How to Cite a Book in APA, MLA and Chicago

5 November 2026 · 5 min read

To cite a book, you need the author's name, the year of publication, the title, the edition if it isn't the first, and the publisher. In APA 7th edition the basic format is Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (ed.). Publisher. In MLA 9th edition it is Last, First. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. In Chicago (17th edition, notes and bibliography) the bibliography entry is Last, First. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year. Below are the full formats, variations for multiple authors, editors, chapters and ebooks, and the matching in-text citations.

The example books below are invented for illustration so the patterns are easy to see.

Where to find the details

Look at the title page (not just the cover) and the copyright page, usually on the back of the title page. You'll find:

• Author or editor names, exactly as printed
• Full title and subtitle
• Edition (e.g. "Third Edition")
• Publisher
• Year of publication (use the edition you're reading, not the first printing of the original)
• Place of publication (needed for Chicago, not for APA 7 or MLA 9)

APA 7th edition

Basic format

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publisher.

Example:

Harlow, J. M. (2019). Tidewater towns: Life on the changing coast. Meridian Press.

Notes:

• Use initials for first and middle names.
• Use sentence case for the title: capitalise only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns.
• Italicise the title.
• Don't include the publisher location.
• Add a DOI or URL at the end if the book has one.

Two authors and more

Harlow, J. M., & Okeke, T. (2019). Tidewater towns. Meridian Press.

For up to 20 authors, list them all, with "&" before the last. For 21 or more, list the first 19, an ellipsis, then the final author.

Edition

Harlow, J. M. (2021). Tidewater towns (3rd ed.). Meridian Press.

Edited book

Banerjee, S. (Ed.). (2020). Voices from the river delta. Northgate Publishing.

Use "(Eds.)" for multiple editors.

Chapter in an edited book

Okeke, T. (2020). Fishing rights and village councils. In S. Banerjee (Ed.), Voices from the river delta (pp. 45–67). Northgate Publishing.

Note that the chapter title is not italicised, the editor's initials come before the surname, and the page range is included.

Ebook

Format ebooks like print books. Don't name the format or device. Add a DOI or URL if available.

Harlow, J. M. (2019). Tidewater towns: Life on the changing coast. Meridian Press. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Translated book

Duval, M. (2018). The quiet harbour (L. Grant, Trans.). Seacliff Books. (Original work published 1962)

APA in-text citations

• Parenthetical: (Harlow, 2019)
• With a quote: (Harlow, 2019, p. 88)
• Narrative: Harlow (2019) argues...
• Two authors: (Harlow & Okeke, 2019)
• Three or more: (Harlow et al., 2019)
• Translated, with original date: (Duval, 1962/2018)

MLA 9th edition

Basic format

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

Example:

Harlow, Jean M. Tidewater Towns: Life on the Changing Coast. Meridian Press, 2019.

Notes:

• Use the author's full name as printed.
• Use title case and italics.
• No publisher location.

Two authors

Harlow, Jean M., and Tunde Okeke. Tidewater Towns. Meridian Press, 2019.

Only the first author's name is reversed.

Three or more authors

Harlow, Jean M., et al. Tidewater Towns. Meridian Press, 2019.

Edition

Harlow, Jean M. Tidewater Towns. 3rd ed., Meridian Press, 2021.

Edited book

Banerjee, Sunita, editor. Voices from the River Delta. Northgate Publishing, 2020.

Chapter in an edited book

Okeke, Tunde. "Fishing Rights and Village Councils." Voices from the River Delta, edited by Sunita Banerjee, Northgate Publishing, 2020, pp. 45–67.

Ebook

MLA lets you add the version if it's relevant, for example "e-book ed.," and a URL or database name if you accessed it online.

MLA in-text citations

• (Harlow 88)
• Narrative: Harlow argues that... (88)
• Two authors: (Harlow and Okeke 88)
• Three or more: (Harlow et al. 88)

Chicago 17th edition

Chicago offers two systems. Notes and bibliography is common in history and the humanities; author-date is used in many sciences and social sciences. A newer 18th edition was published in 2024. Its book patterns are very similar, though it no longer requires the place of publication, so check which edition your instructor wants.

Notes and bibliography: footnote

First note:

1. Jean M. Harlow, Tidewater Towns: Life on the Changing Coast (Boston: Meridian Press, 2019), 88.

Later notes (short form):

2. Harlow, Tidewater Towns, 92.

Notes and bibliography: bibliography entry

Harlow, Jean M. Tidewater Towns: Life on the Changing Coast. Boston: Meridian Press, 2019.

Two authors in the bibliography:

Harlow, Jean M., and Tunde Okeke. Tidewater Towns. Boston: Meridian Press, 2019.

Chapter in an edited book:

Okeke, Tunde. "Fishing Rights and Village Councils." In Voices from the River Delta, edited by Sunita Banerjee, 45–67. Chicago: Northgate Publishing, 2020.

Author-date

Reference list:

Harlow, Jean M. 2019. Tidewater Towns: Life on the Changing Coast. Boston: Meridian Press.

In-text:

(Harlow 2019, 88)

Quick comparison

Common mistakes

• Using the cover instead of the title page (subtitles and author spellings sometimes differ).
• Citing the date of a reprint as the original date, or ignoring an edition number.
• Capitalising every word of an APA title.
• Adding "Kindle edition" or similar in APA 7.
• Forgetting page numbers for quotations.

Inkwell's APA citation generator, MLA citation generator and Chicago citation generator can format entries from the details you enter. Check the result against the title page, especially capitalisation and author names.

FAQ

Do I need the city of publication?

Not in APA 7 or MLA 9. Chicago 17 includes it in bibliography entries and full notes, while the 18th edition makes it optional. Follow your instructor's preference.

How do I cite a book with no author?

Start with the title. In APA: Title of book. (Year). Publisher. In MLA: Title of Book. Publisher, Year. Use a shortened title in the in-text citation.

How do I cite a book I read online?

Cite it like a print book and add the DOI or URL where available (APA), or the database or website and URL (MLA).

Should I cite the chapter or the whole book?

If the book is an edited collection with different authors for each chapter, cite the specific chapter. If one author wrote the whole book, cite the book and give page numbers in the in-text citation.