The Library

Citationmachine.net is a useful tool to help you create a bibliography in the correct format.

When you use a DATABASE or ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA, you will find a link or citation labeled, “How to cite this article” or something similar. Be sure to use that in your bibliography!

Using Citation Machine to Create a Bibliography:

1. If you got information from a book, go to http://citationmachine.net/. On the left side of the page, click on MLA, then book, one author. Fill in the information, copy and paste your citation to your bibliography.

2. If you got information from a database (through the school or public library websites), find the MLA citation provided on the database. Copy and paste the citation to your bibliography.

3. If you got information from a free web site, go to http://citationmachine.net/. On the left side of the page, click on MLA, then Web Page. Fill in the information, copy and paste your citation to your bibliography. Write one or two sentences explaining why this site contains reliable information. (Free web sites must be annotated in your bibliography.)

Examples:
• The CIA Factbook site is reliable because it is written by a government agency with access to the most recent statistics from governments around the world. It is a .gov.
• The National Center for Disease Control site is reliable because it is written by an institution that specializes in information about diseases. It is a .gov.
• Defenders of Wildlife is a .org dedicated to protecting native species in their natural habitat. It was founded in 1947. Lots of donation pitches on the page but their list of accomplishments looks pretty solid.

When deciding if a website is reliable, consider these things:
• Who wrote it?
• What country or state does it come from?
• What type of site is it? .com? .org? .gov? .edu?
• What is the purpose of the site?
• Has it been recently updated?