How to Study

Step 10: Prepare Your Final Bibliography
Your bibliography should be at the end of your paper, on a separate
page or pages:
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One inch from the top of the page: Center the title “Works
Cited” or “Works Consulted,” depending upon which type of
bibliography you’re doing. 
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Use the same margins as you did for the rest of your paper—
one inch all the way around. 
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Treat your bibliography pages as if they are a continuation 
of the text of your paper and number them accordingly—
don’t start repaginating. 
Chapter 7 
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How to Write Terrific Papers
165

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List sources alphabetically, by the author’s last name. If no
author is given, list by the first word in the title of the work
(unless the first word is “A,” “An,” or “The,” in which case list
by the second word of the title). 
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The first line of each listing should be flush with the left mar-
gin. Indent all other lines five spaces from the left margin. 
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Double-space all listings and double-space between entries. 
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Abbreviate all months except May, June, and July. 
Step 11: Check Your Spelling and Proofread
It’s time to rid your paper of any mistakes in grammar and spelling.
I’ve told you your thoughts are the most important element of 
your paper. And they are. But it’s also true that glaring mistakes in
grammar and spelling will lead your teacher to believe that you are
either careless or downright ignorant—neither of which will bode 
well for your final grade.
So get out your dictionary and a reference book on English usage 
and grammar. Scour your paper, sentence by sentence, marking 
corrections with your colored pen or pencil. Look for:
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Misspelled words. Check every word. If you’re using a
spellchecking computer program, be careful of sound-alike
words. “There” might be spelled correctly, but not if you
meant to write “their.” 
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