehensive manner. Usually, this type of bibliography follows a simple format: author, title, publisher, and date of publication.
Another method on how to write a bibliography is what we call “analytical” bibliography. This involves in-depth research into the make of the book, which borders three aspects: 1) descriptive, 2) historical, and 3) textual.
This type of bibliography describes the physical attributes of the book, its history, as well as in-depth information regarding its content.
Research
Doing in-depth research about the book is the first step on how to write a bibliography. For starters, you need to know everything about the book in order to write something comprehensive about it.
Look into different literary works regarding a specific text and list them down for use in your project. You can read other works in a library or look for them on the Internet.
Following The Format
Writing a bibliography follows a fixed format. If you are still new at this, it is advisable to check other works to be used as a basis for your own. Here are some tips on how to write a bibliography in terms of following the correct format:
1. A bibliography must always be in alphabetical order. Usually, the author is the first one on the list, but can be substituted with a title if you can’t find the name of the author who penned the book.
2. If there is more than one author of the book, write them down in the order of how they are displayed on the text.
3. Double check the information on the publisher and the date of publication, and make sure that they are correct to avoid any corrections later on.
Knowing how to write a bibliography is quite easy if you learn the details that comes with one. In fact, you can check other bibliographies on the Internet if you want to get as many ideas as you can to turn in a successful project.
Note, however, that your bibliography must sport 100% accurate information to avoid any debates and problems later on.