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

Books are among the most cited sources in academic writing. Whether it's a textbook, a monograph, or a chapter in an edited volume, each style handles book citations differently. Here's how to format them correctly.

Single-Author Book

APA 7th Edition

Smith, J. D. (2024). Academic writing: A complete guide (3rd ed.). Routledge.

• Title in sentence case, italicized
• Edition in parentheses after title
• Publisher name only (no location in APA 7th)

MLA 9th Edition

Smith, John D. Academic Writing: A Complete Guide. 3rd ed., Routledge, 2024.

• Title in title case, italicized
• Edition, publisher, year at the end

Chicago (Notes-Bibliography)

Footnote:

1. John D. Smith, Academic Writing: A Complete Guide, 3rd ed. (London: Routledge, 2024), 42.

Bibliography:

Smith, John D. Academic Writing: A Complete Guide. 3rd ed. London: Routledge, 2024.

• Chicago includes city of publication
• Footnotes include page numbers; bibliography doesn't

For a broader comparison of these styles: APA vs MLA vs Chicago.

Multiple Authors

Two Authors

APA: Smith, J. D., & Johnson, M. K. (2024). Title. Publisher.

MLA: Smith, John D., and Mary K. Johnson. Title. Publisher, 2024.

Chicago: Smith, John D., and Mary K. Johnson. Title. City: Publisher, 2024.

Three or More Authors

APA: Smith, J. D., Johnson, M. K., & Brown, A. (2024). Title. Publisher.

MLA: Smith, John D., et al. Title. Publisher, 2024.

Chicago: Smith, John D., Mary K. Johnson, and Alice Brown. Title. City: Publisher, 2024.

Edited Book

When the book has editors instead of authors:

APA:

Taylor, S., & Lee, P. (Eds.). (2025). Handbook of academic standards. Oxford University Press.

MLA:

Taylor, Sarah, and Peter Lee, editors. Handbook of Academic Standards. Oxford UP, 2025.

Chicago:

Taylor, Sarah, and Peter Lee, eds. Handbook of Academic Standards. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025.

Chapter in an Edited Book

This is one of the most error-prone citation types. You're citing a specific chapter, not the whole book.

APA:

Wilson, R. (2025). Citation practices across disciplines. In S. Taylor & P. Lee (Eds.), Handbook of academic standards (pp. 112--134). Oxford University Press.

MLA:

Wilson, Robert. "Citation Practices across Disciplines." Handbook of Academic Standards, edited by Sarah Taylor and Peter Lee, Oxford UP, 2025, pp. 112--34.

Chicago footnote:

1. Robert Wilson, "Citation Practices across Disciplines," in Handbook of Academic Standards, ed. Sarah Taylor and Peter Lee (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025), 112--34.

Chicago bibliography:

Wilson, Robert. "Citation Practices across Disciplines." In Handbook of Academic Standards, edited by Sarah Taylor and Peter Lee, 112--34. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025.

Key rules:

• The chapter author is cited, not the editors
• The chapter title uses quotes (MLA, Chicago) or no special formatting (APA)
• The book title is italicized
• Page range of the chapter is included

E-Books and Kindle Editions

With DOI

If the e-book has a DOI, use it:

APA:

Smith, J. D. (2024). Academic writing (3rd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1234/example

Without DOI (Kindle, Apple Books, etc.)

APA:

Smith, J. D. (2024). Academic writing (3rd ed.). Routledge. Kindle edition.

MLA:

Smith, John D. Academic Writing. 3rd ed., Kindle ed., Routledge, 2024.

Most styles now treat e-books the same as print books when a DOI is available. Only note the e-book format when there aren't stable page numbers.

Translated Books

APA:

Piaget, J. (1965). The moral judgment of the child (M. Gabain, Trans.). Free Press. (Original work published 1932)

MLA:

Piaget, Jean. The Moral Judgment of the Child. Translated by Marjorie Gabain, Free Press, 1965.

Chicago:

Piaget, Jean. The Moral Judgment of the Child. Translated by Marjorie Gabain. New York: Free Press, 1965. Originally published 1932.

Include both the translator and the original publication date when available.

Common Mistakes

1. Omitting the edition number -- If it's not the first edition, include it
2. Citing the editor as author for edited volumes -- "Ed." or "Eds." goes after the name
3. Missing page numbers for chapter citations -- Always include the chapter's page range
4. Including the city in APA 7th -- APA dropped the publication location requirement
5. Wrong publisher name format -- MLA abbreviates "University Press" to "UP"; APA and Chicago don't

For more formatting pitfalls, see our 10 common citation mistakes. If you're building a reading list, check our guides on annotated bibliographies and organizing references.

Try It with CiteTools

Book citations have many variations -- single author, multiple authors, editors, chapters, e-books, translations. Instead of memorizing each format, paste your book's ISBN into CiteTools.io and get a perfectly formatted citation. We look up all the metadata automatically. You can also generate a citation from an ISBN directly.

If your book contains figures, tables, or images you need to reference, see our guide on how to cite images, figures, and tables.