To cite a book, record the author, year, title, edition and publisher, then arrange them in the order your citation style requires. Each style also has its own in-text format.
This page shows one illustrative book cited in six styles, then edited books, chapters, translations and ebooks. Always check your program's preferred version of a style, especially for Harvard, which varies between institutions.
The Details You Need from Any Book
- Author or editor names.
- Year of publication of the edition you used.
- Full title and subtitle.
- Edition, if not the first.
- Publisher, and place of publication for styles that require it.
- DOI, if the book has one.
- For chapters: chapter author, chapter title, editors and page range.
Take details from the title page and its reverse, not the cover.
A Whole Book in Six Styles
The example book is illustrative: Amara Osei, Leading Change in Clinical Practice, 2nd edition, Northfield Academic Press, London, 2021.
APA 7th. Osei, A. (2021). Leading change in clinical practice (2nd ed.). Northfield Academic Press.
In text: (Osei, 2021) or (Osei, 2021, p. 47) for a quotation.
MLA 9th. Osei, Amara. Leading Change in Clinical Practice. 2nd ed., Northfield Academic Press, 2021.
In text: (Osei 47)
Harvard (Cite Them Right style). Osei, A. (2021) Leading change in clinical practice. 2nd edn. London: Northfield Academic Press.
In text: (Osei, 2021, p. 47)
Chicago 17th, notes and bibliography.
Note: 1. Amara Osei, Leading Change in Clinical Practice, 2nd ed. (London: Northfield Academic Press, 2021), 47.
Short note: 2. Osei, Leading Change, 52.
Bibliography: Osei, Amara. Leading Change in Clinical Practice. 2nd ed. London: Northfield Academic Press, 2021.
Chicago 17th, author-date. Osei, Amara. 2021. Leading Change in Clinical Practice. 2nd ed. London: Northfield Academic Press.
In text: (Osei 2021, 47)
Vancouver. 1. Osei A. Leading change in clinical practice. 2nd ed. London: Northfield Academic Press; 2021.
In text: a number in brackets or superscript, assigned in order of first citation.
IEEE. [1] A. Osei, Leading Change in Clinical Practice, 2nd ed. London, U.K.: Northfield Academic Press, 2021.
In text: [1]
The 18th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, published in 2024, makes the place of publication optional, so check which edition your program follows.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Style | Title case | Place of publication | In-text |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Sentence case, italic | Omitted | Author, year |
| MLA 9th | Title case, italic | Omitted | Author, page |
| Harvard | Sentence case, italic (usually) | Usually included | Author, year |
| Chicago 17th | Title case, italic | Included | Footnote or author-date |
| Vancouver | Sentence case, not italic | Included | Number |
| IEEE | Title case, italic | Included, with country | Number in square brackets |
Edited Books
APA 7th. Brennan, L., & Kaur, S. (Eds.). (2020). Evidence-based nursing leadership. Harbor Academic.
MLA 9th. Brennan, Laura, and Simran Kaur, editors. Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership. Harbor Academic, 2020.
Harvard. Brennan, L. and Kaur, S. (eds) (2020) Evidence-based nursing leadership. Leeds: Harbor Academic.
Chicago bibliography. Brennan, Laura, and Simran Kaur, eds. Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership. Leeds: Harbor Academic, 2020.
A Chapter in an Edited Book
Cite the chapter you used, not the whole book, when chapters have different authors.
APA 7th. Mensah, K. (2020). Leading through uncertainty. In L. Brennan & S. Kaur (Eds.), Evidence-based nursing leadership (pp. 45–67). Harbor Academic.
MLA 9th. Mensah, Kofi. "Leading through Uncertainty." Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership, edited by Laura Brennan and Simran Kaur, Harbor Academic, 2020, pp. 45–67.
Harvard. Mensah, K. (2020) 'Leading through uncertainty', in Brennan, L. and Kaur, S. (eds) Evidence-based nursing leadership. Leeds: Harbor Academic, pp. 45–67.
Chicago bibliography. Mensah, Kofi. "Leading through Uncertainty." In Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership, edited by Laura Brennan and Simran Kaur, 45–67. Leeds: Harbor Academic, 2020.
Vancouver. Mensah K. Leading through uncertainty. In: Brennan L, Kaur S, editors. Evidence-based nursing leadership. Leeds: Harbor Academic; 2020. p. 45-67.
IEEE. K. Mensah, "Leading through uncertainty," in Evidence-Based Nursing Leadership, L. Brennan and S. Kaur, Eds. Leeds, U.K.: Harbor Academic, 2020, pp. 45–67.
Translated and Republished Books
APA 7th. Laurent, M. (2019). The ethics of care (P. Hughes, Trans.). Riverbank Press. (Original work published 1975)
In text: (Laurent, 1975/2019)
MLA 9th. Laurent, Marie. The Ethics of Care. Translated by Peter Hughes, Riverbank Press, 2019.
Ebooks and Online Books
- APA 7th: cite an ebook like a print book; add a DOI if there is one. Do not name the format or device, such as Kindle.
- MLA 9th: you may add "e-book ed." as a version element if the ebook differs; use chapter or section numbers when page numbers are unstable.
- Harvard: many versions add "Available at" with the URL or database and an access date for online-only books; follow your institution's guide.
- Chicago: add the DOI, URL or the name of the database or ebook format at the end.
Common Book Citation Mistakes
- Citing the whole edited book when you used one chapter.
- Omitting the edition number.
- Using title case in APA, or sentence case in MLA and Chicago.
- Copying publisher place and year from the cover rather than the title page.
- Mixing two styles in one reference list.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Not in APA 7th or MLA 9th. Most Harvard versions, Vancouver and IEEE include it. Chicago 17th includes it; the 18th edition makes it optional.
Cite the chapter author and title, then the editors, book title, page range and publisher, in the order your style requires.
Yes, for any edition other than the first.
As you would a print book, adding a DOI if available. Do not mention Kindle or other formats.
The one your institution publishes. Cite Them Right is common in the UK, but punctuation and details vary.
In most styles, start with the title. In APA, the title moves to the author position and is used in the in-text citation.