book reference in research paper

Purdue Online Writing Lab College of Liberal Arts

In-Text Citations: The Basics

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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 .

Reference citations in text are covered on pages 261-268 of the Publication Manual. What follows are some general guidelines for referring to the works of others in your essay.

Note:  On pages 117-118, the Publication Manual suggests that authors of research papers should use the past tense or present perfect tense for signal phrases that occur in the literature review and procedure descriptions (for example, Jones (1998)  found  or Jones (1998)  has found ...). Contexts other than traditionally-structured research writing may permit the simple present tense (for example, Jones (1998)  finds ).

APA Citation Basics

When using APA format, follow the author-date method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the year of publication for the source should appear in the text, like, for example, (Jones, 1998). One complete reference for each source should appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

If you are referring to an idea from another work but  NOT  directly quoting the material, or making reference to an entire book, article or other work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication and not the page number in your in-text reference.

On the other hand, if you are directly quoting or borrowing from another work, you should include the page number at the end of the parenthetical citation. Use the abbreviation “p.” (for one page) or “pp.” (for multiple pages) before listing the page number(s). Use an en dash for page ranges. For example, you might write (Jones, 1998, p. 199) or (Jones, 1998, pp. 199–201). This information is reiterated below.

Regardless of how they are referenced, all sources that are cited in the text must appear in the reference list at the end of the paper.

In-text citation capitalization, quotes, and italics/underlining

• Always capitalize proper nouns, including author names and initials: D. Jones.
• If you refer to the title of a source within your paper, capitalize all words that are four letters long or greater within the title of a source:  Permanence and Change . Exceptions apply to short words that are verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs:  Writing New Media ,  There Is Nothing Left to Lose .

( Note:  in your References list, only the first word of a title will be capitalized:  Writing new media .)

• When capitalizing titles, capitalize both words in a hyphenated compound word:  Natural-Born Cyborgs .
• Capitalize the first word after a dash or colon: "Defining Film Rhetoric: The Case of Hitchcock's  Vertigo ."
• If the title of the work is italicized in your reference list, italicize it and use title case capitalization in the text:  The Closing of the American Mind ;  The Wizard of Oz ;  Friends .
• If the title of the work is not italicized in your reference list, use double quotation marks and title case capitalization (even though the reference list uses sentence case): "Multimedia Narration: Constructing Possible Worlds;" "The One Where Chandler Can't Cry."

Short quotations

If you are directly quoting from a work, you will need to include the author, year of publication, and page number for the reference (preceded by "p." for a single page and “pp.” for a span of multiple pages, with the page numbers separated by an en dash).

You can introduce the quotation with a signal phrase that includes the author's last name followed by the date of publication in parentheses.

If you do not include the author’s name in the text of the sentence, place the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number in parentheses after the quotation.

Long quotations

Place direct quotations that are 40 words or longer in a free-standing block of typewritten lines and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, indented 1/2 inch from the left margin, i.e., in the same place you would begin a new paragraph. Type the entire quotation on the new margin, and indent the first line of any subsequent paragraph within the quotation 1/2 inch from the new margin. Maintain double-spacing throughout, but do not add an extra blank line before or after it. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.

Because block quotation formatting is difficult for us to replicate in the OWL's content management system, we have simply provided a screenshot of a generic example below.

Formatting example for block quotations in APA 7 style.

Quotations from sources without pages

Direct quotations from sources that do not contain pages should not reference a page number. Instead, you may reference another logical identifying element: a paragraph, a chapter number, a section number, a table number, or something else. Older works (like religious texts) can also incorporate special location identifiers like verse numbers. In short: pick a substitute for page numbers that makes sense for your source.

Summary or paraphrase

If you are paraphrasing an idea from another work, you only have to make reference to the author and year of publication in your in-text reference and may omit the page numbers. APA guidelines, however, do encourage including a page range for a summary or paraphrase when it will help the reader find the information in a longer work. 

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples 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 Swaim is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, and Vox.

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."