Citing books: APA (7th ed.) citation guide

 

This guide is based on the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. It provides selected citation examples for common types of sources. For more detailed information consult directly a print copy of the style manual.

Check out APA's Guide to what's new for APA 7.

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Whole books

See APA's Book references for examples on: volumes of a multivolume work, republished books, or consult the guide directly for a template of examples (Section 10.2, pp. 321-328).

Use same formats for both print books and ebooks.

One author or editor

Reference list example

Battiste, M. (2013). Decolonizing education: Nourishing the learning spirit. UBC Press.

Collins, P. H. (2019). Intersectionality as critical social theory. Duke University Press. https://doi.org/10.1215/9781478007098

Heath, D. J. (2018). Why Indigenous literature matters. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Younging, G. (2018). Elements of Indigenous style: A guide for writing by and about Indigenous Peoples. Brush Publishing.

Reference in text example

(Battiste, 2013)

(Collins, 2019)

(Heath, 2018)

(Younging, 2018)
(Younging, 2018, p. 8) [when quoting]

Comments

  • Citing a chapter from an authored book? Write a reference for the whole book as above (see APA's blog post on Authored book chapters.)
  • For citing a whole book with an editor, place (Ed.). after the name.
  • Citing a chapter from an edited book? See Edited book chapters.
  • The DOI or URL is the final component of a reference list entry, see APA's DOIs and URLs for more details. There is no period at the end of a DOI or URL.
  • No author or editor:  See Missing information in the general notes section of this guide.

Multiple authors or editors

Reference list example

Bucher, K., & Manning, M. L. (2006). Young adult literature: Exploration, evaluation, and appreciation. Pearson Education.

Llewellyn, C. D., Ayers, S., McManus, C., Newman, S., Petrie, K. J., Revenson, T. A., & Weinman, J. (Eds.). (2019). Cambridge handbook of psychology, health and medicine (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316783269

Sharp, J. A., Peters, J., & Howard, K. (2002). The management of a student research project. Gower.

Reference in text example

(Bucher & Manning, 2006)
(Bucher & Manning, 2006, p. 138) [when quoting]

(Llewellyn et al., 2019) [first & subsequent use]

(Sharp et al., 2002) [first & subsequent use]
(Sharp et al., 2002, p. 76) [when quoting]

Comments

  • For citing a whole book with multiple editors, place (Eds.). after the last name.
  • Citing a chapter from an edited book? See Edited book chapters.
  • No author or editor: See Missing information in the general notes section of this guide.
  • APA's post on how many names to include in a reference clarifies the change in APA 7 with regards to works with up to 20 authors and those with over 21. Or refer to the author element for in-text or reference list citations in the General notes section of this guide.

Organizations or groups as authors

Reference list example

National Council of Welfare. (2009). Poverty profile 2007: Methodology, definitions and information sources. http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2010/cnb-ncw/HS51-2-2007-10-eng.pdf

International Association of Fire Chiefs & National Fire Protection Association. (2009). Fundamentals of fire fighter skills (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett.

Reference in text example

(National Council of Welfare [NCW], 2001) [first use]
(National Council of Welfare [NCW], 2001, p. 7) [first use - when quoting]
(NCW, 2001) [subsequent use]
(NCW, 2001, p. 1) [subsequent use - when quoting]

(International Association of Fire Chiefs [IAFC] & National Fire Protection Association [NFPA], 2009) [first use]
(IAFC & NFPA, 2009) [subsequent use]
(IAFC & NFPA, 2009, p. 19) [subsequent use - when quoting]

Comments:

  • An "Organization or Group as Author" may be a corporation, an association, a government agency, etc.
  • If author and publisher are identical, omit the publisher from the reference citation. [Section 9.29, p. 296]
  • For in-text citations, provide the full name in the first citation followed by the abbreviation in square brackets. In subsequent citations, use the abbreviation. [Section 8.21, p. 268]
  • If three or more group authors, use et al. after the first group author name. [Section 8.17, p. 266]
  • Always use the full name in the reference list.

Children's book or other illustrated book

See APA's advice on Children's book or other illustrated book references or consult the guide directly [Section 10.2, p. )

Illustrator different from author

Reference list example

Campbell, N. I. (2004). Shi-shi-etko (K. LaFave, Illus.). Groundwood Books.

Reference in text example

(Campbell, 2004)

Illustrator same as author

Reference list example

Beaton, K. (2015). The princess and the pony (K. Beaton, Illus.). Arthur A. Levine Books.

Reference in text example

(Beaton, 2015)

Edited book chapters

See APA's advice and examples on citing a Chapter in an edited book or their blog on Book chapters: What to cite or consult the guide directly [Section 10.3, pp.326–329].

Different chapter authors in an edited book

Reference list example

Sharp, S. F., & Eriksen, M. E. (2003). Imprisoned mothers and their children. In B. H. Zaitzow & J. Thomas (Eds.), Women in prison: Gender and social control (pp.119-136). Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Yekani, E. H., Michaelis, B., & Dietze, G. (2010). 'Try again. Fail again. Fail better.' Queer interdependencies as corrective methodologies. In Y. Taylor, S. Hines, & M. E. Casey (Eds.), Theorizing intersectionality and sexuality (pp. 78–95). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230304093_5

Reference in text example

(Sharp & Eriksen, 2003)
(Sharp & Eriksen, 2003, p. 126) [when quoting]

(Yekani et al., 2010) [first & subsequent use]

Comments

  • In the first example above, "Sharp & Eriksen" are the authors of the chapter "Imprisoned mothers and their children," published in the book "Women in prison: Gender and social control."
  • One editor -- use the abbreviation (Ed.). More than one editor -- use the abbreviation (Eds.).
  • For a book with no editor, include the word 'In' before the book title.
  • See Missing information in the General notes section of this guide.