How to apa cite a book in text

To cite a book chapter with multiple authors in APA style, you need to have basic information including the names of the authors, publication year, chapter title, editors, publisher, and place of publication. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of a book chapter along with examples are given below:

When the source has 3–20 authors

In-text citation template and example:

In the text, use the first author’s surname followed by “et al.”

Narrative

First Author Surname et al. (Publication Year)

Rong et al. (2017)

Parenthetical

(Author Surname et al., Publication Year)

(Rong et al., 2017)

Reference list entry template and example:

List the names of all authors in the reference list. Use “&” before the last author’s name. The book title is set in italics. The word “In” is used before the editor’s name. Note that the style for setting the editors’ names is the initial of the first name (and if applicable, the middle name) followed by the surname. Use “(Eds.)” after the editors’ name. Do not include the publisher’s location in the reference. The example below is for three author names.

Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F.M., &  Author Surname, F.M. (Publication Year). Chapter title: Subtitle. In F. Editor1 & F. Editor2 (Eds.), Book title (pp. #–#). Publisher Name.

Rong, X. L., Hilburn, J., & Sun, W. (2017). Immigration, demographic changes, and schools in North Carolina from 1990 to 2015. In X. Rong & J. Hilburn (Eds.), Immigration and education in North Carolina (pp. 1–24). Sense.

When the source has more than 20 authors

In-text citation template and example:

In the text, use the first author’s surname followed by et al.

Narrative

First Author Surname et al. (Publication Year)

Alvarez et al. (2019)

Parenthetical

(Author Surname, Publication Year)

(Alvarez et al., 2019)

Reference list entry template and example:

List the first 19 author’s names in the reference list followed by an ellipsis. Then add the last author’s name.

Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., Author Surname, F. M., . . . Author Surname, F. M. (Publication Year). Chapter title: Subtitle. In F. Editor1 & F. Editor2 (Eds.), Book title (pp. #–#). Publisher Name.

Alvarez, L. D., Peach, J. L., Rodriguez, J. F., Donald, L., Thomas, M., Aruck, A., Samy, K., Anthony, K., Ajey, M., Rodriguez, K. L., Katherine, K., Vincent, A., Pater, F., Somu, P., Pander, L., Berd, R., Fox, L., Anders, A., Kamala, W., . . . Nicole Jones, K. (2019). Unsung psychology pioneers: A content analysis of who makes history (and who doesn’t). In R. Lerner & W. Overton (Eds.), The handbook of life-span development (pp. 509–553). Wiley.

Last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year Published). Title of work. Publisher.

Example:

Moriarty, L. (2014). Big little lies. G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Structure:

Last name, First initial. Middle initial., Last name, First initial. Middle initial., & Last name, First initial. Middle initial. (Date). Title. Publisher.

Examples:

Goldin, C. D., & Katz, L. F. (2008). The race between education and technology. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.

Matthews, G., Smith, Y., & Knowles, G. (2009). Disaster management in archives, libraries and museums. Ashgate.

Full versions of E-books:

E-books are generally read either on a website, on an e-reader, or on a database.

Structure:

Author Last Name, First initial. Middle initial. (Year Published). Title of work. https://doi.org/xxxx or http://xxxx

Example:

Auster, P. (2007). The Brooklyn follies. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

To cite your ebooks automatically, use the “Book” form at CitationMachine.com, click “Manual entry mode,” and click the “E-book” tab. Everything will be properly formatted following APA bibliography guidelines.

APA Citation Generator  |  Website  | Books | Journal Articles | YouTube | Images | Movies | Interview | PDF

In this guide we’re going to be citing a textbook in APA 7 style. Like a regular book, textbooks are a published medium and a credible source to cite from. The method for citing them is similar, too.

1. How to cite a textbook automatically
2. How to cite a textbook by hand
   1. Locate the textbook details
   2. Citation template

How to cite a textbook automatically

Our free textbook citation generator can automatically create citations for textbooks–just search for the title of the textbook in the search box below.

How to cite a textbook by hand

Here’s what you need to know to cite textbooks correctly yourself every time:

Locate the textbook details

First, locate the details below. These can all be found on the textbook front cover, back cover, or within the first few pages inside.