Lesson 36 — Activity 2: Recording Sources


Research requires that we choose our sources of information carefully, making sure that they are reliable, believable, and not prejudiced. The researcher also must keep track of where the information is found. This is important because it allows the readers to check the researcher's sources for themselves to decide if they are valuable or not. As well, the reader needs to be sure that the researcher is not taking credit for ideas that are not his or her own!

To record the sources you use when researching, you must prepare a bibliography. A bibliography is a list of all the materials the writer refers to when he or she is looking for information.   


A bibliography is necessary for several reasons:

  • to keep track of where you found your information in case you need to go back and check it
  • to allow your readers to check your sources so they can judge for themselves whether the sources are reliable
  • to show that your ideas are not merely based on your own opinions but that you have support for them
  • to be honest about whose ideas you are using! (Giving credit for any help you get with your report is important. The researcher who does not credit his or her sources is guilty of plagiarism, which is a serious offense!)



Bibliographies follow a fairly standard format although they may be written in different styles. Using the following example will work well for keeping track of the resources you use:

Information from a book can be recorded like this:

  • Author's last name, author's first name. Title (underlined or in italics). City where the book was published: Name of publishing company, year book was published.
  • Cochrane, James. Between You and I. Cambridge: Icon Books, 2003.


Information from a magazine can be recorded like this:

  • Author's last name, author's first name. "Title of the article." Title of the magazine (underlined or in italics). Date of the magazine (day month year): Page numbers of the article. (If the author's name is not known, insert a blank; if the magazine is undated, give the volume and/or edition number.)
  • ----- "Keep on Learning." Woman Today. Ed. 2: Pp. 17 – 21.


Information from an encyclopedia can be recorded like this:

  • "Title of the article." Title of the encyclopedia (underlined or in italics). Edition of the encyclopedia, year the encyclopedia was published.
  • "Alberta." Grolier's Encyclopedia, Fifth Ed., 1968. 
Information from a movie or television show can be recorded like this:

  • Title of the movie (underlined or in italics). Type of program. Name of company that produced the program, year the program or movie was made, the length of the program.
  • Of Mice and Men. Movie. MGM. 1992, 115 minutes.


Information from a brochure or pamphlet can be recorded like this:

  • Author's last name, Author's first name. Title of the brochure (underlined or in italics). City where the brochure was made: Name of company that published the brochure, date of publication. (Often, no author's name is given.)
  • Knowledge and Employability. Barrhead: Alberta Distance learning Centre. (undated).


Information from the Internet can be recorded like this:

  • Author's last name, author's first name. Title of the website. http address (underlined). Date of the website.

All the information may not be available, but you need to include as much of it as you can find. Once you have typed in all of your sources, put them in alphabetical order. In addition, you need to write the word Bibliography at the top and centre of the page.
Images courtesy of www.pixabay.com