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Reference List & Annotated Bibliography (Online)

Shane
Updated

In addition to Research Papers and Discussion Posts, you can create Reference Lists and Annotated Bibliographies in PERRLA Online. Both are available in the APA, MLA, and Turabian formats.

How to Create a Reference List or Annotated Bibliography

  1. Click Create New at the top of the page.
  2. Hover over Paper, then click Annotated Bibliography or Reference List.
  3. Choose your Paper Format: APA 7, MLA 9, or Turabian 9.
  4. Edit the title, if you'd like.
    The title field comes pre-filled based on your format and paper type, but you can change it to anything you want.
  5. Select a Class, if this paper belongs to one you've already set up in PERRLA.
  6. Check Include a title page, if you want one added to your paper.
    Note: Checking this box automatically fills in your name and institution, and adds fields where you can enter your instructor's name and the due date.
  7. Click Create Annotated Bibliography or Create Reference List.

Your paper opens with a title page already in place if you checked the box, or without one if you didn't.

Reference Lists

A Reference List is a standalone list of references – a great option when you need to generate references to paste into another application (e.g., PowerPoint).

By default, Reference Lists are titled "References" in APA, "Works Cited" in MLA, and "Bibliography" in Turabian. You can edit the title in the Paper Create panel or the Title Page panel.

Papers created after July 28, 2026

Reference Lists are a single section – there's no body. Check Include a title page in the Paper Create panel if you want one added to your paper. The Abstract, Table of Contents, Appendices, Table, and Figure options are disabled for this paper type.

Papers created before July 28, 2026

Reference Lists are a single section – there's no title page or body. The Abstract, Table of Contents, Appendices, Table, and Figure options are disabled for this paper type.

Annotated Bibliography

An Annotated Bibliography works just like a Reference List, but automatically adds an annotation to each reference as you add it. You can still add citations within your annotations if needed.

By default, Annotated Bibliographies are titled "Annotated Bibliography" in APA, MLA, and Turabian. You can edit the title in the Paper Create panel or the Title Page panel.

Papers created after July 28, 2026

Check Include a title page in the Paper Create panel if you want one added to your paper. The Abstract, Table of Contents, Appendices, Table, and Figure options are disabled for this paper type.

Papers created before July 28, 2026

There's no title page for this paper type. The Abstract, Table of Contents, Appendices, Table, and Figure options are disabled for this paper type as well.

Download as Word Document

When you're finished, export your paper as a Word document using Download Simplified Word File under the File button in PERRLA Online. Need help with that step? See Download or print your APA 7 papers to turn in (Online).

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