How to Write a Dissertation Bibliography

Whenever asked to do an essay, term paper, research paper, thesis, or dissertation, you will be required to do some investigation, collect analyze data. You will also be required to list down your sources at the end of the dissertation. A dissertation bibliography should be formatted according to the formatting guidelines provided by the instructor or institution.
Basically, there are two types of citation styles used to write a dissertation bibliography: Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association. MLA is most commonly used for humanities and literature subjects while APA is common with science-oriented subjects. Each style is unique in many ways and it’s important to consult your instructor to be sure.
When using either APA or MLA formatting styles for your dissertation bibliography you must understand that each has specific guidelines. The following are general guidelines that apply to all.
1. Each should mention the author of the book, magazine, article, or research publication. A resource may have more than one author and at times no author is listed.
2. Mention the title of the book, article, or website. For websites, you will find the title on the first page.
3. Mention the date the material was published. For books and other print material the copyright date will do, but for web articles, the date you visited the site will do. Note that web content keeps changing all the time.
4. For books, you will be required to include the publisher and for magazines, the publication. For website resources, a URL will be required.
A dissertation bibliography is important because it shows the readers where you sourced information. At the end of your dissertation writing assignment, do not forget to include this list. A dissertation without a bibliography will automatically be rejected by the dissertation committee. To avoid embarrassment, note down all your sources.