APA 7th EditionBook

How to Cite a Book in APA 7th Edition

Complete guide to citing books in APA format. Learn proper formatting for authors, titles, publishers, and DOIs in APA 7th edition.

Quick Citation

7th Edition

Enter a URL, DOI, or ISBN to generate a citation instantly:

APA Book Format

Template

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Subtitle. Publisher. DOI or URL

Example

Reference List Entry

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

In-Text Citation

(Kahneman, 2011)

Source Details

Author
Kahneman, D.
Title
Thinking, fast and slow
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Year
2011

Formatting Tips

  • Italicize the book title
  • Use sentence case for the title (only first word capitalized)
  • Include DOI if available, even for print books
  • Do not include publisher location (changed in APA 7)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using title case instead of sentence case
  • Including publisher location (not required in APA 7)
  • Forgetting to italicize the title
  • Omitting the DOI when available

Most Common APA Book Citation Errors

Based on analysis of citation formatting patterns

Using title case for book titles
Critical52%
Including publisher location
Common41%
Missing italics on title
Critical28%
Omitting available DOI
Common24%
Wrong author format
Minor15%
Based on PMC research showing 25-54% error ratesRelative frequency shown

APA Book Citation: Before & After

Learn from these common formatting mistakes

1Title case instead of sentence case
Wrong

Kahneman, D. (2011). *Thinking, Fast And Slow*. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Correct

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

APA 7 requires sentence case for titles (only capitalize first word and proper nouns). Title case is a common error from other styles.
2Including publisher location
Wrong

Kahneman, D. (2011). *Thinking, fast and slow*. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Correct

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

APA 7 no longer requires the publisher location. This changed from APA 6, so older guides may show the incorrect format.
3Missing DOI when available
Wrong

Newport, C. (2016). *Deep work*. Grand Central Publishing.

Correct

Newport, C. (2016). *Deep work*. Grand Central Publishing. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

If a DOI is available (even for print books), include it at the end of the reference. Many books now have DOIs.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. 1

    Gather source information

    Collect all required information for your book: author names, title, publication date, URL or DOI, and other relevant details.

  2. 2

    Format author names

    In APA, author names are formatted with last name first, followed by initials or full first name depending on the style requirements.

  3. 3

    Structure the citation

    Arrange the elements in the correct APA order: typically author, date, title, source, and access information.

  4. 4

    Apply formatting rules

    Apply italics, quotation marks, and punctuation according to APA 7th Edition guidelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a book with multiple authors?

List up to 20 authors separated by commas, with an ampersand (&) before the last author. For 21+ authors, list the first 19, then "..." and the final author.

How do I cite an edited book?

For an edited book, put "(Ed.)" or "(Eds.)" after the editor name(s): Smith, J. (Ed.). (2024). Title of book.

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