An annotated bibliography is an important part of any research paper or scholarly paper. It is something that cannot be done in any way, since using the wrong method can leave the author of the document in a very bad place. Luckily, Microsoft's word processor helps us get it right. In this post we explain how to put a bibliography in word correctly.
But first of all, it is necessary to define exactly what a bibliography is and why it is so important in any self-respecting research work, whether it is an institute work to raise a grade or for a doctoral thesis. The idea is the same.
What is a bibliography?
In a broad sense, a bibliography is a compilation of documentary sources that accompanies a paper or research article. Although the term expressly refers to creative writingactually these sources They can also be digital or audiovisual.
the bibliography It is usually inserted at the end of the document and can be ordered according to different criteria, but always with a method appropriate to the type of document that is presented. Furthermore, there are different quote styles (APA, Vancouver, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, etc.). In its regulations, each university establishes what criteria must be applied when including the bibliography in its documents.
Make a bibliography in Word: citations and references
Making a biography that puts the finishing touch to a written job is a simple task thanks to the help of Microsoft Word. If we follow the proper guidelines, the result will be brilliant. Let's see how it's done:
The first thing to do is place the cursor on the last page of the document, after the text. In this way, the bibliography that we are about to insert will appear in the correct place: at the end of the document, as an appendix. Once this is done, the following actions must be executed:
- In the options menu, we select the tab "References".
- Now we are going to "Style", where we choose the type of citation style that we will use.
- Then we will "insert quote".
- Finally, we select "Add new source" and we complete the information of the same.
With these four steps we will have established the configuration that we are going to apply to the bibliography in our document. The choice of style and font may depend as much on the requirements of the person or organization to which the document is to be presented as on our own tastes and references.
After setting the parameters, this is how we will insert the citations and references in our bibliography in Word by following these steps:
- First we place the cursor at the end of the writing we want to quote.
- Then we click on "References".
- Then we will "insert quote" and we choose the source we are citing.
- Finally, to add other details, we click on "Appointment Options" and then «Edit appointment».
Create a bibliography without citations or references
This way of presenting the bibliography in a written document is much simpler and also more common. It simply consists of creating a list with the sources cited in the document. To do this, you only have to do two things:
- First we put the cursor in the place of the document where we want to include the bibliography (we have already said that the best place is the end).
- Then we will "References" and from there to "Bibliography", where we choose a format.
Bibliography Formats
Once this is done, we can list our bibliography following the accepted basic rules for doing so. The bibliographical references must be presented in alphabetical order and include unequivocal elements to identify the cited document: author, title, date, publisher, etc.
These are both most used and recognizable formats. Choosing one or the other will depend largely on the nature of the document:
WATER
The APA standards (American Psychological Association) for scholarly communication use the Harvard author-date system for in-text citations. In this way, at the end of the document the bibliographical references are inserted, always arranged alphabetically by the last name of the first author of each work.
If it is a bibliographical reference: Author's last name, Capital initial of the first name. (Year of publication). Book title in italics. City and country. Editorial. For example:
Lansing, A. (1959) Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. London, United Kingdom. International Publishers.
If it is a web page, the order is this: Article name. (Date of publication or without date "sf"). Name of the web portal in italics. Author's name (if it is the same publisher of the website, this must be omitted) Retrieved from: URL of the site.
Vancouver
The Vancouver style standards for presenting a bibliography differ slightly from those of the APA, although they are equally used internationally and in the most diverse fields. These are:
To cite a complete book: Author or authors is. Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication (city): Editorial; year. Using the same example from the previous section, it would be like this:
Lansing, A. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. London: International Publishers; 1959
On the other hand, when it comes to an article on a web page, the correct order is this: Author or authors. Title of the work [Internet]. Place of publication (city): Editorial; Publication date [reviewed/consulted (date)]. Available at: (link).
Tips for preparing a bibliography correctly
It is worth insisting on the idea that the discipline and methodology for collecting the sources used They are fundamental to make a bibliography of a work correctly. I mean, presentable. We must not lose sight of the fact that a bibliography must be a complete and reliable list of all the sources that have been used to carry out a work. Bibliographical references (books, articles, etc.) are the predominant element, although other materials such as web pages and even citations on social networks can also be included.
To succeed in our goal of putting a bibliography in Word, here are some useful recommendations:
- All sources that have been used during the research process must be noted.
- It is important to use the appropriate format for each reference.
- Do not forget to include all the sources that have been cited in the document.