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How to Do a Bibliography for a Video

The use of citations and bibliographies in modern essay writing makes locating and confirming the essay's sources easier, while at the same time putting additional expectations of credibility and integrity toward the writers themselves. There are common structures behind any bibliography, and because they are so specific it's best to know exactly how to record your resources. This is no different for a video than for any other resource.

Things You'll Need

  • Video cover or reference information
  • MLA/CMS handbook (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Know what citation style your essay requires. The most common styles are MLA (Modern Language Association) or CMS (Chicago Manual of Style). If another style is required, your bibliography's structure should be included in the professor's instructions.

    • 2

      Follow your citation style's structure. Record all information from the video's cover or another credible resource such as a film database (online or a reference book). In MLA the exact order and punctuation includes:

      Title of the Video (underlined). Screenplay by (Name of screenwriters). Dir. (Director's name). Perf. (Leading Actors' Names). Publisher/Production company, Year of release.

      For example: (Note that text between quotations stands for material that should be underlined):
      "Predators." Screenplay by Alex Litvak and Michael Finch. Dir. Nimrod Antal. Perf. Adrian Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Danny Trejo, and Laurence Fishburne. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2010.

      For CMS the format includes:

      Title of the Video. Directed by (Director's name). (Location of production: City, State or province, if applicable): Publisher/Production company, Year of release. Format (e.g., Videocassette).

      For example: Predators. Directed by Nimrod Antal. USA: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 2010. Theatrical Film.

    • 3

      Place your video reference in alphabetical order along with any additional resources included in your bibliography. This is also a good time to spell check and look for punctuation errors.

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