How to write a bibliography
In a scientific paper, I recommend using the APA-style (author-year) citation system. All bibliographical citations should be included directly in the text, not in footnotes (those in fact only serve for marginal observations or insights that are not indispensable to the main thread).
It is important to use citations in the text of the thesis to justify one's own statements when they have to be based on data or studies done by others.
(For even more detailed guidance on different document formats and how to cite them, see Prof. Zironi's excellent bibliographical handbook https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/a.zironi/contenuti-utili/7006043e)
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## 1. In-text citations
### 1.1 Basic formatEvery time you cite an idea, fact or text passage, put the following in brackets:- **author's name**,- **year** of publication,- **page number** (only if you cite verbatim or a specific idea).
Generic example:> ...as demonstrated by Rossi (2020, p. 12).
Or, if you do not mention the author in the flow of the sentence:> ...has been demonstrated (Rossi, 2020, p. 12).
It is not necessary to quote the text, just refer to a work to recognise the source, sometimes useful one. However, if you also have to quote some part of the text of a work you can use either the short or long citation.
### 1.2 Short quotation (< 40 words)
- Must be enclosed **in quotation marks** and inserted in the flow of the paragraph. The end point follows the parenthesis reference.
``textAccording to Bianchi (2018, p. 45), ‘working memory is the cognitive system that enables the temporary storage and manipulation of information.’``
### 1.3 Long quotation (≥ 40 words)- It should be inserted in a separate paragraph, **entered** by 0.5 cm, **without** inverted commas.- Keep the same font and line spacing as the text.
> This is an example of a long quotation exceeding forty words. > Long quotations go on a paragraph by themselves, with an indentation > of half a centimetre to the left, without inverted commas and with indication > of surname, year and pages at the end (Verdi, 2019, pp. 102-103).
### 1.4 Multiple authors- **Two authors**: (Verdi & Neri, 2019)- **Three or more authors**: at the first citation list all surnames, then use ‘et al.’: - 1st citation: (Costa, Rossi & Bianchi, 2021) - Subsequent citations: (Costa et al., 2021)
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## 2. Final bibliography (‘References’)
At the end of the work create a list **alphabetically ordered** by surname of the first author. Each entry contains:
1. **Surname**, Initial.(s). (Year).2. **Title** (italicised if book; in inverted commas if article).3. **Publishing data**: - *Book*: Publisher. - *Article*: *Magazine name*, volume(number), pages.
### Examples
- **Book** > Bianchi, L. (2018). *Theories and methods of research*. Milan: Edizioni Universitarie.
- **Article** > Rossi, M., & Verdi, P. (2020). ‘Learning styles in students.’ *Journal of Educational Psychology*, 15(3), 123-138.
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**Remind**- **No footnotes** for references: use them only for marginal comments or insights that are not essential to the main thread.- Citations go **all the way through the text** and full sources **at the end** in the chapter ‘References.’- Scrupulously follow the capitalisation, order, commas and format indicated by APA style.
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