Items on Most Bibliography Cards

1.  Author

If given, the author is the first item on a bibliography card.  Begin with the author's last name followed by the first name and the middle initial, if provided.  When you later list all of your sources in your final bibliography, you will alphabetize according to the last names of your authors (in most cases).  If your book has an editor instead of an author, put his or her name where you would the author’s followed by , ed.

2.  Title

The title of the book, article, or other work comes next.    If the author’s name is not given, begin with the title and alphabetize by the title in the final bibliography.

3.   Publishing Information

Publishing information consists of city, publisher, and date for a book; title, date, and pages for a magazine; title, volume, date, and pages for a journal; title, date, edition, section, and pages for a newspaper; and other, often more intricate, details for specialized forms.  In all cases, this information should help your reader find the materials you used in your research.  You will usually find this required information on the front or back of the title page and on or near the Table of Contents page of your magazine or journal.

4.   Source Number

Put the source number in the upper right corner of your bibliography card and  repeat it on the associated note cards.  This simplifies your documentation.  For example, if you took seven notes from Beard’s article on the Constitution, you would have a 5 (the arbitrary number assigned to that source alone) on the bibliography card and a 5 in the top right corner of all seven of the note cards.  On note cards, you would have no other reference to the author, the title, or the other publication facts of the source.  See examples of note cards below.

5.   Call Number

The call number is the reference number for your library.  It will help you find the source in its proper location or to request it.  Be sure to record this number accurately and in its entirety.  Be sure that the number you record is for the library you are using: numbers may vary from library to library.

6.   Location

Put the location in the lower right corner of your bibliography card. It will remind you where you acquired the source.