How to Cite a Book: APA, MLA, and Chicago

Book citations follow different formats depending on the citation style required by your course, journal, or institution. This guide covers the three most common styles: APA (7th edition), MLA (9th edition), and Chicago (17th edition).

Each section shows the general format first, then worked examples for the most common book types.

Quick Reference: Citation Format Overview

APA Format (7th Edition)

Whole Book

Format: Author Last, First Initial. (Year). Title of work: Subtitle if any. Publisher.

Examples:

Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. One World.

Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. A. (2012). Why nations fail: The origins of power, prosperity, and poverty. Crown Publishers.

Key rules:

• Only the first letter of the title and subtitle is capitalized (sentence case), plus proper nouns
• Italicize the full title including subtitle
• Publisher city is not required in APA 7
• For two authors, use an ampersand (&) not "and"
• For three or more authors, list all up to 20, separated by commas; use an ampersand before the last

Chapter in an Edited Book

Format: Author Last, First Initial. (Year). Title of chapter. In Editor Initial. Editor Last (Ed.), Title of book (pp. page range). Publisher.

Example:

Brewer, M. B. (2007). The importance of being we: Human nature and intergroup relations. In A. Tesser, J. Wood, & D. A. Stapel (Eds.), On building, defending, and regulating the self: A psychological perspective (pp. 49–67). Psychology Press.

Book with Edition Number

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

E-book

If the book is read online and has a DOI, include it at the end. If there is no DOI, include the URL. If it is an ordinary digital format (Kindle, PDF of a print book), cite it the same as a print book with no URL needed.

Harari, Y. N. (2015). Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. Harper. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

In-Text Citation (APA)

Parenthetical: (Kahneman, 2011) or (Kahneman, 2011, p. 45) for a direct quote

Narrative: Kahneman (2011) argues that...

MLA Format (9th Edition)

Whole Book

Format: Last, First. Title of Work. Publisher, Year.

Examples:

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.

Kendi, Ibram X. How to Be an Antiracist. One World, 2019.

Acemoglu, Daron, and James A. Robinson. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty. Crown Publishers, 2012.

Key rules:

• Capitalize all major words in the title (title case)
• Use "and" between authors, not "&"
• Publisher city is not required in MLA 9
• For three or more authors, list only the first, followed by "et al."

Chapter in an Edited Book

Format: Last, First. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book, edited by First Last, Publisher, Year, pp. page range.

Example:

Anzaldua, Gloria. "How to Tame a Wild Tongue." Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, edited by Carla Trujillo, Aunt Lute Books, 1987, pp. 53–64.

Book with Edition Number

Creswell, John W., and J. David Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 5th ed., SAGE Publications, 2018.

E-book

For e-books with a URL or DOI, add it at the end with the access date if the content may change.

Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harper, 2015. www.harari.com/sapiens. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.

In-Text Citation (MLA)

Parenthetical: (Morrison 45). Note: no comma between author and page number.

Narrative: Morrison describes Sethe's grief as... (45).

Chicago Format (17th Edition): Notes and Bibliography

Chicago Notes-Bibliography uses footnotes or endnotes for in-text citations, with a bibliography at the end. Full citation details go in the first note; subsequent citations use a shortened form.

Whole Book

Bibliography format: Last, First. Title of Work: Subtitle if any. City: Publisher, Year.

First footnote format: First Last, Title of Work: Subtitle if any (City: Publisher, Year), page number.

Subsequent footnote (short form): Last, Short Title, page number.

Examples:

Bibliography: Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987.

First footnote:

1. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011), 35.

Short form footnote: 2. Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, 87.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Bibliography: Author Last, First. "Chapter Title." In Book Title, edited by First Last, page range. City: Publisher, Year.

Example: Brewer, Marilynn B. "The Importance of Being We." In On Building, Defending, and Regulating the Self, edited by Abraham Tesser et al., 49–67. New York: Psychology Press, 2007.

Footnote: 3. Marilynn B. Brewer, "The Importance of Being We," in On Building, Defending, and Regulating the Self, ed. Abraham Tesser et al. (New York: Psychology Press, 2007), 52.

E-book with DOI

Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Common Mistakes

Sentence case vs title case. APA uses sentence case for titles (only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized). MLA and Chicago use title case (most words capitalized). This is the most frequently made citation error.

Missing italics on book titles. Book titles are italicized in all three styles. Article and chapter titles within edited books use quotation marks, not italics.

Edition number. If a book has multiple editions, always cite the specific edition you used. "5th ed." (APA), "5th ed." (MLA), "5th ed." or "fifth edition" (Chicago).

Publisher city in Chicago. Chicago includes the publisher's city; APA and MLA 9 do not.

Two authors vs three or more. APA lists all authors up to 20, then uses ellipsis before the last. MLA uses "et al." for three or more authors. Chicago footnotes can use "et al." for four or more; bibliographies list all.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cite a book in APA format? APA format: Author Last, First Initial. (Year). Title of work. Publisher. Example: Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. For in-text citations, use parenthetical (Author, Year) for a general reference or (Author, Year, p. X) for a direct quotation.

How do you cite a book in MLA format? MLA format: Last, First. Title of Work. Publisher, Year. Example: Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. For in-text citations, use parenthetical (Author page) with no comma: (Morrison 45).

How do you cite a book in Chicago format? Chicago Notes-Bibliography footnote (first use): First Last, Title of Work (City: Publisher, Year), page number. Bibliography: Last, First. Title of Work. City: Publisher, Year. Subsequent footnotes use a shortened form: Last, Short Title, page.

What information do you need to cite a book? For any citation style, you need: author's full name, book title (and subtitle), year of publication, publisher name, and edition number if not the first. Chicago also requires the publisher's city. For chapters in edited books, you additionally need the chapter title, editor's name, and page range.

How do you cite a book with no author? If no author is listed, start the citation with the book title. For APA: Title of work. (Year). Publisher. For MLA: Title of Work. Publisher, Year. In in-text citations, use the title (or a shortened version) in place of the author's name.

For guidance on organizing your source list, see bibliography vs works cited. For the complete annotated bibliography format, see annotated bibliography example.