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- How to Cite an Image in Chicago Style | Format & Examples
How to Cite an Image in Chicago Style | Format & Examples
Published on May 25, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 5, 2022.
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In Chicago notes and bibliography style , it’s recommended to just cite images in notes, omitting them from the bibliography. List an image in your bibliography only if you cite it frequently, if it’s essential to your argument, or if your university requires you to.
Follow the format shown below to create a note and—if necessary—a bibliography entry for an image viewed online. Make sure to cite the page where the image is hosted, not, for example, the Google search results where you found it.
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Citing an artwork from a museum, citing an image from a book, image citations in chicago author-date style, frequently asked questions about chicago style citations.
When you viewed an artwork in person at a museum, gallery, or other location, provide information about the institution housing it. Include a URL if the museum website has a page dedicated to the artwork.
An image you encountered in a book , journal article , or other print source should be cited by first listing information about the image itself, then listing information about the source it was contained in, including the page number where the image can be found.
Use italics for the title an image originally created outside the context of the book or article (e.g., an artwork) and quotation marks for the title of an image original to the book or article (e.g., an infographic). Use plain text to describe an untitled image.
An example citation of an artwork from a book is shown below.
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In Chicago author-date style , an in-text citation for an image consists of the author’s last name and the year the image was created.
These citations correspond to entries in your reference list. Reference list entries are similar to bibliography entries, except that the year comes immediately after the author’s name.
- Online image
- Museum artwork
- Image from a book
In Chicago style , when you don’t just refer to an image but actually include it in your (research) paper , the image should be formatted as a figure. Place the figure before or after the first paragraph where it is mentioned. Refer to figures by their numbers in the text (e.g., “see fig. 1”).
Below the figure, place a caption providing the figure number followed by a period (e.g., “Figure 1.”), a reference to the source (if you didn’t create the image yourself), and any relevant information to help the reader understand the image (if needed).
The caption is single-spaced and left-aligned, and followed by a blank line before the continuation of the main text.
To automatically generate accurate Chicago references, you can use Scribbr’s free Chicago reference generator .
In a Chicago footnote citation , when the author of a source is unknown (as is often the case with websites ), start the citation with the title in a full note. In short notes and bibliography entries, list the organization that published it as the author.
In Chicago author-date style , treat the organization as author in your in-text citations and reference list.
When an online source does not list a publication date, replace it with an access date in your Chicago footnotes and your bibliography :
If you are using author-date in-text citations , or if the source was not accessed online, replace the date with “n.d.”
In Chicago notes and bibliography style , the usual standard is to use a full note for the first citation of each source, and short notes for any subsequent citations of the same source.
However, your institution’s guidelines may differ from the standard rule. In some fields, you’re required to use a full note every time, whereas in some other fields you can use short notes every time, as long as all sources are listed in your bibliography . If you’re not sure, check with your instructor.
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How to Write a Bibliography, With Examples
You spent the past six hours grinding out your latest paper, but finally, it’s finished. It’s late, you’re exhausted, and all you want to do is click “Submit Assignment” and then get some sleep.
Not so fast. If your paper doesn’t have a properly formatted bibliography, it’s not finished.
A bibliography is a list of all the sources you consulted while writing your paper. Every book, article, and even video you used to gather information for your paper needs to be cited in your bibliography so your instructor (and any others reading your work) can trace the facts, statistics, and insights back to their original sources.
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What is the purpose of a bibliography?
A bibliography is the list of sources a work’s author used to create the work. It accompanies just about every type of academic writing , like essays , research papers , and reports . You might also find a brief, less formal bibliography at the end of a journalistic piece, presentation, or video when the author feels it’s necessary to cite their sources . In nearly all academic instances, a bibliography is required. Not including a bibliography (or including an incomplete, incorrect, or falsified bibliography) can be considered an act of plagiarism , which can lead to a failing grade, being dropped from your course or program, and even being suspended or expelled from your school.
A bibliography accomplishes a few things. These include:
- Showing your instructor that you conducted the necessary research for your assignment
- Crediting your sources’ authors for the research they conducted
- Making it easy for anybody who reads your work to find the sources you used and conduct their own research on the same or a similar topic
Additionally, future historians consulting your writing can use your bibliography to identify primary and secondary sources in your research field. Documenting the course information from its original source through later academic works can help researchers understand how that information has been cited and interpreted over time. It can also help them review the information in the face of competing—and possibly contradictory or revisionary—data.
In nearly all cases, a bibliography is found at the end of a book or paper.
What are the different kinds of bibliographies?
Different types of academic works call for different types of bibliographies. For example, your computer science professor might require you to submit an annotated bibliography along with your paper because this type of bibliography explains the why behind each source you chose to consult.
Analytical bibliography
An analytical bibliography documents a work’s journey from manuscript to published book or article. This type of bibliography includes the physical characteristics of each cited source, like each work’s number of pages, type of binding used, and illustrations.
Annotated bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a bibliography that includes annotations, which are short notes explaining why the author chose each of the sources. Generally a few sentences long, these notes might summarize or reflect on the source.
An annotated bibliography is not the same as a literature review . While a literature review discusses how you conducted your research and how your work fits into the overall body of established research in your field, an annotated bibliography simply explains how each source you used is relevant to your work.
Enumerative bibliography
An enumerative bibliography is the most basic type of bibliography. It’s a list of sources used to conduct research, often ordered according to specific characteristics, like alphabetically by authors’ last names or grouped according to topic or language.
Specific types of enumerative bibliographies used for research works include:
National bibliography
A national bibliography groups sources published in a specific region or nation. In many cases, these bibliographies also group works according to the time period during which they were published.
Personal bibliography
A personal bibliography lists multiple works by the same individual author or group of authors. Often, personal bibliographies include works that would be difficult to find elsewhere, like unpublished works.
Corporate bibliography
In a corporate bibliography, the sources are grouped according to their relation to a specific organization. The sources can be about an organization, published by that organization, or owned by that organization.
Subject bibliography
Subject bibliographies group works according to the subjects they cover. Generally, these bibliographies list primary and secondary sources, whereas other types of enumerative bibliographies, like personal bibliographies, might not.
Other types of bibliographies
In some cases, it makes sense to use a bibliography format other than those listed here. These include:
Single-author bibliography
This type of bibliography lists works by a single author. With certain assignments, like an essay comparing two of an author’s books, your bibliography is a single-author bibliography by default. In this case, you can choose how to order the sources, such as by publication date or alphabetically by title.
Selected bibliography
A selected bibliography is a bibliography that only lists some of the sources you consulted. Usually, these are the most important sources for your work. You might write a selected bibliography if you consulted a variety of minor sources that you didn’t end up citing directly in your work. A selected bibliography may also be an annotated bibliography.
How is a bibliography structured?
Although each style guide has its own formatting rules for bibliographies, all bibliographies follow a similar structure. Key points to keep in mind when you’re structuring a bibliography include:
- Every bibliography page has a header. Format this header according to the style guide you’re using.
- Every bibliography has a title, such as “Works Cited,” “References,” or simply “Bibliography.”
- Bibliographies are lists. List your sources alphabetically according to their authors’ last names or their titles—whichever is applicable according to the style guide you’re using. The exception is a single-author bibliography or one that groups sources according to a shared characteristic.
- Bibliographies are double-spaced.
- Bibliographies should be in legible fonts, typically the same font as the papers they accompany.
As noted above, different kinds of assignments require different kinds of bibliographies. For example, you might write an analytical bibliography for your art history paper because this type of bibliography gives you space to discuss how the construction methods used for your sources inform their content and vice-versa. If you aren’t sure which kind of bibliography to write, ask your instructor.
How do you write a bibliography?
The term “bibliography” is a catch-all for any list of sources cited at the end of an academic work. Certain style guides use different terminology to refer to bibliographies. For example, MLA format refers to a paper’s bibliography as its Works Cited page. APA refers to it as the References page. No matter which style guide you’re using, the process for writing a bibliography is generally the same. The primary difference between the different style guides is how the bibliography is formatted.
The first step in writing a bibliography is organizing all the relevant information about the sources you used in your research. Relevant information about a source can vary according to the type of media it is, the type of bibliography you’re writing, and your style guide. Determine which information you need to include about each source by consulting the style guide you’re using. If you aren’t sure what to include, or if you’re not sure which style guide to use, ask your instructor.
The next step is to format your sources according to the style guide you’re using. MLA , APA , and the Chicago Manual of Style are three of the most commonly used style guides in academic writing.
MLA Works Cited page
In MLA format , the bibliography is known as the Works Cited page. MLA is typically used for writing in the humanities, like English and History. Because of this, it includes guidelines for citing sources like plays, videos , and works of visual art —sources you’d find yourself consulting for these courses, but probably not in your science and business courses.
In MLA format, books are cited like this:
If the cited book was published prior to 1900, is from a publisher with offices in multiple countries, or is from a publisher that is largely unknown in the US, include the book’s city of publication. Otherwise, this can be left out.
Scholarly articles are cited in this format:
- Author(s). “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical, Day Month Year, pages.
APA References page
In APA format —the format typically used in psychology, nursing, business, and the social sciences—the bibliography page is titled References. This format includes citation instructions for technical papers and data-heavy research, the types of sources you’re likely to consult for academic writing in these fields.
In APA format, books are cited like this:
Digital object identifier (DOI).
(issue number) , article’s page range (i.e., 10-15). URL.
Chicago Manual of Style
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) permits authors to format bibliographies in two different ways: the notes and bibliography system and the author-date system. The former is generally used in the humanities, whereas the latter is usually used in the sciences and social sciences.
Both systems include guidelines for citations on a paper’s body pages as well as a bibliographic list that follows the paper. This list is titled Bibliography.
In CMoS, books are cited like this:
publication.
number (year published): page numbers of the article (i.e., 10-15).
Bibliography FAQs
What is a bibliography.
A bibliography is the list of sources a work’s author used to create the work.
What are the different kinds of bibliographies?
There are many different kinds of bibliographies. These include:
- Enumerative bibliographies
- Annotated bibliographies
- Analytical bibliographies
How do you write a bibliography for different style guides?
Each style guide publishes its bibliography guidelines online. Locate the guidelines for the style guide you’re following ( Chicago Manual of Style , MLA , APA ), and using the examples provided, format and list the sources for your work.
Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Picture or Image in APA
How to Cite a Picture or Image in APA
Referencing visual media in your research paper, thesis, or dissertation can be an engaging and effective way to support your argument. Photographs, paintings, infographics, and maps are only a few examples of the many types of visual content that can be included.
In this guide, you will learn how to create accurate APA citations for digital images, infographics, maps, and even artwork from museums. The information from this guide comes from the 7th edition of Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Chapter 10, Section 10.14).
Looking to cite a different type of media, like an audio recording or a radio interview? EasyBib.com has citing tools that can help! There are also other guides on these different media types, like how to cite a movie in APA and how to cite a YouTube video in APA .
Guides Overview
Here is an overview of everything this page includes:
- Citing vs. ‘Reproducing’
Citing a digital image or photograph
Citing an image from a museum or a museum website, citing an infographic, citing a map, citing a map from google maps, citing powerpoint slides, citing lecture notes, citing clip art or a stock image.
- What you need
Citing vs. ‘reproducing’
This guide provides information on how to cite images and photographs. However, reproducing the image inside of your essay or research paper might require additional permissions and/or attributions. Section 12.15 of the Publication Manual provides more information on reproducing images and graphics.
Creating an APA 7 citation for a digital image is easy. In the following example, we are going to show you how to cite a digital image found online.
Note: In the above example, the photograph is not presented with a title. For untitled photographs, a description of the photo is included inside of square brackets in the place of the title.
The following citation structure can be used for all types of museum artwork, including paintings, photographs, drawings, and even sculptures.
Note: If you accessed an image through a museum’s website or online collection, then include the URL at the end of the reference entry.
According to APA 7, infographics are treated identically to any other type of image or photograph. Infographics tend to include all the necessary reference information within the image itself, usually in the bottom corner.
Dynamically created maps like those generated by Google Maps do not have titles, so the map must be cited with a clear description in brackets, as well as a retrieval date ( Publication manual , p.347).
Note: Some Google Maps links can get unnecessarily long. Link shortener services like Bitly and Ow.ly allow users to create shortened links that will make your references list cleaner and easier to look at.
Note: Include the learning management system name and URL when you are writing for an audience that does not have
Note: No citation is necessary for clip art from Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint ( Publication manual , p. 346)
Here’s a quick video overview of how to cite an image or picture in APA:
What You Need
The guidelines for citing visual works are detailed in section 10.14 of the APA handbook and include a number of different images and source types. In every case, the following information is required:
- Name of author, artist, or photographer
- Date of publication or creation
- Title of work
- A bracketed description of media type (e.g., [Photograph] or [Painting])
- Publisher, production company, or museum name
- Location of publisher (if it is from a museum or university)
- URL if accessed online
For most images sourced online, the above information is easily accessible and usually provided alongside the image.
For digital images, using Google’s reverse image search is an effective way to determine the creator and creation date of a particular image.
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
Cambridge University Press. (1912). Historical map of the religious divisions of Germany c. 1610 [Map]. Emerson Kent. https://www.emersonkent.com/map_archive/germany_1610.htm
Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from Auckland to Wellington, New Zealand]. Retrieved June 13, 2020 from https://bit.ly/37wTTvx
Lutz, E. (2014). An animated chart of 42 North American butterflies [Infographic]. Tabletop Whale. https://tabletopwhale.com/2014/08/27/42-butterflies-of-north-america.html
Monet, C. (c. 1900) Waterloo bridge [Painting]. Denver Art Museum, Colorado, United States.
Stone, M. (2020). [Picture of fireflies at night in Congaree National Park] [Photograph]. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/06/synchronous-fireflies-rare-look-congaree-national-park/#/fireflies-congaree-1994.jpg
Published 20, 2012. Updated June 23, 2020.
Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau . Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib. You can find her here on Twitter. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.
APA Formatting Guide
APA Formatting
- Annotated Bibliography
- Block Quotes
- et al Usage
- In-text Citations
- Multiple Authors
- Paraphrasing
- Page Numbers
- Parenthetical Citations
- Reference Page
- Sample Paper
- APA 7 Updates
- View APA Guide
Citation Examples
- Book Chapter
- Journal Article
- Magazine Article
- Newspaper Article
- Website (no author)
- View all APA Examples
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You will need the name of the image creator, the image title or an image description, the year of publication, the name of the publisher or website, and the URL (if it’s online). Here are two examples:
MLA : Johnson, Herbert. Critical Moments . 1921. Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/resource/acd.2a09222/.
APA : Johnson, H. (1921). Critical moments [Photograph]. Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/acd.2a09222/
See this guide for more information on citing an image in APA .
To cite an image in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the name of the photographer or artist, title of the image, publisher/museum/gallery, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for in-text citations and reference list entries of an image along with examples are given below:
In-text citation template and examples:
Author Surname (Publication Year)
Watkins (1867)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Publication Year)
(Watkins, 1867)
Reference list entry template and example:
Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Title of the image [Medium]. Name of the Museum, location of museum. URL
Watkins, C. E. (1867). View on the Columbia, cascades [Photograph]. The Met, New York, NY, United States. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/262612
You need to set the title of the image in italics and sentence case. The medium of the image should be set inside square brackets after the title. Do not give a period after the URL.
To cite an image with no author in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the title of the image, publication year, publisher/museum/gallery, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for in-text citations and reference list entries of an image along with examples are given below:
If the work does not have an author, cite the source by its title or a shortened version using the first word or two. For example, a parenthetical citation might look like this:
( Title of the Image , publication year)
( Parliament, Vienna, Austro-Hungary , ca. 1890)
Title of the image . (Publication Year). [Medium]. Name of museum/gallery, location. URL
Parliament, Vienna, Austro-Hungary. (ca. 1890). [Photograph]. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., United States. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002708394/
You need to set the title of the image in italics and sentence case. The medium of the image should be set inside square brackets after the date. Do not give a period after the URL.
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How to Write a Bibliography in APA and MLA styles With Examples
What is a bibliography.
Your bibliography should include a minimum of three written sources of information about your topic from books, encyclopedias, and periodicals. You may have additional information from the Web if appropriate.
But, you develop a bibliography only after first preparing a background research plan — a road map of the research questions you need to answer. Before you compose your bibliography, you will need to develop your background research plan.
With your background research plan in hand, you will find sources of information that will help you with your science fair project. As you find this information it will be important for you to write down where the sources are from. You can use the Bibliography Worksheet to help you, just print out a few copies and take them with you to the library. As you find a source, write in all of the necessary information. This way, when you are typing your bibliography you won't need to go back to the library and find any missing information. The more information you write down about your source, the easier it will be for you to find if you want to read it again.
When you are writing your report, you will use the sources in your bibliography to remind you of different facts and background information you used for your science fair project. Each time you use some information from a source, you will need to cite the source that it came from. To cite a source, simply put the author's name and the date of the publication in parentheses (Author, date) in your text. If the person reading your report wants to find the information and read more about it, they can look up the reference in your bibliography for more detail about the source. That is why each source you use must be listed in a detailed bibliography with enough information for someone to go and find it by themselves.
How to Write a Bibliography
- 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. You can use the Science Buddies Bibliography Worksheet to help you.
- the title page of a book, encyclopedia or dictionary
- the heading of an article
- the front, second, or editorial page of the newspaper
- the contents page of a journal or magazine
- the header (at the top) or footer (at the bottom) of a Web site
- the About or the Contact page of a Web site
- When it is time to turn in your Bibliography, type all of your sources into a list. Use the examples in MLA Format Examples or APA Format Examples as a template to insure that each source is formatted correctly.
- List the sources in alphabetical order using the author's last name. If a source has more than one author, alphabetize using the first one. If an author is unknown, alphabetize that source using the title instead.
Examples of Bibliography Format
Examples of bibliography formats.
There are standards for documenting sources of information in research papers. Even though different journals may use a slightly different format for the bibliography, they all contain the same basic information. The most basic information that each reference should have is the author's name, the title, the date, and the source.
Different types of sources have different formatting in the bibliography. In American schools, the two most commonly used guidelines for this formatting are published by the MLA (Modern Language Association) and the APA (American Psychological Association).
The MLA guidelines call for the bibliography to be called Works Cited. Science Buddies has summarized some of the most common MLA formats for your use: MLA Format Examples .
The APA guidelines call for the bibliography to be called the Reference List. Science Buddies has summarized some of the most common APA formats for your use: APA Format Examples .
Your teacher will probably tell you which set of guidelines to use.
On the Science Buddies website we use the following guidelines:
- APA format for online sources
- MLA format for all other sources
- APA (author, date, page) format for citations in our articles
Getting Started
Download and print the Science Buddies Bibliography Worksheet . Keep several copies with you and fill in the information as you do your research. When you are finished, type the information from the worksheet into a formatted bibliography using the examples listed above.
Sample Bibliographies
Bibliography checklist, explore our science videos.
- Citation Generator
- Style Guides
- Chicago/Turabian Format
Bibliography Examples for Students
You’ve finished writing your essay. Now, it’s time to make an alphabetized list of all the books, periodicals and websites you used. Some writing styles call this list the bibliography. Since a bibliography example can speak louder than words, get a sample of bibliographies in MLA, APA and Chicago styles. Then, learn about the different types of bibliographies available that you may need to use.
Bibliography Examples In MLA, APA and Chicago
When it comes to examples of bibliographies, it can get confusing. This is because the word “bibliography” can have a double meaning when it comes to writing styles.
“Bibliography” can be a catch-all word to mean all source lists in all writing styles. It is also the title of the Chicago/Turabian end citation. However, MLA style and APA style don’t technically have bibliographies; instead, they have reference lists. The difference breaks down like this:
- A bibliography lists all the references used to create a piece of writing. This includes everything you used in the creation of the work, even if you didn’t cite it in the body of the writing itself. This can include, but isn’t limited to, background sources.
- A reference list only contains the sources cited directly in the body of the paper or essay. These are actual quotes and ideas that were used by other writers or materials.
Now that you know the terminology, it’s time to explore a sample of bibliographies, reference lists and works cited lists.
MLA Works Cited Example
Designed for high school and college students, MLA formatting makes citing websites, advertisements, blogs, books, and other sources easy for students. It uses an author-page in-text citation style and a works cited page. Use this MLA sample of a bibliography to see how to create a works cited page.
APA Reference List Example
When you are creating a technical paper in psychology, biology or chemistry, you’ll use APA style . The American Psychological Association (APA) designed this style for formatting citations for journals, books, technical manuals and other large technical sources. In the text, you’ll use author-date style citations.
The source list at the end of the paper is called References. Since the author and date are typically one of the first things listed in the reference sheet, it’s easy to find citations on the reference list. Check out the APA bibliography example to see the correct formatting.
Chicago or Turabian Bibliography Example
Turabian is another format students may use at the college, and sometimes, high school level. It is the student version of the Chicago Manual of Style . This professional style can use an author-date citation style with a reference page , or it can use notes and a bibliography . The type that you use is dependent on you or your instructor.
Turabian is a diverse style that can work well for fiction and nonfiction sources. You might use it in arts, history, philosophy, and religion, among other subjects. Set up your bibliography with ease by checking out the Chicago style example of a bibliography in author-date style here.
Annotated Bibliography Example
To round out this sample of bibliographies, there’s one more type of reference list you may need to create as part of your studies.
In addition to the end citation bibliography, you can create an annotated bibliography. This can be an MLA annotated bibliography or you may opt for Chicago style annotation. An annotated bibliography adds a summative (informative) or evaluative annotation for each bibliography entry, providing more information for the reader about the sources you used to write your paper.
Perfect Bibliography Formatting
Whenever you’re in doubt, refer back to this sample of bibliography examples to ensure your formatting is perfect, regardless of the citation style you’re following for your paper. Remember that you should focus on finding credible sources , as not all sources of information are equally reliable and accurate.
Creating a School Project in APA Style
Preparing to Write MLA College Papers
Entries to Include in Chicago/Turabian Author-Date Style
FAQ Bibliography Examples for Students
How do you write a bibliography for a school project.
When writing a bibliography for a school project, you'll need to know the publication, author, corporation, title, publication date, publication company, volume, and URL to compose your citations. Depending on the manual of style you're using, the way you create your citations varies. For example, the Modern Language Association (MLA) has a specific way they set up their bibliography that is different from the American Psychological Association (APA). However, with all styles, your citations are listed on your bibliography in alphabetical order.
How do you write a bibliography example?
The way you would write a bibliography example varies based on the style guide you are using. For example, in MLA 8, the citation for the book "The Hunger Games" looks like: Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic, 2012. However, in APA 7, the citation for "The Hunger Games" looks like: Collins, S. (2012). The hunger games. Scholastic.
What does a bibliography look like?
Depending on the style guide you are using, bibliographies can look different. In general, bibliographies have the page number, title, and all the works you used in alphabetical order. Annotated bibliographies also include a short summary of the text.
How do you write a bibliography for a website?
To create a citation of a website on a bibliography, you need the name of the article, author (if available), published or posted date, and URL or DOI. For example, this page in MLA style is cited as: Betts, Jennifer. “Bibliography Examples for Students.” Bibliography.com, 9 Jan. 2019, https://www.bibliography.com/how-to/bibliography-examples-for-students/.
What is a bibliography page example?
A bibliography page example provides you with an overview of what bibliographies should look like in MLA, APA, and Chicago format. Bibliographies are found at the end of a paper and include an alphabetical list of the sources used to compose your research, statements, arguments, etc.
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How to Alphabetize a Bibliography
Last Updated: February 7, 2023 References
This article was co-authored by Michelle Golden, PhD . Michelle Golden is an English teacher in Athens, Georgia. She received her MA in Language Arts Teacher Education in 2008 and received her PhD in English from Georgia State University in 2015. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 53,102 times.
Alphabetizing a bibliography may sound complicated, but it's really not. First, though, you must understand the basics of alphabetizing. Even you think you know how to alphabetize, you may find yourself wondering what to do when you run into a hyphenated word, for instance. You also need to know some of the basic rules of citations, so you know what to use to alphabetize the list. Finally, you can put your list in order.
Using the Basics of Alphabetization
- For example, say you have "Sheldon," "Smith," and "Sherry" as last names you need to alphabetize. "Sheldon" and "Sherry" both have the same first three letters, so you keep going until they are different. The fourth letters in each name are "L" and "R," respectively. Since "L" comes before "R" in the alphabet, "Sheldon" comes before "Sherry" in your bibliography. Therefore, these names would be alphabetized in order in this way: Sheldon, Sherry, Smith.
- "Smith" comes last because the second letter in "Smith," "M," comes after "H" in the alphabet, which is the second letter in both "Sheldon" and "Sherry."
- For example, if one author’s name is Robert Smith and the other is Cynthia Smith, then the entry for Cynthia Smith’s work would come first.
- If you have two books or other sources written by Cynthia Smith, then you would look at the titles of these works. For example, if one of the works is called Bird Tales and the other is called Zoo Life , then “Bird Tales” would come first in the list and “Zoo Life” would come second.
- If you have a "Sheldon" and a "Sheldon-Meyers," the shorter name always comes first, so "Sheldon" would come before "Sheldon-Meyers."
- As an example, if you have the name "Mc Murry," you essentially treat it as "Mcmurry" for alphabetizing purposes.
- In other words, if the title is "The Cat Who Couldn't Sleep," you would file it under "Cat." One of the reasons for this rule is that so many titles begin with articles that if they were alphabetized under those words, those sections would have too many titles to be useful for finding it later.
Applying the Basics of Bibliographical Alphabetization
- For instance, most citations begin with the author's last name, followed by the author's first name or initial, like this: Smith, Josie.
- Therefore, you use "Smith" to place this citation in its proper place in the bibliography.
- If your book had two authors, it would be cited as "Smith, Josie, and Roberta George." Therefore, it would still be alphabetized under "Smith," unless Roberta George was listed first in the book. Use the title page as your guide. [7] X Research source
- For instance, if the editor's name was Jess Jacob, you would alphabetize the entry under Jacob, Jess.
- For instance, if the title of the resource is "Cats and Their Sleeping Habits," you would file it under "Cats."
- APA style . Create a normal APA style bibliography entry for each of the works, but place them in the order that they were published. For example, if one work was published in 1993 and another in 1997, then the 1993 work would come first.
- MLA style . Start with a normal works cited page entry for the author’s work that comes first in the alphabet. For example, Pride and Prejudice would come before Sense and Sensibility in a list of works by Jane Austen. Then, start a new entry right after this entry, but begin it with two hyphens instead of listing the author’s last and first name again.
Alphabetizing the Bibliography
- For instance, a basic citation in MLA will look something like this one: Smith, George. How Cats Behave. New York: Cat Publishing House, 1989. Print. [10] X Research source
- In this instance, the author's name is George Smith. "How Cats Behave" is the title. "New York" is the city it was published in, and "Cat Publishing House" is the publisher, while "1989" is the year it was published. "Print" is the format it was published in.
- In Chicago Style, this citation would look this way in the bibliography: Smith, George. How Cats Behave. New York: Cat Publishing House, 1989. The basic style is fairly similar to MLA in the bibliography. [11] X Research source
- The same citation would look like this in APA: Smith, G. (1989). How Cats Behave. New York: Cat Publishing House. Notice that this citation only uses the first initial of the author's name and moves the publication date closer to the beginning. [12] X Research source
- Apply the alphabetizing rules as you go. [13] X Research source
- You might also need to look under the "Table" menu to find the sort button. It will ask you how you want them sorted. Choose by paragraph and text in ascending order.
- The list will be sorted alphabetically, but you will need to format the citations with proper indentations and such still.
- However, it's important to check your citations when it's done, as these systems are not perfect.
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- ↑ https://liu.cwp.libguides.com/c.php?g=45846&p=291626
- ↑ http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/essaysandletters/bibliography
- ↑ http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Alphabetizing.html?page=1
- ↑ https://morningside.libguides.com/APA7/references
- ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/alphabetize-nonsignificant-words
- ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/asa_style/references_page_formatting.html
- ↑ http://www.bibme.org/citation-guide/mla/book
- ↑ https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/c.php?g=725852&p=5228058
- ↑ https://libguides.unf.edu/citationguide/samplemla
- ↑ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
- ↑ https://libguides.unf.edu/citationguide/apasample
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/sort-a-list-alphabetically-in-word-4d27ca57-6d64-4229-82f8-a0a1a805d494
- ↑ http://www.easybib.com/
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Bibliography Examples, Definition and Types Made Simple
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A bibliography is an alphabetized list of all the sources used in an academic paper. You should compile a bibliography when writing an essay, article or research paper that relies heavily on source material. Learning how to write a bibliography with different types of sources may seem tricky, but when you see examples of each type, it’s easier than you think.
How To Write a Bibliography
So what is a bibliography — and what do you need to include? There are nine core elements to create bibliography entries, each with specific punctuation. They include (with their punctuation):
- “Title of source.” (piece of work)
- Title of container or main work,
- Other contributors,
- Publication date,
When written in a bibliography, it looks like this:
Author Last Name, Author First Name. “Title of Source.” Title of Container, edited by Other Contributors, Version, Number, Publisher, Publication Date, Location.
If you don’t have every element in your source, choose the ones you have and include them in the citation. For example:
Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Container, Publisher, Publication date, Location.
Bibliography Examples for Books
When quoting a book, the book itself is the title of the container. For example:
Smith, John Jacob Jingleheimer. Wu Xia and the Art of Scooter Maintenance, Springer, 2003.
Should the source have more than one author, your citation should appear as follows:
Smith, John Jacob Jingleheimer, and Cindy Lu. Wu Xia and the Art of Scooter Maintenance, Springer, 2003.
If there are more than two authors for your source, add et al. (a Latin abbreviation meaning “and others.”)
Smith, John Jacob Jingleheimer et al. Wu Xia and the Art of Scooter Maintenance , Springer, 2003.
Bibliography Examples for Newspaper and Magazine Articles
For newspapers and magazines, you should include the author, the article title (in quotation marks), the title of the newspaper or publication (in italics), the date of publication, and the page numbers from which the information was gathered.
Doe, John. "How Do You Measure a Year in the Life?" The Sun Times . 2 July 2010: 1-3.
Occasionally, you will come across a source without a listed author. This is especially common when citing newspaper articles and online articles. When this happens, you should simply move to the next step of your citation.
"Review: Wu Xia and the Art of Scooter Maintenance." Arts Review. 8 October 2003.
Bibliography Examples for Online Resources
When you are citing an online source, do your best to include the following: the author, the title of the article or page, the name of the website, the website publisher (if available), the date of publication, and the specific web address or URL.
Johnson, Mary Anne. "How to Bake the Perfect Souffle." Food Network , Television Food Network, 20 February 2013, www.foodnetwork.com/article/perfect_souffle.
Bibliography Examples for Interviews
If you are citing a personal interview that you conducted yourself, include the name of the interviewee, last name first. Then add “Personal interview,” who conducted the interview, and the date the interview was conducted. For example:
Johnson, Anne. Personal interview with Mary Smith. Aug 22 2019.
If you are citing an interview performed by someone else, your citation should begin with the interviewee’s name, last name first, just like the personal interview. What follows depends on the format of the interview. If it appears in a printed publication like a book or magazine, the title of the publication in italics comes next, followed by any volume or issue numbers in plain text, followed by the year, followed by the page numbers in which the interview appears. For example:
Johnson, Anne. Interview with Mary Smith. Amazing Interviews Magazine , vol. 4, no. 2, 2019, pp. 100-105.
If the interview has a title of its own, independent of the work it’s published in, be sure to include it in quotations in place of “Interview with Mary Smith.” For example:
Johnson, Anne. “Reflections on Being an Interview Subject.” Amazing Interviews Magazine , vol. 4, no. 2, 2019, pp. 100-105.
If the interview is one part of a television program or other broadcast medium, follow the same pattern above, but omit reference to volume, issue and page number. Instead, include the interviewer’s name as “By [name]” after the show’s title, along with year of broadcast.
Johnson, Anne. “Reflections on Being an Interview Subject.” TV’s Most Amazing Interviews , By Mary Smith, 2019.
Bibliography Examples for Films
When citing a film, the format starts with the film title in italics, followed by “Directed by [name of director or directors],” then the film studio and release year. You can include noteworthy performances just after the directors if you choose. Here’s one without performers:
A Citable Film . Directed by John Smith and Jane Doe, Moviemaking Studios, 2019.
And here’s one with performers:
A Citable Film II . Directed by John Smith and Jane Doe, performances by Anne Johnson and Mark Smith, Moviemaking Studios, 2019.
Bibliography Examples for Television
Citing a television show follows the same format as films, but includes the episode title and ideally a specific airing date. The format should be: title of episode in quotation marks; title of show in italics; any season or episode information that would help readers locate the episode; “written by” and “directed by” with names for each; production company; date of broadcast. For example:
“Episode Name.” Show Name season 1, episode 1, written by John Smith and Jane Doe, directed by Mark Johnson, Distribution Distributors, 1 Aug 2019.
If you watched the episode through a streaming service, you should include the service name in italics and a link after the date:
“Episode Name.” Show Name season 1, episode 2, written by John Smith and Jane Doe, directed by Mark Johnson, Distribution Distributors, 7 Aug 2019. TVFlix , www.notareallink.com/watch/67584974.
Bibliography for Speeches, Presentations, and Conferences
Citing speeches, lectures, conferences, and other spoken material is only slightly different from citing interviews and print material. The entry should follow this pattern: name of speaker, last name first; title of speech in quotation marks; name of event at which speech was given; date in day-month-year order; location. For example:
Smith, Anne. “The Many Wonders of Speaking at Conferences.” Conference on Speaking Conferences, 1 Aug 2019, Turkeyfoot Hotel, Rabbit Hash, KY.
If you want to cite conference proceedings rather than a specific speech or event, your citation should follow the pattern of: proceedings editor, last name first; conference title in italics; conference date and location, publisher, date of publication. Note that the date will often be in the title of the proceedings; if that is the case, there’s no need to include it at the end. Here’s an example:
Smith, Anne. Conference on Speaking Conferences Proceedings, August 2019 . Turkeyfoot Hotel, Rabbit Hash KY: Publication Publishing.
And an example without the date in the title:
Smith, Anne. Conference on Speaking Conferences Proceedings . 1 Aug 2019, Turkeyfoot Hotel, Rabbit Hash, KY: Publication Publishing, 22 Aug 2019.
Note that the italics end with the title. That helps separate a date that is part of the title from a date you have included yourself. Also, note that when citing the published proceedings of a conference, two dates are called for: the date of the conference itself and the date the proceedings were published.
Other Types of Bibliographies
The above examples follow MLA citation format , but you may need more specific instructions if you’re using a different style guide. These guides include the APA style (for social sciences) and the Chicago Manual of Style (for fine arts and business). If you’re writing a journalistic article, you may want to use the AP Stylebook for your citations.
Bibliography, Annotated Bibliography or Works Cited?
Despite the varying terms, the difference between a bibliography, an annotated bibliography and a works cited page is simple.
- A works cited page is a list of every work cited in the text of your paper.
- A bibliography is a list of every work you used while writing your paper, whether or not it was specifically cited.
- An annotated bibliography is a bibliography with a short note by the author explaining the significance of the source.
A Bibliography Doesn’t Need to Be Hard Work
Regardless of the format used, every bibliography citation has to have a minimum amount of identifying information. Write down the citation information for each source as you review it, whether or not you think you will actually use it; it will keep your notes more organized and help you find information quickly when you're actually writing. The more you practice citations, the less of a chore they will be at the end of a lengthy paper.
For further help with formatting and style, refer to these resources:
- How to Write a Bibliography for a School Project
- APA Citation and Formats
- Bibliography Examples for Students
- Copyright and Fair Use for Students
- Avoiding Plagiarism With Simple Tips and Techniques
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
In an APA Style reference entry for an image found on a website, write the image title in italics, followed by a description of its format in square brackets. Include the name of the site and the URL. The APA in-text citation just includes the photographer’s name and the year.
Follow the format shown below to create a note and—if necessary—a bibliography entry for an image viewed online. Make sure to cite the page where the image is hosted, not, for example, the Google search results where you found it. Table of contents Citing an artwork from a museum Citing an image from a book
Every bibliography has a title, such as “Works Cited,” “References,” or simply “Bibliography.” Bibliographies are lists. List your sources alphabetically according to their authors’ last names or their titles—whichever is applicable according to the style guide you’re using.
How to Cite a Picture or Image in MLA 3.2 ( 175) Citation Generator Source Type Photograph – An image produced by a camera. Citing a photograph or image displayed in a museum or institution (viewed in-person) The citations below are based on information from the MLA Style Center. View Screenshot | Cite your source
Photographs, paintings, infographics, and maps are only a few examples of the many types of visual content that can be included. In this guide, you will learn how to create accurate APA citations for digital images, infographics, maps, and even artwork from museums.
Examples of Bibliography Formats There are standards for documenting sources of information in research papers. Even though different journals may use a slightly different format for the bibliography, they all contain the same basic information.
Bibliography Examples for Students By Jennifer Betts Certified Teacher In Examples, How To 4 Min read You’ve finished writing your essay. Now, it’s time to make an alphabetized list of all the books, periodicals and websites you used. Some writing styles call this list the bibliography.
1. Go letter by letter. The first letter indicates where it goes generally in your bibliography. For instance, in "Smith," "S" tells you it goes with the "S"s. Once you get to the "S"s, though, you need to know where "Smith" goes among the other "S"s, so you move on to the next letter, "M."
Bibliography Examples for Books When quoting a book, the book itself is the title of the container. For example: Smith, John Jacob Jingleheimer. Wu Xia and the Art of Scooter Maintenance, Springer, 2003. Should the source have more than one author, your citation should appear as follows: Smith, John Jacob Jingleheimer, and Cindy Lu.