Bibliography, Reference List or Works Cited?

You may wonder whether to use a bibliography, reference list, or a works cited page in your paper—and you may even have wondered whether there is really a difference.

Although your professor may have his or her own ideas (and you should use your professor’s preferences as your first guide) “Works Cited” pages are generally used when citing sources in an MLA paper, and the title “References” is used when citing sources using APA (American Psychological Association) style. Turabian/Chicago style traditionally calls for a bibliography, though some professors ask for a works cited page.

Reference lists, works cited lists, and bibliographies are similar, but not actually the same. References and works cited pages will contain only the works you actually cite in your paper—even if you have read many sources to become informed about your topic.

The term "bibliography" can mean a few things. In a single paper, it is all of the sources you have consulted to become informed about your topic (in contrast to listing only the sources you actually cite). In academic works, a bibliography can also refer to a very big list of recommended sources on a particular topic. Bibliographies might even be required as an additional page of information, after the reference list.