A research project is like a fishing expedition: you reel in some sources, keep some and throw back others. As your project unfolds, the relevancy of your sources becomes clearer. In fact, if you work like a lot of students, your source page may the very last page you finesse. Until that time, it’s important to keep track of your sources by compiling a preliminary bibliography. Taking a few minutes to document information as you gather your “catches” will save you untold time in trying to create a source page at the end of your research project. Show
Step 1Find out whether your research paper should follow the style of the Modern Language Association or the American Psychological Association. This way, you can place each source in the appropriate style as you compile your bibliography page. MLA calls the bibliography page “Works Cited” while APA calls it “References.” Step 2Create separate headings on your preliminary bibliography page for “online sources,” “books,” “periodicals” and “consumer publications.” Then consult MLA or APA for the correct citation style for each source and put an example for each underneath the heading. Eliminate these examples as your bibliography page develops, but this important time-saver will allow you to simply follow the style example rather than consult the MLA or APA stylebook every time you make a new entry to your working bibliography. Step 3Leave room under each bibliographical entry so that you can explain the source’s relevance or importance to your paper. Call this your “source rationale.” Write succinct notes that you can decipher later, such as “Good definition of XXX in chapter 3” or “Must have description of YYY experiment in chapter 7.” This step will force you to spend a few minutes evaluating a source as you proceed with your project rather than facing an “ocean” of books and articles at the end. Step 4Follow the structure of your preliminary bibliography dutifully and for every source you gather. Be sure to copy and paste the URL address of online sources into your preliminary bibliography. Do not run the risk of writing them manually because you may unwittingly miss a character or two that may thwart your ability to locate the source later. Step 5Compile more sources than you need for each category so that you can scrutinize them later to make your final choices. Be judicious in your final choices. If you cannot validate how a source would enhance your paper, do not include it in your preliminary bibliography. Step 6Eliminate the headings when you are finished with your preliminary bibliography and alphabetize your author sources by the last name, as both MLA and APA style require. You may wish to copy and paste your “source rationale” notes to another document, especially if your teacher expects you to explain why you chose the sources you did. NoteCreating categories for your sources will allow you to both follow the guidelines established for your paper and give a quick progress report on your paper to your teacher. Teachers often require a certain number of print and online sources, and temporarily listing your sources by category will allow you to easily assess your work-in-progress. When you’re trying to get your project or research paper organized, it can be helpful to create a preliminary bibliography before jumping in head first. Not only will this help you to organize your research, but it’ll give you a good start on your paper. Preliminary bibliographies can also help you figure out which sources are keepers or duds.  What Is a Preliminary Bibliography?After you hone down your topic, you can start the research phase. However, before you dive right into writing your paper, a preliminary bibliography can help get you started. So, what is a preliminary bibliography? Basically, it’s an outline of all the sources that you might use to compose your arguments. In other words, you can think of it as a starter bibliography. Format and StyleThere isn’t a standard format that a preliminary bibliography can take on. It comes down to writing style, personal preference and instructor requirements. However, there are a few basic ways that you can choose to lay one out. Source ListThe source list preliminary bibliography offers a list of your primary and secondary sources that you are going to use. For example, in MLA style, it might look something like: Preliminary Bibliography Jennifer Betts Topic: Hunger Games Context: Dystopian Fiction Primary Sources:
Secondary Sources:
Annotated Preliminary BibliographyAnother method you can use is by adding notes, or annotating the important information found in the different sources. Instead of breaking down the primary and secondary sources, the preliminary bibliography will be listed in alphabetical order like a typical bib, but you discuss what value each source will add. The annotation might only be one sentence, or it might be several. In APA, this might look like: Preliminary Bibliography This book will add the meat for most of my arguments about dystopian writing… Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press. This blog discusses … which will add… Pike, Ben. (2017, May 5). The Hunger Games [blog post]. Retrieved from http://marbleheadcharter.org/bookblog/the-hunger-games/ Try a ComboYou might also try to create a combination of the two for your preliminary bibliography. This means you are evaluating your primary and secondary sources and adding annotations about what they will add to your article, as well as the different chapters that might be important. In MLA, this could take the form of: Preliminary Bibliography Jennifer Betts Topic: Hunger Games Context: Dystopian Fiction Primary Sources: 1. Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York, Scholastic Press, 2008. This source will provide most of the information and quotes used in the article like… 2. The Hunger Games. Scholastic, 2008, thehungergames.co.uk/. Accessed 4 Jan. 2019. The images and discussions work well to add… Secondary Sources 2. The Capital. pn/. Accessed 4 Jan. 2019. Under the header capital, it helps to support the argument…
What’s in a Name?You might notice that this will be called a preliminary bibliography rather than a preliminary works cited or reference page. This is because you will add all the sources that will go into the inception of your paper, even if you don’t cite them in the body of the piece. A reference page or works cited will only list those sources that are cited in the work, while a Chicago style format bibliography will list all the sources used to create the paper. Getting Your StartIn addition to having an outline for your paper, it can be helpful to have an outline of the sources that you are going to use in your MLA or Chicago format paper. This preliminary bibliography will break down the sources you’re going to use or might be helpful in an easy to follow way. Plus, it’ll help you create your reference page once you are done. Why a preliminary bibliography is necessary?As part of your note-taking, keep a list of each of these sources, even if you don't ultimately end up using all of them. This is called a preliminary or working bibliography. Developing a preliminary bibliography will help you keep track of your various sources and gather broad knowledge on your topic.
What is the purpose of a working bibliography?It has two purposes: To keep a record of the sources you've already examined and those that you are going to examine. To record the publishing details of each source you use or cite so that they can be properly referenced in a Works Cited or References List at the end of your document.
How many sources does a preliminary bibliography have?At least half of your secondary sources should be journal articles (such as you found in the Database assignment) or works which look into the topic in similar detail and with similar documentation of sources. You should have at least 6 or 7 secondary sources.
What is an initial bibliography?Start a preliminary, or draft, bibliography by listing on a separate sheet of paper all your sources. Note down the full title, author, place of publication, publisher, and date of publication for each source. Also, every time a fact gets recorded on a note card, its source should be noted in the top right corner.
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