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How to Cite in APA Style (7th Edition)

Basic Rules

The formats and examples in this section are prepared according to Sections 10.2 and 10.3 unless otherwise specified.

  • Capitalize only the first word of the title and of the subtitle, and any proper nouns.
  • For works that stand alone (e.g. books and webpages), italicize the title, and capitalize it using sentence case (Section 6.17).

Social marketing: From tunes to symphonies.

  • Other additional information, e.g. edition, volume number, enclose them in parentheses after the book title. If both edition and volume information are included, separate these elements with a comma, placing the edition number first.

Nursing: A concept-based approach to learning (2nd ed., Vol. 1).

  • Check out: End-of-paper References > Authors
  • Do not include the publisher location.
  • Retain the words Books and Press.

Chinese University Press.

  • Do not include designations of business structure, such as Co., Inc., Ltd., which are not required to identify the publisher.

Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, cite as Edward Elgar Publishing.

  • Finish the publisher source with a period, followed by a DOI or URL (if available).
  • Include a DOI for all works that have a DOI, regardless of whether you used the online version or the print version (Section 9.34).
  • If two or more publishers are listed on the copyright page, include all of them in the order shown on the work, separated by semicolons.

Kogan Page; Ideapress Publishing.

  • Do not include database information for works obtained from most academic databases, e.g. EBSCOhost, ProQuest. (Section 9.30)
  • More details: Database Information in References

Authored Books & Chapters

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Book title: The subtitle (# edition). Publisher. DOI / URL (if available)

Examples:

  • DOI is available:

Hamblen, J. L., & Mueser, K. T. (2021). Treatment for postdisaster distress: A transdiagnostic approach. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000237-000

  • DOI is not available, but URL is available:

Rand, A. (1998). Anthem. Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1250

  • No DOI or URL is available (e.g. print version):

Nettle, D. (2005). Happiness: The science behind your smile. Oxford University Press.

  • Book with editions:

Machi, L. A., & McEvoy, B. T. (2022). The literature review: Six steps to success (4th ed.). Corwin Press.

Remarks:

  • For books with no author or editor, alphabetize the first significant word in the title (Section 9.49, para. 2). For the in-text citation, use a few words of the title, or the whole title if it is short, in place of an author name (Section 8.14).
  • For ebooks, do not include the format, platform (e.g. database), or device (e.g., Kindle) in the reference (Section 10.2, para. 1 & Example 22).
  • More examples: Chapter 10 - Examples 20-23
  • Create a reference entry for the whole book
  • For direct quotation,  also include page number (or chapter number) with the in-text citation (Section 8.13).

Edited Books & Chapters

Format:

Editor, A. A. (Ed.) (Year). Book title: The subtitle (# edition). Publisher. DOI / URL (if available)

Examples:

  • DOI is available:

Schmid, H.-J. (Ed.) (2017). Entrenchment and the psychology of language learning: How we reorganize and adapt linguistic knowledge. De Gruyter Mouton; American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/15969-000

  • DOI is not available, but URL is available:

Coffman, S. (1884). In and about Petchaburee. In M. Backus (Ed.), Siam and Laos: As seen by our American missionaries (pp. 112-119). Cornell University Library. https://seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sea:087/

  • No DOI or URL is available (e.g. print book):

Hemlin, S., Allwood, C. M.,  Martin, B. R., & Mumford, M. D. (Eds.). (2013). Creativity and leadership in science, technology, and innovation. Routledge.

  • More examples: Chapter 10 - Examples 24-26

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In A. Editor, B. Editor, & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages). Publisher. DOI / URL (if available)

Examples:

  • DOI is available:

Beers, M. (2021). A framework for setting educational priorities. In S. A. Nolan, C. M. Hakala, & R. E. Landrum (Eds.), Assessing undergraduate learning in psychology: Strategies for measuring and improving student performance (pp. 25-40). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000183-003

  • DOI is not available, but URL is available:

Coffman, S. (1884). In and about Petchaburee. In M. Backus (Ed.), Siam and Laos: As seen by our American missionaries (pp. 112-119). Cornell University Library. https://seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu/catalog/sea:087/

Non-English Books, Translated Books

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of reference book in original language [English translation] (# edition). Publisher.

Example:

Li, J. H., & Li, J. (1990). Han Ying cheng yu xi yu dui ying ci dian [A corresponding Chinese-English idioms and phrases dictionary]. China International Radio Press.

  • More details about referencing non-English books, see Section 9.38 and Chapter 10 - Example 27.

To cite books in Chinese, check out the Citing Chinese guide.

Dictionaries

Print dictionary:

  • Format:

Author, A. A. / Name of Group (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work (# edition, pages). Publisher.

  • Example:

Thorne, T. (2009). Awright! In Dictionary of contemporary slang (3rd ed., p. 15). Bloomsbury Publishing.

Online dictionary:

  • Format:

Author, A. A. / Name of Group (Year). Title of entry. In Title of reference work. Publisher. Retrieved Date, from URL

  • Example:

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Blockchain. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blockchain

Remarks:

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