Basic Things You Need To Know About The Dissertation Bibliography Format


Formatting the dissertation bibliography for a research paper can be a daunting task for many students as there are many rules and specific requirements to be observed. Many students, however, pay little attention for their reference chapter. As the result, the overall score for a paper may be quite low even if the ideas presented in the research paper are solid and well-presented. Like each of the dissertation parts, the bibliography has to be formatted according to some certain rules as well.

What Is a Bibliography?

Many students frequently misunderstand the “bibliography” and think they need to wire a quotation list while others may think they are required to write about the authors of the quotations they have used in their paper. The bibliography is the list of materials which you have used or referred to within your project. It is an important part of your project as it gives the reader an understanding of the ideas and the people you have referred to while developing your own concepts as well as allows to track down the original works.

Whenever someone else’s words or ideas are used, you must indicate that the information or the ideas do not belong to you by citing your source. This applies to all kinds of sources including books, newspaper articles, TV programs, web pages, etc. When citing, it is recommended to follow an easy pattern of Who-What-Where-When. However, it is also important to provide a correct dissertation bibliography formatting.

There are many bibliography formats. In general, your reference pages should be formatted following these guidelines:

  • Correct placement.
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    You can place your references either in the end of the entire document or in the end of each chapter. Note: In case you place your bibliography in the end of the entire dissertation, it should appear after the appendices as the final piece of your document. And if you opt for placing your references after each chapter, the bibliography for the last one should follow it immediately which means it has to be placed before the appendices.

  • Appropriate heading.
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    Depending on the style you are using for your paper, select an appropriate heading for the bibliography chapter. The most common headings you may come across are: “References”, “Bibliography”, or ”Works cited”.

  • Use a single space within each reference entry.
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  • Use a double-spaced line between the references.
  • Your bibliography should contain page numbering.
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  • Conform to the traditional margins and pagination rules unless a non-traditional format is required.
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