Step 6: Create a bibliography
A bibliography is a list of sources. We keep a bibliography so that we know and can share the sources of information that we used in our work. In a paper, there is a formal layout for bibliographies, which are called Works Cited if you are following MLA formatting or References when using APA formatting guidelines.
Bibliographies are formal, and contain very specific information, often in a specific order. They allow anyone looking at your work to locate the sources you’ve used.
Earlier in the deep dive, you built background knowledge and kept track of what you read.
In this step, you are creating a list of the sources that inform your work. These are the sources you found and read in the last 2 steps of the process. These are the sources you will work with, and once chosen, you should not add or remove sources from the list (unless you speak with your instructor). Each source is present because it helps you synthesize information and answer your question. Some sources will be used heavily, and others may only have small bits of information that help you. That’s ok- and expected.
You will use many sources in this part of your deep dive (at least 10) based on your instructor’s assignment. This step is where you commit to using them. At this stage, the sources should be useful, relevant, and familiar to you.
Your bibliography for this class will:
- Have entries in alphabetical order
- Have at least 10 entries, as assigned by your instructor
- Follow APA conventions
You’ll use this bibliography as you create evidence of your deep dive. It will be used:
- On your presentation (as the final slide)
- As the foundation for your source list/bibliography
- For discussion with your professor (if you are asked to show the sources you are looking to use)
Your list should be in a document, and should contain:
- Title of the source
- Author(s) of the source
- Link to the source
- APA citation for the source
Your instructor may omit this step, handle it differently, or combine it with step 8