A working bibliography is a list of sources that you plan to use in your research, whether for a paper, essay, or other project. It is an important part of the research process as it helps you keep track of your sources and ensure that you are using credible and relevant information in your work. In this essay, we will discuss how to create a working bibliography in MLA format.
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is a citation style commonly used in the humanities and liberal arts. It provides guidelines for citing sources within the text of your paper and creating a list of works cited at the end of your paper.
To create a working bibliography in MLA format, you will need to follow these steps:
Identify the sources you plan to use in your research. This includes books, articles, websites, and other materials that you have found and plan to use in your work.
Write down the bibliographic information for each source. This includes the author's name, title of the work, publication date, and publication information (such as the name of the publisher or journal).
Organize your sources in alphabetical order by the author's last name. If there is no author, you should list the source by the title.
Use the proper MLA format to write the bibliographic information for each source. Here is an example of how to format a book in MLA style:
Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
For example:
Smith, John. The History of the World. New York: Random House, 2010.
- If you are citing a source that you accessed online, you will need to include the URL or DOI (Digital Object Identifier) in your bibliography. Here is an example of how to format a website in MLA style:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." Website Name. Publisher, Date of publication. Web. Date of access.
For example:
Johnson, Mary. "The Evolution of Technology." Tech Times. Tech Times Inc., 15 Apr. 2020. Web. 20 May 2020.
- As you continue your research and find new sources, be sure to add them to your working bibliography. This will help you keep track of all the sources you have used or plan to use in your work.
It is important to note that a working bibliography is not the same as a final list of works cited. A working bibliography is a list of sources that you are considering using in your research, while the list of works cited is a list of sources that you actually used in your paper. When you have completed your research and are ready to create your final list of works cited, you will need to make sure that all the sources in your working bibliography are properly cited in the text of your paper and included in the final list of works cited.
Creating a working bibliography in MLA format can seem intimidating at first, but with a little practice and attention to detail, it becomes a useful and important tool in the research process. By keeping track of your sources and using the proper MLA format, you can ensure that your research is thorough, credible, and well-organized.
