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Citing Sources - References vs Bibliography

References and Bibliographies - What's the difference?

When you write academic papers, you will need to include a list of sources you used to write the paper. There are two main ways to list your sources, with a reference list or a bibliography.

References include sources that have been directly cited in your paper. For each source, you will have at least one in-text citation in the body of your paper. The citation styles that use reference lists include APA citations, AMA citations, and MLA citations.

Bibliographies, on the other hand, contain all the sources that you have used for your paper, whether they are directly cited or not. In a bibliography, you should include all of the materials you consulted in preparing your paper. Chicago citations and Oxford citations are two citation styles that use bibliographies.

Both reference lists and bibliographies appear at the end of a written work and are usually organized alphabetically. A paper can have both a reference list and a bibliography.

For more information on how to cite your sources, check out the De Paul Library's Citation Guide .

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Works Cited v. References v. Bibliography

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Works Cited vs. References vs. Bibliography

Knowing the proper term for your paper’s list of citations can be confusing. Do I call it a works cited page? Should it actually be called a bibliography? How is it different from a reference list? In this article, we explain what these three terms mean and how they are different or related to one another.

To begin, each citation style has its own way of naming the list of sources you used in your paper. Here we break down the differences in these list types, so that you can better understand which option works best for your work.

Works Cited

A “Works Cited” list is an alphabetical list of works cited, or sources you specifically called out while composing your paper. All works that you have quoted or paraphrased should be included. Works Cited is generally used when citing sources using MLA format (Modern Language Association) style, and sources should be listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.

Example Works Cited entry :

Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution. Oxford UP, 2007.

References or “Reference List”

A “Reference List” is very similar to a Works Cited list, and is a term used when citing sources using APA format (American Psychological Association) style. The page should be titled “References,” and is arranged alphabetically by author last name.

Example References entry :

Middlekauff, R. (2007). The glorious cause: The American Revolution . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Bibliography

Bibliographies, on the other hand, differ greatly from Works Cited and References lists. In Works Cited and References, you only list items you have actually referred to and cited in your paper. A Bibliography, meanwhile, lists all the material you have consulted in preparing your essay, whether you have actually referred to and cited the work or not. This includes all sources that you have used in order to do any research. Bibliographies are often used in Chicago and Turabian citation styles. They usually contain a long reference that has a corresponding footnote within the body of the paper.

Example Bibliography entry :

Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2007.

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References vs Bibliography vs “Works Cited”

What’s The Difference?

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Reviewers: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2024

When writing a dissertation or thesis, you’ll often hear the terms reference list , bibliography – and sometimes even “ works cited ” – used interchangeably. While all three of these are similar, they are not the same thing . In this post, we’ll explain the differences (and similarities) using straightforward language and practical examples.

• The similarities

What is a reference list?

• What is a bibliography ?
• What is a “ Works Cited ” page?
• The big “ but “…
• Key takeaways

The Commonalities

All three of these concepts – reference list, bibliography and works cited – relate to and describe the resources that you drew on for any given piece of writing , be it a lengthy dissertation or a comparatively short research paper.

In practical terms, these components usually feature toward the end of the document and provide a consistently formatted list of the relevant resources (e.g., journal articles, conference proceedings, etc.). However, the exact contents covered here will vary depending on whether you’re presenting a reference list, bibliography or a list of works cited. So, let’s look at each of these.

A reference list details the key information regarding the sources you have cited (paraphrased) or quoted verbatim in your paper, using in-text citations. In other words, a reference list provides a precise snapshot of the works you actively engaged with and each entry in your reference list corresponds to a specific in-text citation . For example, if you have an in-text citation of Smith’s 2020 study on research methodologies in your literature review, “Smith (2020)” will appear in your reference list.

In practical terms, the reference list allows anyone reading your work to locate the source you referred to, fostering transparency and academic integrity. Moreover, the “one-to-one” relationship between the in-text citations and the reference list means that readers can easily fact-check any claim you make within your document. The easiest way to build a reference list is to use a reference management tool such as Mendeley or Zotero .

What is a bibliography?

While a reference list only lists the resources you’ve cited or quoted (using in-text citations), a bibliography is a bit more comprehensive . Specifically, it includes not only the source data of your in-text citations, but also any other sources you consulted during your research . This could, for example, consist of background reading, influential works, or other sources that informed your understanding, even if you didn’t cite them.

Sticking with our previous example, if you read Jones’s 2019 book on research methods, but didn’t include it as an in-text citation, Jones (2019) would still appear in your bibliography. In a nutshell, your bibliography showcases the full spectrum of materials that shaped your thinking , offering readers insight into the depth and breadth of your reading and preparation.

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What is a “Works Cited” page?

Last but not least, we’ve got the list of works cited. While this might sound like a mysterious third option, it’s simply a reference list specific to documents that utilise the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. MLA is commonly used in the humanities, particularly in literature, arts, and related disciplines.

As with a standard reference list, the “Works Cited” section lists all the sources which you included as in-text citations, similar to a reference list in APA (American Psychological Association) format. However, there is a very specific formatting requirement for how (and what) information is presented. If you’d like to learn more about MLA formatting, we cover that here.

PS – a small but important caveat. While we’ve drawn clear distinctions between a reference list, bibliography and list of works cited here, it’s worth noting that terminology can vary between institutions and software packages. So, if you’re unsure, be sure to check with your institution and follow their instructions, even if they adopt different terminology.

Key Takeaways

To recap the key points:

• A reference list details the resources that you included as in-text citations in your document
• A bibliography details all the resources that you consulted while developing your work
• A list of works cited is simply the MLA equivalent of a reference list

If you’re working on a dissertation or thesis, be sure to check out our collection of free templates and resources . Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help with your research project, our flagship Private Coaching Service is for you.

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Introduction to Reference, Bibliography, and Citation

• First Online: 19 December 2019

Cite this chapter

• Abha Agrawal 3 &
• Majid Rasouli 4  

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Research and writing are integral parts of the professional work for researchers, academics, and biomedical professionals. Scientific manuscripts commonly include references to related information in literature. The inclusion of references in manuscripts substantiates arguments with evidence, as well as acknowledges the source of information being referred to. References may be cited from such a variety of sources as journals, books, conference proceedings, magazines, and newspapers, and the Internet. This chapter discusses the basic concepts related to the process of referencing as a foundation to the effective use of reference management software programs, such as EndNote.

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Agrawal, A., Rasouli, M. (2019). Introduction to Reference, Bibliography, and Citation. In: EndNote 1-2-3 Easy!. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24889-5_1

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