APA Book Citation

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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)

Structure:

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

Example:

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.

Structure:

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

Example:

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

Notes:

• 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

Structure:

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

Example:

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

Structure:

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

Example:

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

Structure:

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

Example:

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

Structure:

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

Example:

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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“The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.”
— Gustave Flaubert

When should I include the volume number of a book in an APA formatted citation?

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.

Format

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

Example

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

 

When should I italicize or underline the title of a book, journal article, or other source in APA format?

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.