How to Cite: Books

Citing Books in APA

• Book citations generally include information such as author(s), publication year, title, any special information, and the publisher.
• Authors are listed by their last name, followed by their initials.
• Titles are in italics and only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
• Special information can include editors, translators, illustrators, volume numbers, editions, etc.

Books (Print and Electronic)

Books, whether they are print or electronic, follow largely the same format.

If the book includes a DOI or if you found the item online, include the DOI or hyperlink in the reference after the publisher name. If you found the ebook in a library database, do not include a hyperlink.

Reference Page Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of the book: Subtitle also starts with a capital letter (extra information such as editors, translators, editions, etc.). Publisher.

Reference Page Example:

Angelou, M. (1970). I know why the caged bird sings. Random House.

In-text Citation Examples:

Angelou (1970) shares that ...

...(Angelou, 1970).

...(Angelou, 1970, p. 154).

Chapter in an Edited Book

If you are citing a chapter in an edited book in which the chapters have different authors and have been put together by an editor, include a reference for the specific chapter you used. If you are citing the book as a whole, you do not need to cite each chapter separately.

When citing a chapter, information about the specific chapter is listed first, followed by information about the whole book (the word 'In' is put in between the chapter and the larger work).

On the references page, the page numbers for the chapter are listed with 'pp.' The in-text citation should only use a 'pp.' if there are multiple pages included in the quote. If only one page is needed for the citation, use "p."

Reference Page Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher.

Reference Page Example:

Kassell, L. (2016). Paper technologies, digital technologies: Working with early modern medical records. In A. Whitehead, A. Woods, S. Atkinson, J. Macnaughton, & J. Richards (Eds.), The Edinburgh companion to the critical medical humanities (pp. 120–135). Edinburgh University Press.

In-text Citation Examples:

Kassell (2016) states that ...

...(Kassell, 2016).

...(Kassell, 2016, p. 122).

Edited Book with No Author

If there are no authors listed and you can only find information about the editors, use the editors' information in place of the authors followed by (Eds.). If there is a single editor, use (Ed.).

If there is an author, the editor's information belongs after the title just like translators and illustrators.

Reference Page Format:

Editor, A. A., & Editor, B. B. (Eds.). (Year of Publication). Title of the book: Subtitle also starts with a capital letter (extra information such as editors, translators, editions, etc.). Publisher.

Reference Page Example:

Aronson, M., & Campbell, P. J. (Eds.). (2009). War is: Soldiers, survivors, and storytellers talk about war. Candlewick Press.

In-text Citation Examples:

According to Aronson and Campbell (2009) ...

... (Aronson & Campbell, 2009).

... (Aronson & Campbell, 2009, p. 158).

Translated Book

After the title, translators are listed by their first initials followed by their last name. The abbreviation Trans. is used to indicate their role.

Reference Page Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of the book: Subtitle also starts with a capital letter (T. T. Translator, Trans.). Publisher.

Reference Page Example:

Kondō M. (2014). The life-changing magic of tidying up: The Japanese art of decluttering and organizing (C. Hirano, Trans.). Ten Speed Press.

In-text Citation Examples:

Kondō (2014) shares that ...

...(Kondō, 2014).

...(Kondō, 2014, p. 112).

Set of Books (Multivolume)

Citing a set of books or a single book from a set is very similar to citing other books. The main difference is including the volume number after the title. Remember that if there is no author, the editors are placed at the beginning of the citation followed by (Eds.). If there is a single editor, use (Ed.).

Reference Page Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of book (Vol. or Vols.). Publisher.

Reference Page Example:

Caputi, L. (Ed.) (2016). Innovations in nursing education: Building the future of nursing (Vol. 3). National League for Nursing.

In-text Citation Examples:

Caputi (2016) states that ...

...(Caputi, 2016).

...(Caputi, 2016, p. 1).

Textbook

Citing textbooks follows the same rules as other books. Textbooks often have editions that should be included following the title.

Reference Page Format:

Author, A. A. (Year of Publication). Title of book (# edition). Publisher.

Reference Page Example:

Swearingen, P. L., & Wright, J. D. (2019). All-in-one nursing care planning resource: Medical-surgical, pediatric, maternity, and psychiatric-mental health (5th ed.). Elsevier.

In-text Citation Examples:

Swearingen and Wright (2019) assert that ...

...(Swearingen & Wright, 2019).

...(Swearingen & Wright, 2019, p. 216).

Religious Text

If the religious text has its own way of tracking text location (such as the Bible using books, chapters, and verses), use that information instead of page numbers.

Put the title of the work in italics.

Reference Page Format:

Version Title. (Publication Year). Publisher. URL if available (Original work published Year)

Reference Page Example:

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)

In-text Citation Examples:

According to the King James Bible (1769/2017)...

...(King James Bible, 1769/2017).

...(King James Bible, 1769/2017, Isaiah 40:31).