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How to Cite a Book in APA

Book – A written work or composition that has been published – typically printed on pages bound together.

Understanding how to cite books will provide you with the basis for citation conventions in APA style. Books are key components of many papers and are often an invaluable resource, so this guide will show you how to format reference page citations and in-text citations for APA 7th edition.

Citing a book in which the chapters are written by different authors is a little more involved than citing other types of books. You will find information on this type of book in this guide, but you can find also find more in-depth information here, in the article How to Cite a Chapter in a Book APA . That article is also helpful for in-text citations that include page numbers.

Guide Overview

What you need.

• Citing a book (print)
• Citing an E-book (online or digital book)
• Citing a book (found in a database)
• Citing an audiobook
• Citing a book with an editor credited on the cover
• Citing an edited book

Troubleshooting

In APA, a basic book citation includes the following information:

• Author’s name
• Title of the book
• Publisher of the book
• Year published

Additional information is needed when citing:

• DOI or stable URL if available
• Name of the translator or editor
• Title of the translator or editor (trans. or ed. respectively)
• Name of the chapter author
• Name of the chapter
• Name of the book editor or author
• Page numbers or ranges used
• Volume numbers and/or edition numbers
• New edition number
• Name of forward or introduction author if applicable
• Original publication date

Citing a book in APA (print)

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Note: Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title and any subtitles (the first word that follows a colon), as well as the first letter of any proper nouns. See our APA Citation Basics guide or the APA Publication Manual for more information.

Citing an E-book in APA (online or digital book)

An e-book is considered a written work or composition that has been digitized and is readable through computers or e-readers (Kindles, iPads,nooks etc.). As of the APA 7th edition, a special notation does not need to be made for e-reader versions. Simply include the book’s URL or DOI number at the end of the citation. However, if you’re citing an audiobook, scroll down this page to see the different citation structure for audiobooks.

Citing a book in APA (found in a database)

Some e-books may be available online through your library’s databases or catalogs. According to the 7th edition of APA style, most books found via academic databases do not need to include the database name or link in the citation. This is because these books are usually widely available in many place and resources.

Citing an audio book in APA

An audiobook is a book that has been converted into audio files or an audio format. They are also sometimes called “books on tape.”

Citing a book with an author and an editor

Citing an edited book (no single author credited)

Here is a video that reviews book citations in APA style:

Solution #1: How to cite a book in another language

Books written in another language should contain the translation in brackets next to the title. If the language contains characters that are different from the Roman alphabet, transliterate the alphabet into the Roman alphabet for your citation.

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year). Title of the book in original language [Translated title]. Publisher.

Sanchez, E. (2018).  Yo no soy tu perfecta hija Mexicana  [I am not your perfect Mexican daughter]. Vintage Espanol.

Solution #2: How to cite a republished translated book

For translated books, include the name of the original author at the start of the citation, but for the year, include the date of publication for the version you are using. After the title, include the translator’s name, and after the publisher, provide the original publication date. For in-text citation, two dates are required. Write the date of the original publication first, then add a slash followed by the current version that you are using.

Reference page structure:

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year). Title of the work (Translator’s F. Last name, Trans.; Edition number ed.). Publisher. (Original work published Year)

Reference page example:

Freud, S. (1950). Beyond the pleasure principle (J. Strachey, Trans., 2nd ed.). Liveright. (Original work published 1920)

In-text citation structure:

Parenthetical structure: (Author last name, date of original publication/date of current version) Narrative structure: Author last name (date of original publication/date of current version)

In-text citation example:

                  Parenthetical example: (Freud, 1920/1950)

        Narrative example: Freud (1920/1950)

Solution #3: How to cite an ancient Greek or Roman work

Much like translated versions, include the original date of publication after the publisher (or DOI link). However, for ancient texts, be sure to include “ca.” (which stands for “circa”) with the date, followed by B.C.E. or C.E. For the in-text citation, you will also need to include ca. and B.C.E. or C.E. after the author’s name, followed by the date of the current version.

Author’s last name, F. M. (Year). Title of the work (Translator’s F. Last name, Trans.; Edition number ed.). Publisher. (Original work published ca. date)

Homer. (1990). The odyssey (R. Fitzgerald, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published ca. 8 B.C.E.)

Parenthetical structure: Author last name, original date of the work/current version date

                     Narrative structure: Author last name (original date of the work/current version date)

                   Parenthetical example: (Homer, ca. 8 B.C.E./1990)

Narrative example: Homer (ca. 8 B.C.E./1990)

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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To cite a book in APA style, you need to have basic information including the authors, publication year, book title, and publisher. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of a book written by a single author along with examples are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Dean (2010)

Parenthetical

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Dean, 2010)

Reference list entry template and example:

Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Book title: Subtitle of the book . Publisher Name.

Dean, J. (2010). Blog theory: Feedback and capture in the circuits of drive . Polity Press.

Set the book title in italics and sentence case. Capitalize the first word after a colon. If an edition number is given, place it after the title in parenthesis. The style should be, for example, (2nd ed.).

To cite a book chapter with multiple authors in APA style, you need to have basic information including the names of the authors, publication year, chapter title, editors, publisher, and place of publication. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of a book chapter along with examples are given below:

When the source has 3–20 authors

In the text, use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”

First Author Surname et al. (Publication Year)

Rong et al. (2017)

(Author Surname et al., Publication Year)

(Rong et al., 2017)

List the names of all authors in the reference list. Use “&” before the last author’s name. The book title is set in italics. The word “In” is used before the editor’s name. Note that the style for setting the editors’ names is the initial of the first name (and if applicable, the middle name) followed by the surname. Use “(Eds.)” after the editors’ name. Do not include the publisher’s location in the reference. The example below is for three author names.

Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F.M., &  Author Surname, F.M. (Publication Year). Chapter title: Subtitle. In F. Editor1 & F. Editor2 (Eds.), Book title (pp. #–#). Publisher Name.

Rong, X. L., Hilburn, J., & Sun, W. (2017). Immigration, demographic changes, and schools in North Carolina from 1990 to 2015. In X. Rong & J. Hilburn (Eds.), Immigration and education in North Carolina (pp. 1–24). Sense.

When the source has more than 20 authors

In the text, use the first author’s surname followed by et al.

Alvarez et al. (2019)

(Alvarez et al., 2019)

List the first 19 author’s names in the reference list followed by an ellipsis. Then add the last author’s name.

Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., . . . Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Chapter title: Subtitle. In F. Editor1 & F. Editor2 (Eds.), Book title (pp. #–#). Publisher Name.

Alvarez, L. D., Peach, J. L., Rodriguez, J. F., Donald, L., Thomas, M., Aruck, A., Samy, K., Anthony, K., Ajey, M., Rodriguez, K. L., Katherine, K., Vincent, A., Pater, F., Somu, P., Pander, L., Berd, R., Fox, L., Anders, A., Kamala, W., . . . Nicole Jones, K. (2019). Unsung psychology pioneers: A content analysis of who makes history (and who doesn’t). In R. Lerner & W. Overton (Eds.), The handbook of life-span development (pp. 509–553). Wiley.

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APA Style (7th Edition) Citation Guide: Books & Ebooks

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Films/Videos/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

Book In Print With One Author

Book in Print More Than One Author

Chapters, Short Stories, Essays, or Articles From a Book (Anthology or Collection)

Article in an online reference book (e.g. encyclopedias, dictionaries).

Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

This Microsoft support page contains instructions about how to format a hanging indent in a paper.

Authors/Editors

An author won't necessarily be a person's name. It may be an organization or company, for example Health Canada. These are called group or corporate authors.

If a book has no author or editor, begin the citation with the book title, followed by the year of publication in round brackets.

If an author is also the publisher, omit the publisher from the reference. This happens most often with corporate or group authors.

When a book has one to 20 authors or editors, all authors' names are cited in the Reference List entry. When a book has 21 or more authors or editors, list the first 19 authors followed by three spaced ellipse points (. . .) , and then the last author's name. Rules are different for in-text citations; please see the examples provided.

Cite author names in the order in which they appear on the source, not in alphabetical order (the first author is usually the person who contributed the most work to the publication).

Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title. If there is a colon (:) in the title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

Capitalize the first letter of proper names in titles, such as names of places or people. 

Italicize titles of journals, magazines, newspapers, and books. Do not italicize the titles of articles or book chapters.

Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the article title. If there is a colon in the article title, also capitalize the first letter of the first word after the colon.

Place of Publication

Do not include the publisher location in the reference. Only for works associated with a specific location, like conference presentations, include the location. For cities in the US and Canada list the city name and the province or state code. For other countries, list the city name and the country. Examples: Toronto, ON ; Tokyo, Japan

Electronic Books

Don't include the format, platform, or device (e.g. Kindle) in the reference. Include the publisher name. For audiobooks, include the narrator and audiobook notation.

Ebooks from Websites (not from library databases)

If an ebook from a website was originally published in print, give the author, year, title, edition (if given) and the url. If it was never published in print, treat it like a multi-page website.

Book In Print With One Author or Editor

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication).  Title of book: Subtitle if given  (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name.

Note: If the named person is an editor, place "(Ed.)." after the name.

Mulholland, K. (2003). Class, gender and the family business . Palgrave McMillan. 

In-Text Paraphrase:

(Author's Last Name, Year)

Example: (Mulholland, 2003)

In-Text Quote:

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number)

Example: (Mulholland, 2003, p. 70)

Book in Print More Than One Author or Editor

Last Name of First Author, First Initial. Second Initial if Given, & Last Name of Second Author, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication).  Title of book: Subtitle if given  (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name.

Note: Authors' names are separated by commas. Put a comma and an ampersand (&) before the name of the last author cited.

Note : For works with three or more authors, the first in-text citation is shortened to include the first author's surname followed by "et al."

Note: If the listed names are editors rather than authors, include "(Eds.)." at the end of the list of names. The below example shows a list of editors.

Reference List Example:

Kaakinen, J., Coehlo, D., Steele, R., Tabacco, L., & Hanson, H. (Eds.). (2015). Family health care nursing: Theory, practice, and research (5th ed.). F.A. Davis Company.

In-text Citation

Two Authors/Editors

(Kaakinen & Coehlo, 2015)

Direct quote: (Kaakinen & Coehlo, 2015, p. 57)

Three or more Authors/Editors

(Kaakinen et al., 2015)

Direct quote: (Kaakinen et al., 2015, p. 57)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication).  Title of book: Subtitle if given  (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name. URL

Example from Website:

Rhode, D. L. (2002). Divorce, American style . University of California Press. http://www.escholarship.org/editions/view?docId=kt9z09q84w;brand=ucpress

Example: (Rhode, 2002)

Example: (Rhode, 2002, p. 101)

If no author or creator is provided, start the citation with the title/name of the item you are citing instead. Follow the title/name of the item with the date of publication, and the continue with other citation details.

Remember: an author/creator may be an organization or corporation, for example Health Canada. If you don't have a person's name as the author, but do have the name of an organization or corporation, put that organization/corporation's name as the author.

If and only if an item is signed as being created by Anonymous, use "Anonymous" where you'd normally put the author's name.

When you have no author, use a shortened version of the title where you'd normally put the author's name.

If you're citing something which is part of a bigger work, like an article from a magazine, newspaper, journal, encyclopedia, or chapter/short story from a book, put the shortened title in quotation marks in your in-text citation:

Example, paraphrase: ("A few words," 2014)

If you're citing an entire work, like a book, website, video, etc., italicize the shortened title in your in-text citation:

Example, paraphrase: ( A few words , 2014)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of chapter, article, essay or short story. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if Given. Editor's Last Name (Ed.),  Title of book: Subtitle if given (edition if given and is not first edition, pp. first page number-last page number). Publisher Name.

Note:  If you have more than one editor list their name(s) after the first editor listed in the book, giving their initials and last name. Put an ampersand (&) before the last editor's name.

When you have one editor the short form (Ed.) is used after the editor's name. If you have more than one editor use (Eds.) instead.

O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992). Men's and women's gender role journeys: A metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation. In B. R. Wainrib (Ed.), Gender issues across the life cycle (pp. 107-123). Springer. 

Note: If there is no editor given you may leave out that part of the citation.

(Author's Last Name, Year) 

Example (2 authors): (O'Neil & Egan, 1992)

(Author's Last Name, Year, p. Page Number) 

Example (2 authors): (O'Neil & Egan, 1992, p. 998)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of article. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if Given. Editor's Last Name (Ed.),  Title of book: Subtitle if given (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher Name. URL or DOI

Caviness, L. B. (2008). Brain-relevant education. In N. J. Salkind (Ed.), Encyclopedia of educational psychology . Sage Publications. https://login.uportland.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sageedpsyc/brain_relevant_education/0?institutionId=5407

Example (1 author): (Caviness, 2008)

Example (1 author): (Caviness, 2008, Focus on the brain section, para. 2)

Note: When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph in that section to identify where your quote came from.

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How to Cite a Book in APA

Use the following template to cite a book using the APA citation format. We also provide style guides for the MLA and Chicago styles. To have your bibliography or works cited list automatically made for you, check out our free APA citation generator .

Once you’re finished with your citations, we can also help you with creating an APA title page .

Citing a book in APA (print)

Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work . Publisher Name.

Finney, J. (1970). Time and again . Simon and Schuster.

Notes: When citing a book in APA, keep in mind:

• The title of the book should be written in sentence case. This means you should capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title and any subtitles, as well as the first letter of any proper nouns.
• The full title of the book, including any subtitles, should be stated and italicized .
• You do not need to include the publisher location.

Citing an e-book in APA (digital or online)

E-book is short for “electronic book.” It is a digital version of a book that can be read on a computer, e-reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.), or other electronic device.

Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work (ed. if applicable). Publisher Name. URL

Coccia, E. (2021). The life of plants: The metaphysics of mixture (digital ed.). Hans Reitzel Forlag. https://planternesliv.digi.hansreitzel.dk/

• If you need to distinguish the e-book version from the print version, this can be included in the “edition” slot of the citation. Otherwise, the citation format is the same for both print books and e-books.
• If the e-book has a DOI or a stable URL, include it in the reference.
• Do not include a period after the URL.

Citing a book from a database in APA

Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work . Publisher Name. URL or DOI

Sayre, R., Devercelli, A. E., Neuman, M. J., & Wodon, Q. (2015). Investment in early childhood development: Review of the world bank’s recent experience . World Bank Group. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0403-8

Notes: When citing an online book or e-book in APA, keep in mind:

• A DOI (digital object identifier) is an assigned number that helps link content to its location on the Internet. It is therefore important, if one is provided, to use it when creating a citation.
• If an e-book is from an academic database but does not have a DOI or stable URL, end the citation after the publisher name (the citation format will then be the same as for a print book). Do not include the name of the database.

Citing a single volume of a multivolume book in APA

Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work (Vol. #). Publisher Name.

Kemble, J. M. (2020). The Saxons in England: A history of the English commonwealth till the period of the Norman conquest (Vol. 2). Gutenberg.

Citing a several volumes of a multivolume book in APA

Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work . (Vols. #-#). Publisher Name.

Kemble, J. M. (2020). The Saxons in England: A history of the English commonwealth till the period of the Norman conquest   (Vols. 1-2). Gutenberg.

Citing an audiobook in APA

Author, A. (Year of Publication). Title of work (F. M. Narrator, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Publisher. URL or DOI (Original work published year if applicable)

Ruiz, D. M. (2005). The four agreements (P. Coyote, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Amber Allen Publishing. https://www.amazon.com/The-Four-Agreements-don-Miguel-Ruiz-audio/dp/B0007OB40E (Original work published 1997)

For more information on how to cite in APA, check out Cornell .

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When the book you quote has volume numbers or is a book from a series, then you need to mention them as part of your reference list entry. Use the format below to understand where and how.

Last Name, Initials. (Year). Title (Ed No., Vol no.). Publisher.

Creek, A.J. (1986). Handbook of mental disorders (5 th ed., Vol 3). Psychology Publishing Press.

In APA style, italicize sources that stand alone. Such works include books, reports, and websites. However, don’t italicize works that are part of the main source. Examples of such sources are journal articles and book chapters.

If an author name isn’t available, you may include a book, report, or website title in the in-text citation. In such cases, again only italicize sources that stand alone.

In APA style, italicize sources. Do not underline them.

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples Therapy
• Best Family Therapy
• Managing Stress
• Sleep and Dreaming
• Understanding Emotions
• Self-Improvement
• Healthy Relationships
• Student Resources
• Personality Types
• Guided Meditations
• Verywell Mind Insights
• 2024 Verywell Mind 25
• Mental Health in the Classroom
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board
• Crisis Support

How to Cite a Book in APA Format

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Emily is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, Vox, and Verywell.

Tom Werner / Getty Images

• Basic Structure
• One or More Authors
• Article Within a Book

Citation for a Translated Book

Citation for a multivolume work, citation for an ebook or audiobook.

Citing a book in APA format involves creating an in-text citation that refers to a source listed on your reference page. APA format is the official style of the American Psychological Association and is used in both academic and professional writing.

Before you create a reference page for your papers, essays, articles, or reports, it is important to learn how to format your citations in proper APA style . This style dictates certain rules and guidelines for different types of references, including books.

Not all book citations are the same in APA style. The format may vary depending on a number of factors including the type of book and number of authors.

At a Glance

If you are writing a paper in psychology or another social science, you will need to know how to create citations for books and other sources you plan to use as references. The format for your citations will vary somewhat depending on the type of book. For example, a citation for a book with a single author is a little different than an edited book that includes multiple authors. Most sources include the author's last name and first initials, publication year, book title, edition, and publisher.

APA Book Citation: Basic Structure

The basic structure of a book reference should list the author's last name, the first initial of their first name, the first initial of their middle name (if applicable), publication year, book title, edition (if it isn't the first), and publisher.

This is the same format for both books and ebooks. If the source has a DOI link, that should also be included at the end of the reference.

The following example shows one citation with a DOI hyperlink and the second without. Note the punctuation and style. The year of publication is in parentheses. The book title is italicized and in sentence case, and the edition information is in parentheses.

Book Citations in APA

Jackson, L. M. (2019).  The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action  (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association.  https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000

Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person. Houghton Mifflin.

• Parenthetical book citation : (Jackson, 2019); (Rogers, 1961)
• Narrative book citation : Jackson (2019); Rogers (1961)

This basic format can be used for many types of books that have a single author or multiple authors. However, you may need to use one of the following formats for books that are edited, have no author, are translated, or require some specialized formatting.

Citation for an Edited Book With One or More Authors

Edited books with one or more authors will include the names of the editors in the citation. It should follow the basic structure of a book reference but also include the first name initial, last name, and "Ed." for one editor or "Eds." for multiple editors in parentheses after the book title. Use an ampersand to separate multiple authors and multiple editors.

Citing Authors and Editors

Adler, A. (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic presentation of selections from his writings. (H. L. Ansbacher, & R. R. Ansbacher, Eds.). Basic Books.

Marson, G., Keenan-Miller, D., & Costin, C. (2020). The binge eating prevention workbook. (M. Solis, Ed.). New Harbinger Publications.

• Parenthetical book citation : (Adler, 1956); (Marson, Keenan-Miller, & Costin, 2020)
• Narrative book citation : Adler (1956); Marson, Keenan-Miller, and Costin (2020)

Citation for an Edited Book With No Author

Edited books with no author should list the editors first. List the last name and first initial of the editor, followed by "Ed." or "Eds." in parentheses. The remainder of the reference should follow the basic structure and include the publication year, book title in italics, and publisher.

If the book is anything other than the first edition, it should also be noted in parentheses after the title of the book, with no italics. Remember, you don't need to include the publisher's location.

Citing Editors

Atkinson, J. W., & Rayner, J. O. (Eds.). (1974). Motivation and achievement. V. H. Winston.

• Parenthetical book citation : (Atkinson, 1974)
• Narrative book citation : Atkinson (1974)

Citation for an Article Featured in an Edited Book

Sometimes edited books feature a collection of articles written by different authors. To cite an article in such a collection, you should list the last name and first initial of the individual author(s), followed by the publication date and chapter title.

Next, the editors should be listed, followed by the title of the book and the page numbers of the chapter. The publisher's name goes last.

Citing an Article in a Book

Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2005). History of forensic psychology. In I. B. Weiner, & A. K. Hess (Eds.), The Handbook of Forensic Psychology (pp.1-27). Wiley.

• Parenthetical book citation : (Bartol & Bartol, 2005)
• Narrative book citation : Bartol and Bartol (2005)

Many famous psychology texts were originally written in another language and then translated into English. Books translated from another language should include the last name and first initial of the author, followed by the year of publication and book title.

The first initials and last name of the translator and the notation "Trans." should then be included in parentheses. Next, provide the publisher and the original year of publication.

Citing a Translator

Freud, S. (1914). The psychopathology of everyday life (A. A. Brill, Trans.). T. Fisher Unwin. (Original work published 1901).

If you're referencing a republished book, the in-text citation should include both the original and republished date. For example, if you were to reference the publication above in text, you would write "(Freud, 1901/1914)" for a parenthetical citation.

• Parenthetical book citation : (Freud, 1904/1914)
• Narrative book citation : Freud (1901/1914)

The APA style guide also explains how to cite a multivolume work. You list the last name and first initial of the author(s) or editor(s), followed by the year of publication in parentheses. Then, you put the name of the publication in italics in sentence case.

You list the specific volumes in parentheses, using a hyphen between digits. You then list the name of the publisher.

Citing a Multivolume Work

Harris, K. R., Graham, S., & Urdan T. (Eds.). (2012).  APA educational psychology handbook  (Vols. 1–3). American Psychological Association.

• Parenthetical book citation : (Harris, Graham, & Urdan, 2012)
• Narrative book citation : Harris, Graham, and Urdan (2012)

If the ebook or audiobook is also in print and the content is the same, you can cite it the same way you would a print book. However, with audiobooks, you might wish to call out specific information such as the narrator's name.

If you are crediting the narrator of an audiobook, the format is the last name and the initial of the author's first name, then the year of publication in parentheses. After listing the name of the book in italics, you put the first initial and the last name of the narrator, followed by "Narr." in parentheses.

Then you add "Audiobook" in brackets, followed by the publisher's name and URL. The seventh edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" gives the following example:

Citing an Audiobook

Rowling, J. K. (2015).  Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone  (J. Dale, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Pottermore Publishing. http://bit.ly/2TcHchx (Original work published 1997)

In-text citations of an audio source should also add the relevant time or time ranges of the information you are citing. This should be listed as hours, minutes, and seconds.

• Parenthetical book citation : (Rowling, 02:36:05-55)
• Narrative book citation : Rowling (02:36:05-55)

More Tips for APA Book Citations

It may seem like there's a lot of information to keep in mind as you cite books in APA style. But remember, the more you practice, the easier it gets!

As you use citations throughout your paper, you'll want to make sure you keep track of them separately so you can add them to your reference page at the end.

Citations vs. References

Traditionally the term "citation" is used to refer to an in-text source, while "reference " is the correct term for a source listed on the reference page of an APA format paper.

The following are some helpful tips to keep in mind as you write an APA-style reference paper:

• Double-space : Remember that your reference page needs to be double-spaced.
• Indent : The first line of each reference should be flush left with the margin of the page. Each subsequent line of your reference should be indented.
• Use the DOI : If a digital object identifier (DOI) is available, include it at the end of the reference.
• Include the URL : If a book has been accessed via an online database , follow the basic APA format and include the full URL at the end. 
• Follow additional guidelines : Ensure you follow the other guidelines for your reference page.

APA citations are an integral part of writing in APA style. It's best to consult the latest edition of the "Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association" to stay up to date on all guidelines and helpful tips.

American Psychological Association.  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association . 7th ed. American Psychological Association; 2020.

APA Style. How to cite translated works .

American Psychological Association.  Book/ebook references .

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

• Peterborough

APA 7 Style: Citing Books and Sections of Books

• Book with single author
• Book with two authors
• Book with three to twenty authors
• Book with more than 20 authors
• Book with editor
• Book with translator
• Book with organizational author
• Reference book (Dictionary or Encyclopedia)
• Chapter or Essay in a Book
• Article or chapter reprinted in a Coursepack
• Entry with no author
• Entry with no publication date
• Entry in a print reference book (dictionary or encyclopedia)

Book With Single Author

In-text citation.

(Panagia, 2009)

Author's Name: Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of book . Publisher.

Panagia, D. (2009). The political life of sensation . Duke University Press.

Book With Two Authors

(Aronowitz & Giroux, 1991)

Author's Last Name, First Initial., & Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of book . Publisher.

Aronowitz, S., & Giroux, H. A. (1991). Postmodern education: Politics, culture, and social criticism.  University of Minnesota Press.

Article or Chapter in Edited Book

(Martino & Berrill, 2007)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication). Article title. In Editor’s First Initial and Last Name (Ed.), Title of book (pp. #-#). Publisher.

Martino, W., & Berrill, D. (2007).' Dangerous pedagogies': Exploring issues of sexuality and masculinity in male teacher candidates' lives. In K. Davison & B. Frank (Eds.), Masculinities and schooling: International practices and perspectives (pp. 13-34). Althouse Press.

• For a book with one editor, use the abbreviation "Ed." For a work with multiple editors, use the abbreviation "Eds." The first and last page numbers of the article are listed after the title of the book, just before the publisher.

Book With Three to Twenty Authors

In the first reference for a work with three or more authors, use the surname of the first author followed by et al.

(Illston et al., 1979)

Provide last name and initials for all authors (up to twenty authors).

Author's Last Name, First Initial., Author's Last Name, First Initial., & Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication).  Title of book. Publisher.

Illston, J. M., Dinwood, J. M., & Smith, A. A. (1979).  Concrete, timber, and metals: The nature and behaviour of structured materials . Van Nostrand Reinhold.

• Do not change the order of authors in a multi-authored work; the first author in the list is the lead author. For example, do not change Lee, Brown, & Green to Brown, Green, & Lee; Lee must be listed first.

Book With More Than 20 Authors

For a work with more than 20 authors, use the surname of the first author followed by et al.

(Eves et al., 2019).

For a work with more than 20 authors, list the first 20 authors and insert ellipses. After the ellipses, write the last author's name.

Author's Last Name, First Initial., Author's Last Name, First Initial., (list first 20 authors), . . . Final Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication). Title of Book . Publisher.

Eves G., Dunaway, Z., Wilkins, R., Thompson, L., Martin, K., Corp, J., Leonard, F., Xi, F., Smith, S., Patel, S., Arnott, A., MacQuarrie, C., Stafa, A., Alam, J., Zuckerman, J., Brownlee, R., Lane, H., Goldman, H., Eamon, S., Ginter, T., . . . Goulding, N. (2019).  How to succeed in university. First Line Press.

Electronic Book

Online only: in-text citation.

(Stevens, n.d.)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication).  Title.  URL

Stevens, K. (n.d.).  The dreamer and the beast.    http://www.onlineoriginals .com/showitem.asp?itemID=321 

Also in Print: In-Text Citation

If the book you are referencing is identical to the print version, there is no need to mention the e-reader or platform you used to access it. If, however, you are citing a special e-book version of the text, you should mention the platform.

(Chong, 2012)

(Downey & Baumann, 2004)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication).  Title. [E-reader file type]. Publisher. URL

Chong, K. (2012).  My year of the racehorse: Falling in love with the sport of kings.  [Kindle Edition]. Greystone Books. https://www.amazon.ca/My-Year-Racehorse-Falling-Sport-ebook/dp/B0073JCWB6

Downey M., Baumann A. O., & Nursing Study Sector Corporation. (2004).  The international nursing  labour market.  [Gibson Library Connections]. Nursing Study Sector Corporation. http://books2.scholarsportal.info/viewdoc.html?id=27776   

• When a URL is too long to fit on one line, create a break where there is punctuation (period, slash, dash).  As you can see in the example, the punctuation starts the next line.  Do not end the URL with a period if it is not in the original.
• If the electronic book provides a doi (digital object identifier), it will go in place of the URL. 

Book with Editor

(Gibbs, 2001)

Editor's Last Name, First Initial. (Ed.). (Year of Publication). Title of book . Publisher.

Gibbs, J. T. (Ed.). (2001). Children of color: Psychological interventions with culturally diverse youth. Jossey-Bass.

• Use the abbreviation "Ed." in parentheses after the editor's name.If there is more than one editor, use the abbreviation Eds. in parentheses after listing all of the authors' names.

Article or Chapter in a Coursepack

An in-text citation for an article or chapter in a coursepack includes the original source publication date and the reprint date.

(Morgan, 2006/2013)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Publication). Article Title. In Editor's First Initial and Last Name (Ed.), Title of Coursepack (pp. #- #). Publisher. (Reprinted from Original publication title, page range, original author or editor, original publication date, original publisher)

Morgan, G. (2013). Mechanization takes command: Organizations as machines. In B. Ahlstrand   (Ed.), ADMN 2410H: Organization theory (pp. 31-50). CSPI - Coursepack. (Reprinted from Images of organization, pp. 19-38, by G. Morgan, 2006, Sage   Publications)

• For a book with one editor, use the abbreviation "Ed." For a work with multiple editors, use the abbreviation "Eds." The coursepack page numbers are listed after the title of the book, just before the city of publication. The original source page numbers are listed in the reprint information. Any in-text citation that includes a page reference (i.e. for a direct quotation) should refer to the coursepack page numbers. The reprint information is usually listed on the first page of the article or chapter in the coursepack.

Book With Translator

Eisenstein (1943/1968)

Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Republication). Title of Book (Translator’s First Initial. and Last Name, Trans.). Publisher. (Original work published YEAR).

Eisenstein, S. (1968). Film sense (J. Leyda, Trans.). Faberand Faber. (Original work published 1943).

• The translator's name is followed by "Trans." and placed in parentheses after the title. Because the example for a translated book is of a republished work, date of original publication and date of republication are given.

Book with Organizational Author

Associations, corporations, study groups, and government agencies are some examples of what is considered a group author. Only list individual authors if they are listed on the cover or title page of the work; otherwise, list organizational author in reference list and in-text citations.

If there is a readily identified abbreviation, in the first in-text citation the full name of the organization is given in full, with the abbreviation in square brackets:

(American Psychological Association [APA], 2010)

Subsequent references use the abbreviation:

(APA, 2010)

For in-text citations, where the organization has no abbreviation (Trent University, City of Oshawa), the full name of the organization continues to be given: (Trent University, 2010)

Name of Group or Corporate Author. (Year of Publication). Title of Book (Edition #). Publisher and/or URL

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).  https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

• Do not abbreviate the name of the group in the reference.
• In this case the corporate author is also the publisher. Do not list publisher if the same as author. The APA (2020) manual (7th edition) lists its correct reference listing on the interior cover of its print manual, and it includes a doi, as shown above.

Reference Book

(Coleman, 1994)

Editor's Last Name, First Initial. (Ed.). (Year of Publication). Title of Book . Publisher.

Coleman, A. M. (Ed.). (1994). Companion encyclopedia of psychology . Routledge.

Entry in an Online Reference Book (Dictionary or Encyclopedia)

Often we wish to cite information, such as a definition or particular facts about a topic, and we need to cite an entry in a reference work, such as an encyclopedia or dictionary.

When the entry has no named author, begin the reference with the group or organization that created the reference work. If the reference work has an editor, include this information before the title of the reference work.

Entry in an Online Reference Book with No Author

(Cambridge University Press, 2015)

Institution or organization name. (Year). Title of entry. In Name of editor (ed.),  Title of reference work. URL

Cambridge University Press. (2015). Cognitive dissonance. In R. Audi (ed.), The Cambridge dictionary of philosophy.  https://www-cambridge-org.proxy1.lib.trentu.ca/core/books/cambridge-dict...

Entry in an Online Reference Book with No Publication Date

Many online reference works are continuously updated and thus do not have a publication date. In this case, use n.d. to indicate that there is no publication date, but also include the date on which you retrieved the information in your reference.

(American Psychological Association, n.d.)

Institutional or Group Author. (n.d.). Title of entry. In Title of reference work . Retrieved Month Day, year, from URL

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Cognitive dissonance. In APA dictionary of psychology . Retrieved July 8, 2020, from  https://dictionary.apa.org/cognitive-dissonance

Entry in a Print Reference Book (Dictionary or Encyclopedia)

(Merriam-Webster Incorporated., 2008).

Institution or Group Author. (Year of Publication). Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial and Last Name (Ed.), Title of reference work (edition and pp. #-#). Publisher.

Merriam Webster Incorporated. (2008). Cognitive dissonance. In Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (11th ed., p. 240). Merriam-Webster Incorporated.

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Quick Guide to APA Citations

☑ include both parts of the apa citation:.

In-text citations (placed in your paper wherever you are quoting or paraphrasing a source) Reference list citations (placed at the end of your paper in an alphabetized reference list)  

☑ If you quote OR paraphrase a source, you must cite it.

"Paraphrasing" includes describing someone else's idea in your own words.   A quotation requires a "locator" which is the exact page number or paragraph number of the quote 

☑ Do not include sources in your reference list if you did not use them.

In APA, reference citations are not a list of sources you read! Only include a source in your reference list if you quoted or paraphrased that source with an in-text citation in your paper.

☑ Each in-text citation must match its reference list citation.

The author name and year in the reference list citation and in-text citation must be the same. If you make a correction to the author and/or date in one of your references, you must also edit all of the corresponding in-text citations.

In-Text Citations

Citing paraphrased information:

(Author, Year).

Citing a direct quote:

(Author, Year, p. 3). OR (Author, Year, para. 3).

In-text Citation Examples

Paraphrasing a source with TWO AUTHORS:

(Tindall & Curtis, 2019).

Paraphrasing a source with THREE OR MORE AUTHORS:

(Amida et al., 2021).

Paraphrasing a source authored by a GROUP/ORGANIZATION with NO DATE:

(U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d.).

• 2023 In-Text Citation Instructions Help! I need more examples! Check out this PDF for what to do when you have long paraphrases, long quotations, you want to cite a source you found in another source, you have sources with the same author and date, and more!

Reference List Citations

Author. (Date). Title. Source. URL

Reference List Citation Examples

Reference list citation for a journal article with THREE OR MORE AUTHORS:*

Amida, A., Appianing, J., & Marafa, Y. (2022). Testing the predictors of college students' attitudes toward plagiarism. Journal of Academic Ethics, 20 (1), p. 85-99.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-021-09401-9

Reference list citation for an online article/webpage with ONE AUTHOR: 

Bailey, J. (2022, July 6). 5 things new students need to know about plagiarism. Plagiarism Today . https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2022/07/06/5-things-new-students-need-to-know-about-plagiarism/

Reference list citation for a source with a GROUP AUTHOR and NO DATE:

U. S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). What is plagiarism? https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/2014/11/what-plagiarism

*Never use "et al." in a reference citation. Include every author's name, up to 20 authors. For guidance on citing works with more than 20 authors, see the 2023 Reference List Instructions PDF below.

• 2023 APA Reference list instructions Help! I need more examples! Check out this PDF for what to do if there is no author or when there are twenty-one or more authors, how to capitalize the title, when the title has a title in it, and more!
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• Next: Citation Generators >>
• Last Updated: Jun 17, 2024 3:13 PM
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APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

• General Style Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two Authors or Editors
• Three to Five Authors or Editors

Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

• Article in a Reference Book
• Edition other than the First
• Translation
• Government Publication
• Journal Article with 1 Author
• Journal Article with 2 Authors
• Journal Article with 3–20 Authors
• Journal Article 21 or more Authors
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Basic Web Page
• Web page from a University site
• Web Page with No Author
• Entry in a Reference Work
• Government Document
• Film and Television
• Youtube Video
• Audio Podcast
• Electronic Image
• Twitter/Instagram
• Lecture/PPT
• Conferences
• Secondary Sources
• Citation Support
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Formatting Your Paper

About Citing Books

For each type of source in this guide, both the general form and an example will be provided.

The following format will be used:

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase) - entry that appears in the body of your paper when you express the ideas of a researcher or author using your own words.  For more tips on paraphrasing check out The OWL at Purdue .

In-Text Citation (Quotation) - entry that appears in the body of your paper after a direct quote.

References - entry that appears at the end of your paper.

Information on citing and several of the examples were drawn from the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).

Numbers in parentheses refer to specific pages in the manual.

Subject Guide

• << Previous: Three to Five Authors or Editors
• Next: Article in a Reference Book >>

• Last Updated: Jun 25, 2024 9:21 AM
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APA In-Text Citations and Sample Essay 7th Edition

This handout focuses on how to format in-text citations in APA.

Proper citation of sources is a two-part process . You must first cite each source in the body of your essay; these citations within the essay are called in-text citations . You MUST cite all quoted, paraphrased, or summarized words, ideas, and facts from sources. Without in-text citations, you are technically in danger of plagiarism, even if you have listed your sources at the end of the essay.

In-text citations point the reader to the sources’ information on the references page. The in-text citation typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication. If you use a direct quote, the page number is also provided.

More information can be found on p. 253 of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Citation Rules

Direct quotation with the author named in the text.

Heinze and Lu (2017) stated, “The NFL shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly as the field itself evolved” (p. 509).

Note: The year of publication is listed in parenthesis after the names of the authors, and the page number is listed in parenthesis at the end of the quote.

Direct Quotation without the Author Named in the Text

As the NFL developed as an organization, it “shifted its responses to institutional change around concussions significantly” (Heinze & Lu, 2017, p. 509).

Note: At the end of the quote, the names of the authors, year of publication, and page number are listed in parenthesis.

Paraphrase with 1-2 Authors

As the NFL developed as an organization, its reactions toward concussions also transformed (Heinze & Lu, 2017).

Note: For paraphrases, page numbers are encouraged but not required.

Paraphrase with 3 or More Authors

To work toward solving the issue of violence in prisons begins with determining aspects that might connect with prisoners' violent conduct (Thomson et al., 2019).

Direct Quotation without an Author

The findings were astonishing "in a recent study of parent and adult child relationships" ("Parents and Their Children," 2007, p. 2).

Note: Since the author of the text is not stated, a shortened version of the title is used instead.

Secondary Sources

When using secondary sources, use the phrase "as cited in" and cite the secondary source on the References page.

In 1936, Keynes said, “governments should run deficits when the economy is slow to avoid unemployment” (as cited in Richardson, 2008, p. 257).

Long (Block) Quotations

When using direct quotations of 40 or more words, indent five spaces from the left margin without using quotation marks. The final period should come before the parenthetical citation.

At Meramec, an English department policy states:

To honor and protect their own work and that of others, all students must give credit to proprietary sources that are used for course work. It is assumed that any information that is not documented is either common knowledge in that field or the original work of that student. (St. Louis Community College, 2001, p. 1)

Website Citations

If citing a specific web document without a page number, include the name of the author, date, title of the section, and paragraph number in parentheses:

In America, “Two out of five deaths among U.S. teens are the result of a motor vehicle crash” (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2004, Overview section, para. 1).

Here is a print-friendly version of this content.

Learn more about the APA References page by reviewing this handout .

For information on STLCC's academic integrity policy, check out this webpage .

For additional information on APA, check out STLCC's LibGuide on APA .

Sample Essay

A sample APA essay is available at this link .

Citing Specific Parts of a Source

When citing a work in the text, it is helpful to be specific about what part of the work contains the relevant information. Cite specific parts of a source—for example, page ranges, tables, or figures—in the text in APA Style by adding information about the part to a standard in-text citation and writing a standard reference list entry. It is possible to cite a specific part of a source whether you are paraphrasing or directly quoting .

Do not cite a specific part of a source in the reference list. Instead, cite the work that readers would retrieve to find the part. For example, if you cite data from a table in a government report, the government report is the source, and the table is the part. Write a reference list entry for the government report source; then, in the text, write a standard in-text citation for the report (which means providing the government author and year of publication) and add location information for the table to the in-text citation (e.g., provide the table number or a page number for the table).

The following table provides some of the most common examples of parts of a source, including page ranges, chapters of authored books, tables and figures, and video time stamps for audiovisual media such as YouTube videos or films. There are many other possibilities—customize the wording to the work you are citing.

Citing specific parts of a source is covered in Section 8.13 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition

From the APA Style blog

How to cite your own translations

If you translate a passage from one language into another on your own in your paper, your translation is considered a paraphrase, not a direct quotation.

Key takeaways from the Psi Chi webinar So You Need to Write a Literature Review

This blog post describes key tasks in writing an effective literature review and provides strategies for approaching those tasks.

How to cite a work with a nonrecoverable source

In most cases, nonrecoverable sources such as personal emails, nonarchived social media livestreams (or deleted and unarchived social media posts), classroom lectures, unrecorded webinars or presentations, and intranet sources should be cited only in the text as personal communications.

The “outdated sources” myth

The “outdated sources” myth is that sources must have been published recently, such as the last 5 to 10 years. There is no timeliness requirement in APA Style.

From COVID-19 to demands for social justice: Citing contemporary sources for current events

The guidance in the seventh edition of the Publication Manual makes the process of citing contemporary sources found online easier than ever before.

Citing classical and religious works

A classical or religious work is cited as either a book or a webpage, depending on what version of the source you are using. This post includes details and examples.

Academic Writer—APA’s essential teaching resource for higher education instructors

Academic Writer’s advanced authoring technology and digital learning tools allow students to take a hands-on approach to learning the scholarly research and writing process.

APA Style webinar on citing works in text

Attend the webinar, “Citing Works in Text Using Seventh Edition APA Style,” on July 14, 2020, to learn the keys to accurately and consistently citing sources in APA Style.

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Reference List: Books

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

The following contains a list of the most commonly cited print book sources. E-books are described on our "Electronic Sources" page . For a complete list of how to cite print sources, please refer to the 7 th edition of the APA Publication Manual. 

Note: If available, APA 7 requires a DOI for all works that have one — whether print or digital. If a print work does not have a DOI do not include it in the reference citation.

Basic Format for Books

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle . Publisher Name. DOI (if available)

Stoneman, R. (2008). Alexander the Great: A life in legend . Yale University Press.

Edited Book, No Author

Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle . Publisher. DOI (if available)

Leitch, M. G., & Rushton, C. J. (Eds.). (2019).  A new companion to Malory . D. S. Brewer.

Edited Book with an Author or Authors

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (E. Editor, Ed.). Publisher. DOI (if available)

Malory, T. (2017). Le morte darthur (P. J. C. Field, Ed.). D. S. Brewer. (Original work published 1469-70)

A Translation

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (T. Translator, Trans.). Publisher. (Original work published YEAR) DOI (if available)

Plato (1989). Symposium (A. Nehamas & P. Woodruff, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. (Original work published ca. 385-378 BCE)

Note : When you cite a republished work, like the one above, in your text, it should appear with both dates: Plato (385-378/1989)

Edition Other Than the First

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (# edition). Publisher. DOI (if available)

Belcher, W. (2019). Writing your journal article in twelve weeks: A guide to academic publishing success (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Article or Chapter in an Edited Book

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (pp. pages of chapter). Publisher. DOI (if available)

Note : When you list the pages of the chapter or essay in parentheses after the book title, use "pp." before the numbers: (pp. 1-21). This abbreviation, however, does not appear before the page numbers in periodical references. List any edition number in the same set of parentheses as the page numbers, separated by a comma: (2nd ed., pp. 66-72).

Armstrong, D. (2019). Malory and character. In M. G. Leitch & C. J. Rushton (Eds.), A new companion to Malory  (pp. 144-163). D. S. Brewer.

Multivolume Work

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle (Vol. #) . Publisher. DOI (if available)

David, A., & Simpson, J. (Eds.). (2006). The Norton anthology of English literature: The Middle Ages (8 th ed.,Vol. A). W. W. Norton and Company.

APA Citation Guidelines (7th Edition): Style & Format

• Style & Format
• Page Formats
• In-text Citations
• Reference Examples
• Sample Paper & Template

About this Page

This page contains information on the style and format of papers according to APA 7th edition using the Concise Guide to APA Style: The Official APA Style for Students .

• APA Style and Grammar Guidelines

APA Style papers should have the same style and size of font throughout the text of the paper (title page to reference page). APA considers the following fonts acceptable: 11- point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or 10-point Computer Modern. It is recommended that you check with your instructor to see if they have a preferred font style.

(See section 1.18 of the Concise Guide to APA Style )

The first line of every paragraph in the text of your paper and every reference on your reference page is indented (hit the tab key once). The remaining lines are left flush with the left-hand margin of the paper (this is known as a "hanging indent").

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Page numbers : Title page through reference pages are numbered using Arabic numerals;  place each number in the top right corner of the page.

Running heads: Are NOT required in student papers, but you should still check with your instructor to see if they wish them to be used.

Dashes: APA uses em dashes (long dash) and en dashes (short dash). See section 4.6 of the Concise Guide to APA Style for more information.

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Lines and Margins

APA Style papers should have double-spaced text throughout the entire paper (including quotations and references). To make your paper double-spaced in Microsoft Word, highlight the text you want double-spaced, and then click Layout . Next, click on the arrow to the right of the word Paragraph (a pop-up appears). From the drop-down menu under Line Spacing , select Double (default choice is Multiple ) and click OK .

APA Style papers use 1 inch margins all around (top to bottom and left to right). Margins in Microsoft Word are set to 1 inch by default. If you are unsure, you can check your margins by clicking Layout, and clicking Margins. Once the drop-down menu appears, make sure Normal is selected to ensure you have 1 inch margins all around your paper.

(See sections 1.20 and 1.21 of the Concise Guide to APA Style )

APA Style recommends ONE space after a period when the period ends a sentence, separates parts of a reference list entry, or follows initials in names (J.B. Jones).

Do NOT put a space after a period when the period is part of an internal abbreviations (U.S. or a.m.)

Do NOT use periods for the abbreviation of state, province, or territory names (AZ; KS; BC); capital letter abbreviations and acronyms (APA, AMA, EPA); for abbreviations of academic degrees (PhD, MD, DO); or for abbreviations of metric and nonmetric measurements (cm, hr, kg,). Note: Use a period when abbreviating "inch" or "inches" (in.) or else it could be misread.

(See sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Concise Guide to APA Style )

Sentence Case vs. Title Case

Sentence case is where most words in a sentence are going to be lower case.

The EXCEPTIONS are the first word in a title, heading, or sub-title ; proper nouns ; the first word after an em dash, semi-colon, or end punctuation; and any noun followed by a letter or number.

Title case is where major words are capitalized while minor words are lower case.

In APA style, major words are nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs, or any word that is four letters or longer.

Minor words are articles, short prepositions, and conjunctions that are three letters or less.

(See section 5.7 of the Concise Guide to APA Style )

Paraphrasing

Refers to restating someone else's ideas or findings into your own words. Paraphrasing allows you to summarize information from one or more sources, compare and contrast information from multiple sources, and focus on the most important information from each source.

It is BEST to paraphrase information whenever possible rather than using direct quotations.

Paraphrased information must be cited in-text with either a parenthetical or narrative citation.

(See sections 8.23 and 8.24 of the Concise Guide to APA Style)

Reproduce words EXACTLY as written from another work (including your own). Quotations are best used in papers for when you want to reproduce an exact definition, when an author of a work has said something memorable, or when you want to respond to the exact wording (something someone said) from an author in your paper.

When not using a quotation for one of the above reasons, it is best to paraphrase information. Additionally, you should check with your instructor to see if they limit the number of quotations you are allowed to use.

Quotations must be cited in-text with either a parenthetical or narrative citation.

Short quotations consist of 40 words or less and should be incorporated into the text of your paper with quotation marks.

Long quotations consists of 40 words or more and do not use quotations marks. Instead, they should be incorporated into your paper as a block quotation. Block quotations begin on a new line, are double-spaced, and are indented 0.5 inches from the left hand margin of your paper.

(See sections 8.25 - 8.33 of the Concise Guide to APA Style)

Heading Levels

Heading Levels or "headings" are a way to organize information in APA papers and convey it clearly ( think of headings as "sections" and "subsections"). There are five levels of headings in APA Style, although for undergraduates it is rare to need to go past a Level 2 headings. If you are unsure if you need to use headings, check with your instructor.

Note: Do NOT label an introduction as "Introduction" in APA papers. The title of your paper acts as a de facto Level 1 Heading.

(See section 1.26 of the Concise Guide to APA Style)

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Q. How do I refer to a book by title in-text in APA format?

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Answered By: Gabe Gossett Last Updated: Jun 22, 2023     Views: 642931

The basic format for an in-text citation is: Title of the Book (Author Last Name, year).

One author: Where the Wild Things Are (Sendak, 1963) is a depiction of a child coping with his anger towards his mom.

Two authors (cite both names every time): Brabant and Mooney (1986) have used the comic strip to examine evidence of sex role stereotyping. OR The comic strip has been used to examine evidence of sex role stereotyping (Brabant & Mooney, 1986).

Three or more authors (cite the first author plus et al.): Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy (Clare et al., 2016) depicts a young man's experience at the Shadowhunter Academy, a place where being a former vampire is looked down upon.OR Clare et al. (2016) have crafted a unique story about a young man's journey to find himself.

No author: Cite the first few words of the reference entry (usually the title) and the year. Use double quotation marks around the title of an article or chapter, and italicize the title of a periodical, book, brochure, or report. Examples: From the book Study Guide (2000) ... or ("Reading," 1999).

Note: Titles of periodicals, books, brochures, or reports should be in italics and use normal title capitalization rules.

If you are citing multiple sources by multiple authors in-text, you can list all of them by the author's last name and year of publication within the same set of parentheses, separated by semicolons.

Example: (Adams, 1999; Jones & James, 2000; Miller, 1999)

For more information on how to cite books in-text and as a reference entry, see the APA Publication Manual (7th edition) Section 10.2 on pages 321-325 .

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Comments (13)

• This was very useful for me! I was having a really hard time finding information on how to mention an article title AND the author in text in APA so this was very helpful!!! by Ryan Waddell on Jun 27, 2019
• If I just mention that I used a book to teach a topic do I have to include it in the reference list? by Franw on Oct 17, 2019
• @Franw, if it is a source that informs your paper in any way, or if your reader would have reason to look it up, then you should include a full reference list entry for the book. by Gabe [Research & Writing Studio] on Oct 18, 2019
• Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question, but I think the OP is asking how to refer to a book title, not how to cite one. I believe APA uses quotation marks around book titles and MLA uses italics. by AB on Dec 12, 2019
• @AB: The first sentence has been tweaked to clarify title of book usage, reflecting the examples given. For APA style you should use italics for book titles. It would be quotation marks. by Gabe [Research & Writing Studio] on Dec 12, 2019
• Hi, can any one help me with in-text-citation of this, how can i cite it in the text Panel, I. L. (2002). Digital transformation: A framework for ICT literacy. Educational Testing Service, 1-53. by Milad on Aug 20, 2021
• @Milad: In that case it would be (Panel, 2002). If you are quoting, or otherwise choosing to include page numbers, put a comma after the year, then p. and the page number(s). by Gabe Gossett on Aug 20, 2021
• Hey, I'm a little bit curious, what if I'm mentioning a book and paraphrasing it but still want to give credit. Would I put the information into parenthesis instead? Like: Paraphrased info. ("Title in Italics" Author, year) by Kai on Sep 14, 2023
• @Kai: Apologies for not seeing your question sooner! (Our academic year has not started yet). If I am understanding your question correctly, what I suggest is referring to the book title in the narrative of your writing, rather than in the in-text citation. I do not see an examples of using a book title in an in-text citation except for rare circumstances including citing a classic religious text or using the title when there is no author information because it is the start of your reference list entry. Basically, APA's in-text convention is supposed to make it easy for your reader to locate the source being cited in the reference list. So the first part of the in-text citation, usually authors, comes first to locate it alphabetically. Putting the book title first when you have an author name can throw that off. by Gabe Gossett on Sep 21, 2023
• Perhaps this is along the lines of the response to Kai - Can you reference a book title as a common point of social understanding to demonstrate a common concept? Is official citing required if you use widely known titles such as "Where's Waldo" and "Who Moved My Cheese?" to make a point of illustration? by Chez Renee on Sep 30, 2023
• @Chez: Aside from some classical religious texts, if it is a published book, I'd try to make sure that it is appropriately cited for APA style. That said, I think I understand where it gets tricky with things like Where's Waldo, since that is a series of books and stating "Where's Waldo" is a cultural reference many people would understand, though you can't reasonably cite the entire series. I don't believe that APA gives guidance for this particular issue. If it is being referred to in order to back up a claim, it would help to cite a particular book. If not, then it might work to use a statement such as, "Hanford's Where's Waldo series . . ." by Gabe Gossett on Oct 02, 2023
• How to cite a dissertation thesis in apa form? by Elizabeth on Feb 05, 2024
• @Elizabeth: For citing a dissertation or thesis you can check out our page answering that here https://askus.library.wwu.edu/faq/153308 by Gabe Gossett on Feb 05, 2024

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• The Basics of In-Text Citation | APA & MLA Examples

The Basics of In-Text Citation | APA & MLA Examples

Published on March 14, 2022 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on February 28, 2024.

An in-text citation is a short acknowledgement you include whenever you quote or take information from a source in academic writing. It points the reader to the source so they can see where you got your information.

In-text citations most commonly take the form of short parenthetical statements indicating the author and publication year of the source, as well as the page number if relevant.

We also offer a free citation generator and in-depth guides to the main citation styles.

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Table of contents

What are in-text citations for, when do you need an in-text citation, types of in-text citation, frequently asked questions about in-text citations.

The point of an in-text citation is to show your reader where your information comes from. Including citations:

• Avoids plagiarism by acknowledging the original author’s contribution
• Allows readers to verify your claims and do follow-up research
• Shows you are engaging with the literature of your field

Academic writing is seen as an ongoing conversation among scholars, both within and between fields of study. Showing exactly how your own research draws on and interacts with existing sources is essential to keeping this conversation going.

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An in-text citation should be included whenever you quote or paraphrase a source in your text.

Quoting means including the original author’s words directly in your text, usually introduced by a signal phrase . Quotes should always be cited (and indicated with quotation marks), and you should include a page number indicating where in the source the quote can be found.

Paraphrasing means putting information from a source into your own words. In-text citations are just as important here as with quotes, to avoid the impression you’re taking credit for someone else’s ideas. Include page numbers where possible, to show where the information can be found.

However, to avoid over-citation, bear in mind that some information is considered common knowledge and doesn’t need to be cited. For example, you don’t need a citation to prove that Paris is the capital city of France, and including one would be distracting.

Different types of in-text citation are used in different citation styles . They always direct the reader to a reference list giving more complete information on each source.

Author-date citations (used in APA , Harvard , and Chicago author-date ) include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and a page number when available. Author-page citations (used in MLA ) are the same except that the year is not included.

Both types are divided into parenthetical and narrative citations. In a parenthetical citation , the author’s name appears in parentheses along with the rest of the information. In a narrative citation , the author’s name appears as part of your sentence, not in parentheses.

Note: Footnote citations like those used in Chicago notes and bibliography are sometimes also referred to as in-text citations, but the citation itself appears in a note separate from the text.

An in-text citation is an acknowledgement you include in your text whenever you quote or paraphrase a source. It usually gives the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number of the relevant text. In-text citations allow the reader to look up the full source information in your reference list and see your sources for themselves.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

• APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
• MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
• Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
• Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.

The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, February 28). The Basics of In-Text Citation | APA & MLA Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved June 24, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/in-text-citation-styles/

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