Is your Thesis or Dissertation Bibliography formatted correctly? Here is how to get it right in every style manual | The Two Dissertation Moms
Your dissertation's final list of sources needs more than complete citations. It must follow the correct style manual, use consistent formatting, and match the citations or footnotes throughout your manuscript. Small errors can lead to corrections during dissertation review or submission.
Whether your university requires Turabian, Chicago, APA 7, or MLA 9, understanding the relevant rules will help you prepare a more consistent thesis or dissertation.
Bibliography, Reference List, or Works Cited?
These terms are not interchangeable.
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Bibliography: Commonly used in Chicago and Turabian's Notes and Bibliography style. Depending on the requirements, it may include sources consulted but not directly cited.
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Reference list: Used in APA. It includes works cited in the dissertation's text.
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Works Cited: Used in MLA. It lists the works cited in the manuscript.
The required heading and the rules for including sources depend on the style manual and your institution's instructions.
Formatting Rules Across the Four Styles
Although the details differ, several principles apply across these styles.
Page heading: Begin the list on a new page. Use the required heading, such as Bibliography, References, or Works Cited, with the placement and formatting specified by your style manual and university.
Hanging indent: Entries generally use a half-inch hanging indent. The first line begins at the left margin, while subsequent lines are indented. This makes individual entries easier to identify.
Alphabetical order: Arrange entries according to the applicable rules, usually by the author's surname. Sources without an author require different treatment depending on the style.
Spacing: APA and MLA require double spacing throughout their reference lists or works-cited lists. Chicago and Turabian bibliography spacing may differ according to the edition and institutional requirements. Check the rules that apply to your dissertation rather than assuming one format works for every style.
Key differences between Turabian, Chicago, APA, and MLA
The most common errors occur when writers combine rules from different manuals.
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Turabian and Chicago: In Notes and Bibliography style, book and journal titles are italicized, while article and chapter titles generally appear in quotation marks. Bibliography entries typically invert the first author's name. Chicago's 18th edition also no longer requires a book's place of publication in its standard book citations.
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APA 7: Book and article titles generally use sentence case, while journal titles use title case. Author names are inverted and given names are represented by initials. Include a DOI when available, formatted as a URL beginning with https://doi.org/.
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MLA 9: Works Cited entries follow a sequence of core elements, including the author, source title, container, publisher, and publication date when applicable. Book and journal titles are italicized, while article and chapter titles generally appear in quotation marks.
Use the examples in your required edition to format each source type correctly. The Chicago Manual of Style and MLA Style Center provide further guidance on their respective systems. <Cite refs={["turn809906search11","turn809906search4"]}/>
Common Thesis and Dissertation Bibliography mistakes
Before submission, check for these recurring problems:
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Missing entries: A source cited in the text or footnotes is absent from the final list.
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Unmatched citations: A reference list entry has no corresponding in-text citation, or a citation points to an incorrect entry.
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Incorrect capitalization: Titles follow the wrong capitalization rules for the selected style.
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Inconsistent author names: Names, initials, and author order are formatted incorrectly.
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Missing publication details or DOIs: Required information is absent even when it is available.
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Incorrect indentation or spacing: Entries do not follow the required layout.
How to apply a hanging indent in Microsoft Word
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Select all entries in your bibliography or reference list.
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Open Home and then the Paragraph settings.
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Under Indentation, find the Special dropdown.
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Select Hanging and set the indentation to 0.5 inches.
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Click OK and check the entries for consistent formatting.
This is preferable to manually inserting spaces or tabs. The MLA Style Center provides a similar procedure for Word. <Cite refs={["turn809906search0"]}/>
Get your Thesis or Dissertation Bibliography reviewed
A final bibliography check should verify formatting, source details, alphabetical order, and consistency between citations and entries. Reference management software can help, but generated citations still need to be checked against the required style and university guidelines.
The Two Dissertation Moms provides dissertation and thesis editing and formatting support, including checks of reference lists, bibliographies, and citation consistency.
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