Referencing books in APA
This page outlines the correct format for books and book chapters in an APA reference list:
- Book
- Book (later edition)
- Chapter in an edited book
- Edited book
- Online books and books with DOIs
- E-book reader book
- Other sources
New to referencing? See the introduction to referencing.
Create customised interactive examples of APA references and in-text citations with this online tool.
Book
Order: Author(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Book title (in italics): Subtitle (optional). Publisher name.
Durie, M. (2003). Ngā kāhui pou: Launching Māori futures. Huia Publishers.
Rountree, K., & Laing, T. (1996). Writing by degrees: A practical guide to writing theses and research papers. Addison Wesley Longman.
- APA uses serial commas. This means with a list of three or more items, commas are used between each item, not just the first two items. This applies to the reference list, all in-text citations, and text. E.g.: one, two, and three.
- If each chapter of the book is written by a different author, see chapter in an edited book below.
- When the author and the publisher are the same, omit the publisher detail to avoid repetition.
- For basic formatting rules (punctuation, when to use upper-case letters), see reference lists.
- Something missing? More than one author? See referencing elements for answers to common issues.
- Include DOIs for all books where a DOI is available even if you didn’t access the source online.
The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.
Book (later edition)
Order: Author(s). Year of publication. Book title (in italics): Subtitle (optional), edition (in brackets). Publisher name.
McShane, S., & Travaglione, T. (2007). Organisational behaviour on the Pacific Rim (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.
Chapter in an edited book
Order: Author(s) Year of publication (in brackets). Chapter title (not in italics). Book editor(s). Book title (in italics), page number range of the chapter (in brackets). Publisher name.
Markusen, A. R. (1996). The economics of postwar regional disparity. In S. S. Fainstein & S. Campbell (Eds.), Readings in urban theory (pp. 102–131). Blackwell.
Heath, I. (2008). Domestic violence: A family health perspective. In J. Keeling & T. Mason (Eds.), Domestic violence: A multi-professional approach for healthcare practitioners (pp. 167–175). Open University Press.
- You should only list the chapter of a book separately if the individual chapters are written by different authors. If all chapters are written by the same person, list the entire book rather than each individual chapter.
- The title of the book goes in italics, but the title of the chapter does not.
- The editor is listed with surname after initials.
- The page number range includes the first and last page of the full chapter, not just the pages you used.
The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.
Edited book
Order: Editor(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Book title (in italics). Publisher name.
Fainstein, S. S., & Campbell, S. (Eds.). (1996). Readings in urban theory. Blackwell.
- If you have referred to a specific chapter in the edited book, reference the chapter rather than the whole work (see above).
The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.
Online books and books with DOIs
Order: Author(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Book title (in italics): Subtitle (optional), DOI or URL if no DOI is available.
Brown, J. D. (2009). Research ethics in New Zealand: A student guide. https://doi.org/10.1000/182
Maclean, H. (1932). Nursing in New Zealand: History and reminiscences. http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-MacNurs.html
- Do not place a full stop at the end of the URL or DOI as this may affect the functionality of the link.
- If the book has a DOI, use it instead of the URL address. See DOI for details.
- Give the full URL address as it appears in your browser's address bar.
The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.
E-book reader book
Order: Author(s). Year of publication (in brackets). Book title (in italics): Subtitle (optional). Download source or DOI.
Roach, M. (2010). Packing for Mars: The curious science of life in the void. http://www.amazon.com
- If you need to cite a page number from an e-book, do not use the reader's location number. If the reader provides a page number, use it; otherwise, follow the rules for unpaginated sources.
- Do not place a full stop at the end of the URL or DOI as this may affect the functionality of the link.
The earlier (6th) edition of APA formats this differently. See 6th vs. 7th for details.
Other sources
Encyclopædia entries, study guides, and other book-like sources are covered in the section on referencing other material.
References and further reading
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). [Massey Library link]
Disclaimer
These pages are provided as a guide to proper referencing. Your course, department, school, or institute may prescribe specific conventions, and their recommendations supersede these instructions. If you have questions not covered here, check in the style guide listed above, ask your course coordinator, or ask at Academic Q+A.