How to Cite a Book in APA, MLA, and Chicago Format

Books are the most common academic citation type. Here’s how to format them correctly in APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago style (Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date).

Information you need

Before formatting, collect:

• Author(s) — first name, last name, and any editors or translators
• Year of publication — from the copyright page
• Title — full title and subtitle
• Edition — if not the first
• Publisher — the publishing company (drop location in APA 7)
• DOI or URL — if you accessed it digitally

APA 7th edition

Single author

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher.

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

Two authors

Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (1999). The elements of style (4th ed.). Longman.

Three to twenty authors — list all:

Smith, J. A., Jones, B. C., Williams, D. E., Brown, F. G., & Davis, H. I. (2023). Research methods in psychology. Academic Press.

More than 20 authors — first 19, then ellipsis, then last:

Smith, J., Jones, B., Williams, D., Brown, F., Davis, H., Miller, I., Wilson, J., Moore, K., Taylor, L., Anderson, M., Thomas, N., Jackson, O., White, P., Harris, Q., Martin, R., Thompson, S., Garcia, T., Martinez, U., ... Robinson, Z. (2023). Large collaboration study. Publisher.

Edited book

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (Eds.). (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford University Press.

Chapter in edited book

Bjork, R. A. (1989). Retrieval inhibition as an adaptive mechanism in human memory. In H. L. Roediger & F. I. M. Craik (Eds.), Varieties of memory and consciousness (pp. 309–330). Erlbaum.

Second or later edition

Meyers, L. S., Gamst, G., & Guarino, A. J. (2006). Applied multivariate research: Design and interpretation (2nd ed.). SAGE.

Ebook

Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. Crown Publishers. https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Introverts-World-Cant-Talking-ebook/dp/B004J4WNL2

Translated book

Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1969). The psychology of the child (H. Weaver, Trans.). Basic Books. (Original work published 1966)

MLA 9th edition

Single author

Last, First. Title of Book: Subtitle. Publisher, Year.

Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

Two authors

Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th ed., Longman, 1999.

Three or more authors — first author then et al.:

Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al. Writing New Media: Theory and Applications for Expanding the Teaching of Composition. Utah State UP, 2004.

Edited book

Purdy, John L., editor. The American Indian Short Story: An Introduction. Pearson, 2001.

Chapter in edited book

Burke, Kenneth. "The Rhetoric of Hitler's 'Battle.'" The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present, edited by Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg, Bedford, 1990, pp. 959–70.

Later edition

Meyers, Lawrence S., et al. Applied Multivariate Research: Design and Interpretation. 2nd ed., SAGE, 2006.

Ebook (digital format)

Cain, Susan. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. Crown Publishers, 2012. Kindle.

Chicago style (Notes-Bibliography)

Chicago Notes-Bibliography is used in history, arts, and humanities. Citations appear in footnotes or endnotes, plus a bibliography.

Footnote format

Single author:

1. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011), 47.

Multiple authors:

2. William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th ed. (New York: Longman, 1999), 12.

Subsequent footnote for same work (shortened):

3. Kahneman, Thinking, 52.

Bibliography format

Single author:

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

Edited book:

Peterson, Christopher, and Martin E. P. Seligman, eds. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Chapter in edited book:

Bjork, Robert A. "Retrieval Inhibition as an Adaptive Mechanism in Human Memory." In Varieties of Memory and Consciousness, edited by Henry L. Roediger and Fergus I. M. Craik, 309–330. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum, 1989.

Chicago style (Author-Date)

Used in physical and social sciences.

In-text: (Kahneman 2011, 47)

Reference list:

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

Quick format comparison

Element	APA	MLA	Chicago N-B	Chicago A-D
Author format	Last, F.	Last, First	First Last	Last, First
Year position	After author	End	End of footnote	After author
Title casing	Sentence case	Title case	Title case	Title case
Publisher location	Omitted	Omitted	Required	Required
Book title	Italics	Italics	Italics	Italics

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