Skip to Main Content

Citation Help for APA, 7th Edition: Books & Ebooks

Help with common issues and questions with APA 7th edition

General Example & Explanation

General example of a book reference with each part of the reference, including author, copyright date, title, publisher, DOI, color coded with matching corresponding explanation in text boxes.

Image Credit: American Psychological Association. (2019). APA Style 7th ed. Quick Reference Guide. Copyright American Psychological Association 2019. Image used with permission. 

Variation - Multiple Authors?

Multiple Authors - 20 Authors or Less?

 

List all authors up to and including 20 authors. 

Example

Clarke, N., D'Amato, A., Higgs, M., & Ramesh, V. (2018). Responsible leadership in projects: Insights into ethical decision making. Project Management Institute.

Explanation

List each author's last name first followed by a comma. Then, add the initials for the first and middle names (if there is one). Add a period after each initial. Separate each author with a comma. Insert an ampersand (&) before the last author.

Parenthetical & Narrative Citations

For one or two authors, list all authors in the reference. For three or more authors, list the first author followed by et al. This includes the first time the source is used in the paper. 

Parenthetical Citation Example

(Clarke et al., 2018)

Narrative Citation Example

Clarke et al. (2018) found ......


Multiple Authors - 21 or More Authors?

 

List the first 19 authors' names, then insert an ellipse, and then add the last author's name.

Example

Gilbert, J. R., Smith, J. D., Johnson, R. S., Anderson, A., Plath, S., Martin, G., Sorenson, K., Jones, R., Adams, T., Rothbaum, Z., Esty, K., Gibbs, M., Taultson, B., Christner, G, Paulson, L., Tolo, K., Jacobson, W. L., Robinson, R. A., Maurer, O., . . . White, N. (2014). Choosing a title (2nd ed.). Unnamed  Publishing.

Parenthetical Citation Example

(Gilbert et al., 2014)

Narrative Citation Example

Gilbert et al. (2014) ...

More Information

For more information about author format, see Section 9.8 on page 286 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Variation - Edition?

Example

Smith, S. F., Duell, D. J., Martin, B. C. Aebersold, M. L., & Gonzalez, L. (2016). Clinical nursing skills: Basic to advanced skills (9th ed.). Pearson.

Explanation

Place the edition number in parentheses after the book title. Follow by "ed." and a period outside the parentheses. There is no period after the book title.

More Information

For more information about editions or volumes, see Section. 9.28 on page 295 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Variation - Group Author?

Example

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Explanation

Group authors include the name of a study group, government agency, association, corporation, task force, hospital, organization, etc. Put the name of the group author in the author position followed by a period. Do not include an abbreviation for the group author within the reference. Abbreviations should only be introduced and used within the body of the paper.

Parenthetical Citation

(American Psychological Association, 2019)

Narrative Citation

American Psychological Association (2019) ....

More information

For more information about group authors, see Section 9.11 on pages 288-289 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Variation - No Author?

Article Example

How to launch your career in project management: Project management can be a rewarding and challenging career, but where do you start? (2018, February 27). Management Today https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/launch-career-project-management/your-career/article/1458219

Explanation

When there is no author move the article title to the author spot. Do not italicize title and end with a period. Follow the title with the publication date in parentheses. Then, complete the rest of the reference as directed by source type.

Parenthetical Citation

("How to Launch," 2018)

Parenthetical Explanation

When there is no author, look at the reference, first. Then, use the title (or whatever is in the author spot) in the citation within the body of the paper. If the title is italicized (as with a book or video) keep the italics in the citation. If the title is not italicized (as with a book chapter or article) put quotation marks around the title. Additionally, be sure to capitalize all major words in the title within the citation. Finally, if the title is overly long, shorten the title. NOTE: Notice in the parenthetical citation example that the comma is inside the quotation marks followed by the date. 

More Information

For more information about creating references for sources without authors, see Section 9.12 on page 289 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. For more information about creating parenthetical and narrative citations for sources with no authors, see Section 8.14 on pages 264-265 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.

Authored Print Book or Ebook From CSS Library Ebook Collections Without DOI

Introduction

 

Identifying the format, platform, or device (e.g., ebook, Kindle book, etc.) of an authored ebook is no longer needed. An authored ebook from an academic collection should be treated as an authored print book with the reference ending with the publisher. For an authored print book or ebook with a DOI, see Authored Print Book with a DOI

 

More Information:

For more information about citing books, see Section 10.2 on page 321-325 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Example

 

Talty, S. (2009). The illustrious dead: The terrifying story of how typhus killed Napoleon's greatest army. Crown Publishers.

 

Explanation

 

Author: Talty, S.

Begin the reference with the author's last name first. Then, use the initials of the author's first and middle names (if provided). Add a period after each initial. If a middle initial is provided, add a space between the author's initials. 


Year of Publication: (2009).

Next, add the date the book was published. In parentheses, list the year of publication, which appears on the title page or the title verso page (back side of the title page). Add a period after the parentheses. 
 

Title & Subtitle of the Book: The illustrious dead: The terrifying story of how typhus killed Napoleon's greatest army.

Next, add the title and subtitle of the book. The title and subtitle are separated by a colon. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as all proper nouns.  Italicize the title and subtitle, and add a period after the full title.
 

Source Information: Crown Publishers.

Complete the reference with the name of the publisher. Put the publisher's name exactly as shown on the title page. Be sure to retain the spelling and capitalization as it appears on the title page. End the citation with a period.  NOTE: Do not include designations of business structure (e.g., Inc., Ltd., LLC, etc.). 
 

More Information: 

For more information about book references, see page 321 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. For author format, title format, or source (publication) information, see pages 285-289, pages 291-293, and pages 293-301 respectively in the APA Manual, 7th edition.

 

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

 

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Tally, 2009)

Narrative Citation Example:

Tally (2009) found .......

 

More Information: 

For more information about author format within parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Edited Book or Edited Ebook From CSS Library Ebook Collections Without A DOI

Introduction

 

Identifying the format, platform, or device (e.g., ebook, Kindle book, etc.) of an edited ebook is no longer needed. An edited ebook from an academic collection should be treated as an edited print book with the reference ending with the publisher. For an edited print book or edited ebook with a DOI, see Edited Book with a DOI.

 

More Information:

For more information about citing books, see Section 10.2 on page 321-325 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Example

 

Golisz, K., Radomski, M. V., & Giles, G. M. (Eds.). (2015). Traumatic brain injury (TBI): Interventions to support occupational performance.

AOTA Press.

 

Explanation

 


Author: Golisz, K., Radomski, M. V., & Giles, G. M. (Eds.).

Begin the reference with the name of the editors. Do not change the order of the editors. Begin with the last names of the editors followed by the first initial. After the first initial, add a period followed by a space. Then, add the middle initial (if there is one listed) followed by a period. Add a comma after the period following the middle initial of each editor (up to but not including the last editor). Then, add an ampersand (&) before the last editor. Add the abbreviation for editors in parentheses (Eds.). Be sure to add a period inside the parentheses and after the parentheses. 


Year of Publication: (2015).

Next, add the date the book was published. In parentheses, list the year of publication, which appears on the title page or the title page verso (backside of the title page). Follow the parentheses with a period. 
 

Title & Subtitle of the Book: Traumatic brain injury (TBI): Interventions to support occupational performance.

Next, add the title and subtitle of the book. The title and subtitle are separated by a colon. Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle as well as all proper nouns.  Italicize the title and subtitle, and add a period after the full title.
 

Source Information: AOTA Press.

Complete the reference with the name of the publisher. Put the publisher's name exactly as shown on the title page. Be sure to retain the spelling and capitalization.  End the reference with a period.  NOTE: Do not include designations of business structure (e.g., Inc., Ltd., LLC, etc.). 
 

More Information: 

For more information about edited book references, see page 322 of the APA Manual, 7th ed. For author format, title format, or source (publication) information, see pages 285-289, pages 291-293, and pages 293-301 respectively in the APA Manual, 7th ed.

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

 

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Golisz et al., 2015)


Narrative Citation Example:

Golisz et al. (2015) overlooked .....

 

More Information:

If a source has 3 or more authors (or editors), list the first author (or editor) followed be et al. Follow this format even when using the source the first time in the document. For more information about author format within parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Authored Print Book or Ebook From CSS Library Ebook Collections with DOI

Introduction

 

Identifying the format, platform, or device (e.g., ebook, Kindle book, etc.) of an authored ebook is no longer needed. An authored ebook from an academic collection should be treated as an authored print book. For a print authored book or ebook without a DOI, see Authored Book without a DOI.

 

More Information:

For more information about citing books, see Section 10.2 on page 321-325 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Example 

 

Green, C. (2019). Incivility among nursing professionals in clinical and academic environments: Emerging research and opportunities.

IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7341-8

Explanation

 

To create a reference for an authored book with a DOI, follow the example of an authored book without a DOI. At the end of the reference, after the publisher, add the DOI using the current DOI URL format. The current standard for the DOI begins with "https://doi.org/". Do not add a period after the DOI. 

 

More Information: 

For more information about book references with a DOI, see page 321 and page 322 of the APA Manual, 7th ed. For additional source (publication) information, see pages 293-301 in the APA Manual, 7th edition.

 

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

 

Parenthetical Citation Example: 

(Green, 2019)

Narrative Citation Example: 

Green (2019) shared .....

 

More Information: 

For more information about author format within parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Edited Book or Edited Ebook From CSS Library Ebook Collections with DOI

Introduction

 

Identifying the format, platform, or device (e.g., ebook, Kindle book, etc.) of an edited ebook is no longer needed. An edited ebook from an academic collection should be treated as an edited print book. For an edited print book or edited ebook without a DOI, see Edited Book without a DOI.

 

More Information:

For more information about citing books, see Section 10.2 on page 321-325 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Example for Edited Book with DOI

 

Gibb, R., & Kolb, B. (Eds.). (2018). The neurology of brain and behavioral development. Academic Press.

https://doi.org/10.1016/c2015-0-00695-5

Explanation

 

To create a reference for an edited book with a DOI, follow the example for an edited book without a DOI. At the end of the reference, after the publisher, add the DOI using the current DOI URL format. The current standard for the DOI begins with "https://doi.org/". Do not add a period after the DOI. 

 

More Information: 

For more information about book references with a DOI, see page 321 and page 322 of the APA Manual, 7th ed. For additional source (publication) information, see pages 293-301 in the APA Manual, 7th edition.

 

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

 

Parenthetical Citation Example: 

(Gibb & Kolb, 2018)

Narrative Citation Example: 

Gibb and Kolb (2018) argued .....

 

More Information: 

For more information about author format within parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 and Table 8.1 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.