How to Cite a Book in APA Format

How to Cite a Book in APA Format

This guide explains how to cite a book in APA format (7th edition) and shows related citation rules for other common source types. APA is widely used in the social sciences, education, nursing, and other fields that rely on author–date citation. Whether you're writing a research paper, thesis, or article, this guide gives step-by-step examples you can apply immediately.

Introduction — What APA Is and Who Uses It

APA (American Psychological Association) style uses an author–date citation system and a specific reference list format. It emphasizes clarity, precision, and consistency in scholarly writing.

Researchers, students, and professionals in psychology, education, social sciences, and allied health commonly use APA. If your instructor or publisher requests APA, follow the rules below for in-text citations and full references.

General Rules — Key Formatting Rules

• Author–date format: In-text citations include the author's last name and year (e.g., (Smith, 2020)).
• Reference list: Start on a new page titled "References". Entries are alphabetical by author's last name and use a 0.5" hanging indent.
• Title capitalization: In reference list titles, use sentence case: only the first word, proper nouns, and words after a colon are capitalized.
• Italics: Book and journal titles are italicized; article and chapter titles are not.
• DOIs and URLs: Include DOIs for digital sources when available. Format as a URL (https://doi.org/xxxx).

Use consistent punctuation and spacing. If you want a fast, accurate citation, try Rephrasely's free citation generator at https://rephrasely.com/citation.

How to Cite by Source Type

Below are step-by-step formats and examples for books, journal articles, websites, and a few other common source types. Citation examples use APA 7th edition rules.

1. Books (single author)

Format:

AuthorLast, A. A. (Year). Title of the book: Subtitle if any (Edition if not first). Publisher.

Example:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding research methods (3rd ed.). Academic Press.

Actionable tip: Include the edition only if it is not the first. Use sentence case for the book title.

2. Books with Two to Twenty Authors

Format for two authors:

AuthorLast, A. A., & AuthorLast, B. B. (Year). Title. Publisher.

Example:

Garcia, M. L., & Thompson, R. P. (2019). Practical statistics for social research. University Press.

For three or more authors, list all authors up to 20. For 21+ authors, list the first 19, an ellipsis, then the final author.

3. Chapter in an Edited Book

Format:

ChapterAuthorLast, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. EditorLast (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

Example:

Lee, S. K. (2018). Cognitive development in early childhood. In R. Patel (Ed.), Advances in developmental psychology (pp. 45–67). Academic Books.

4. Edited Book (whole volume)

Format:

EditorLast, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of book. Publisher.

Example:

Brown, T. L. (Ed.). (2021). New directions in educational research. Scholarly Publishing.

5. E-books and Books with DOIs or URLs

Format (with DOI):

AuthorLast, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx

Format (with URL if no DOI):

AuthorLast, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. https://www.publisherwebsite.com/book

Example:

Nguyen, P. H. (2017). Global health policy: Challenges and perspectives. Health Press. https://doi.org/10.1234/ghp.2017

6. Journal Articles

Format:

AuthorLast, A. A., & AuthorLast, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, 12(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/xxxx

Example:

Kumar, S., & Lopez, M. (2022). Social networks and student engagement. Journal of Educational Research, 49(2), 112–130. https://doi.org/10.5678/jer.2022.49.2.112

7. Websites

Format:

Author or Organization. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site name. https://www.example.com

Example:

World Health Organization. (2021, July 15). Mental health and COVID-19. WHO. https://www.who.int/mental-health-covid-19

Actionable tip: If there's no date, use (n.d.). If no author, start with the title.

In-Text Citations — Rules and Examples

APA uses short parenthetical or narrative citations in the text, paired with full references in the References list.

• Parenthetical: Include author and year: (Smith, 2020).
• Narrative: Use the author in the sentence: Smith (2020) found that....
• Direct quotes: Add page or paragraph number: (Smith, 2020, p. 15) or (Jones, 2019, para. 4).
• Two authors: Always use an ampersand in parentheses: (Smith & Jones, 2020), but use "and" in narrative: Smith and Jones (2020).
• Three or more authors: Use et al. from the first citation: (Garcia et al., 2018).
• No author: Use a shortened title and year: ("Climate Report," 2020) for articles or Climate Change Policy (2020) for books/reports.

Example sentences:

Recent studies show higher engagement in project-based learning (Garcia et al., 2019).  
Garcia et al. (2019) reported higher engagement in project-based learning.  
"Students showed marked improvement" (Nguyen, 2017, p. 78).

Reference List — Formatting Rules and Example

The reference list should begin on a new page titled "References." Use double spacing and a hanging indent of 0.5 inches for each entry.

Ordering: alphabetize entries by the last name of the first author. If a work has no author, alphabetize by title (ignore initial articles like "The").

Sample Reference List:

References

Garcia, M. L., & Thompson, R. P. (2019). Practical statistics for social research. University Press.

Kumar, S., & Lopez, M. (2022). Social networks and student engagement. Journal of Educational Research, 49(2), 112–130. https://doi.org/10.5678/jer.2022.49.2.112

Nguyen, P. H. (2017). Global health policy: Challenges and perspectives. Health Press. https://doi.org/10.1234/ghp.2017

Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding research methods (3rd ed.). Academic Press.

Actionable formatting checklist: double-space the list, use hanging indents, italicize book and journal titles, and include DOIs as URLs.

Common Mistakes — Errors to Avoid

• Incorrect title capitalization: Use sentence case in reference entries, not title case. For example, write Understanding research methods, not Understanding Research Methods.
• Missing DOI or URL: If a DOI exists, include it formatted as a URL (https://doi.org/...). If no DOI, include a stable URL if available.
• Wrong author listing: For multiple authors, follow APA's rules for how many authors to list. Never change the author order—use exactly as published.
• Improper in-text format: Don't omit page numbers for direct quotes. Mix-ups between parenthetical and narrative forms are common—use the correct connector (& vs. and).

Practical tip: Before submitting, run your paper through Rephrasely's plagiarism checker at /plagiarism-checker and use the AI writer for drafting or the AI detector to verify machine-generated text.

Actionable Steps to Cite a Book APA Quickly

1. Identify the author(s), year of publication, book title, edition (if any), and publisher.
2. Format the reference: AuthorLast, A. A. (Year). Title (Edition). Publisher.
3. Add DOI or URL if available: https://doi.org/xxxx.
4. Create an in-text citation: (AuthorLast, Year) or narrative AuthorLast (Year). Add a page number for quotes.
5. Use Rephrasely's citation generator to auto-build correctly formatted entries: https://rephrasely.com/citation.

Following these steps will minimize errors and keep your references consistent with APA 7th edition.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite an edited book in APA?

Cite the editor(s) in the author position and label them with (Ed.) or (Eds.). Example: Brown, T. L. (Ed.). (2021). New directions in educational research. Scholarly Publishing.

Do I include page numbers for paraphrased material?

Page numbers are not required for paraphrases, but they are encouraged when it helps the reader locate the relevant passage. Always include page numbers for direct quotes: (Smith, 2020, p. 15).

What if there is no author for a book or webpage?

Start the reference with the title. In-text, use a shortened title and year. For example, reference: Climate change policy. (2020). Policy Press. In-text: (Climate Change Policy, 2020).