If a source looks like it will give up some helpful information, you can set it aside as a usable source, and begin gathering and managing information from it to use in your essay.
Each source you consult should be put into a working bibliography. The working bibliography tells you where you got certain information so that when it comes time to cite the source in the essay, you have what you need and don’t have to go hunting for it again. It’s a good idea to keep this information in alphabetical order in a file in your computer, as well as written out in a notebook somewhere. I know from painful experience that if you have information in your notes, but not the original source or the publication information, you can’t use that information in your research paper. You must be able to cite all info that you use in MLA format! A working bibliography is like insurance against computer or memory failure, and it will act as a draft for your final bibliography.
A working bibliography will contain the following information:
1. Book: author, title, year of publication, place of publication, publishing company, page #’s for each specific piece of information.
2. Website: author, title, sponsoring organization or web page title, date of publication or last update, date of access and type of source (usually "Print" or "Web". Sometimes the professor will ask for the URL (web address – type or copy the whole thing very carefully!)
3. Periodical: author, title, name of magazine, date, volume and page #’s. |
Sometimes a professor will ask you annotate your bibliography, which simply means that you add notes to your citations: what the source is about, how it might help you in your research. Annotated bibliographies are particularly helpful in longer research papers that require that you use multiple sources.
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