Skip to Main Content

VCE Skills

Finalising your Bibliography

How to sort a Bibliography alphabetically in Word

A Bibliography should always be sorted alphabetically, not by type of resource. See the example below.

‘World Science Festival: Australia “lags rest of the world in space exploration”’ 2017, ABC Premium News, viewed 25 February 2019, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=azh&AN=P6S263067575417&site=ehost-live
Gifford, C 2013, Space in 30 seconds, Ivy Kids, East Sussex.
Miles, L, Bines, G & Bull, P 2009, The Usborne book of astronomy & space, Usborne, London.
Space exploration 2019. Britannica School. Retrieved 26 February 2019, from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/middle/article/spaceexploration/277156
Sparrow, G 2007, Space flight, Dorling Kindersley, London.
TED-Ed 2016, Could we survive prolonged space travel? - Lisa Nip, 4 October, accessed 26 February 2019, <https://youtu.be/upp9-w6GPhU>.

Why include a Bibliography?

What is a bibliography?

A bibliography is a list of the resources (such as books, websites, and encyclopedias) that you use when doing research.

Why do I need to make a bibliography?

A bibliography helps you know where you got your information from and shows your teacher that you used proper sources.

What do I include in a bibliography?

You should list every source that you use when doing research. Sources can include books (electronic and paper), videos, images, websites, encyclopedia articles and magazine articles.

When should I do my bibliography?

It is a good idea to add to your bibliography as you do your research. Always record books, websites and other sources as you use them – this keeps you organised, and saves time later!

Where do I put the bibliography for my assignment?

The bibliography goes at the end of your assignment. Your bibliography needs to be written in alphabetical order, not separated into type of source.

Step-by-Step Bibliography

Free reference generators

Zoterobib

ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. ZoteroBib can automatically pull in data from newspaper and magazine articles, library catalogs, journal articles, sites like Amazon and Google Books, and much more. You can also paste or type in an ISBN, DOI, PMID, or arXiv ID, or you can search by title.
This site has 10,000+ different style guides.  Change style by clicking on the blue bar, that displays the current style under the heading Bibliography.

1. Copy and paste the URL or ISBN into the cite bar

2. Here is the citation Zoterobib created using Cite them right 12th edition - Harvard:
Koala, facts and photos (2010) Animals. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/koala (Accessed: 7 December 2023).
Here is how our Online Referencing Generator cites this page
National Geographic (2023) Koala, National Geographic, accessed 7 December 2023. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/koala?loggedin=true&rnd=1701914375693
3.  You can enter the citations maually.  Click on Manual Entry and complete the following form.  You need to complete the sections that are included in Harvard Style.  

4. You can register for a free account.  This will give you more functionality.
The examples below demonstrate the inaccuracies of Zoterobib automatic citations: 
NASA website
  • Zoterobib: Nasa. (2022, December 7). NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/
  • Online Referencing Generator: NASA (6 December 2023) NASA, NASA, accessed 7 December 2023. https://www.nasa.gov/
'A cultural history of the United States: Through the Decades: The 1960's' [book]
  • Zoterobib: Holland, G. (1999) The 1960s. San Diego, Calif: Lucent Books (A cultural history of the United States through the decades).
  • Online Referencing Generator: Holland G (1999) A cultural history of the United States: Through the Decades: The 1960's, Lucent Books, San Diego, California.
MyBib
MyBib is a free bibliography and citation generator that makes citations for you to copy straight into your academic assignments and papers.  It is not recommended to use for the final draft of your assessment task as the citations are generally not inline with the schools guidleines.  However it is a great tool to keep track of your resources.
You can sign in to create a free account to get more funtionality.
1. Click Add Reference, choose the type of resource, enter the resource details then click search.

2. Select Search - MyBib assess the credability of your source, a great tool to use if you are unsure.

 

3. Select the Reference by clicking on the ICO icon.
4. You will see a preview of the citation and have the chance to edit.

5. Click Save

6.  MyBib will start to format a bibliography with your citations.  You can change the style by selcting the drop down box at the top of the page.
Below is the final citation for National Geographic's webpage on Koala's. Compare it to the correct citation from online referencing generator.

National Geographic (2023) Koala, National Geographic, accessed 7 December 2023. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/koala?loggedin=true&rnd=1701914375693
Online reference generators
A variety of free online citation generators are available on the internet.  These programs can create citations and format bibliographies quickly. 
It is not recommended that you use these generators to create your final draft.  They use a variety of Harvard styles that are not the same as the stlye that is generated by Westbourne's Online Referencing Generator.  
These generators are goood tools to save records of the resources you use in your assessment tasks can even help you to asses a websites credibility.

Avoiding Plagiarism