How to Cite a Book in APA 7

Reference, print or database book with no DOI:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

Reference, book with a DOI:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book (2nd ed.). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Reference, ebook with a resolving URL and no DOI:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the book (3rd digital ed.). Publisher. https://xxxxx

Reference, edited book:

Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

Reference, chapter in an edited book:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of the book (pp. 15–32). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Parenthetical citation:

(Author, Year)

Narrative citation:

Author (Year)

Direct quotation:

(Author, Year, p. 42)

Provide the author, year of publication, title, and publisher of the book. Use the same format for both print books and ebooks.

Use the same formats for both print books and ebooks. For ebooks, the format, platform, or device (e.g., Kindle) is not included in the reference.

Use the copyright date shown on the book’s copyright page as the year of publication in the reference, even if the copyright date is different than the release date.

Include any edition information in parentheses after the title, without italics.

If the book includes a DOI, include the DOI in the reference after the publisher name.

Do not include the publisher location.

If the ebook without a DOI has a stable URL that will resolve for readers, include the URL of the book in the reference (as in the Svendsen and Løber example, which is from the iBog database, where ebooks are referred to as “internetbooks”). Do not include the name of the database in the reference.

If the ebook is from an academic research database and has no DOI or stable URL, end the book reference after the publisher name. Do not include the name of the database in the reference. The reference in this case is the same as for a print book.

Does the book have a DOI? Include a DOI if available. Do not include a URL or database information for works from academic research databases. Include a URL for ebooks from other websites. Do not put a period after the DOI or URL.

Does the book have an edition or volume number? If so, include the number in parentheses after the title but before the period. If both, show edition first and volume second, separated by a comma. Do not put a period between the title and the parenthetical information.

Include the name of the publisher, followed by a period. Do not include the publisher location. Are there multiple publishers? If so, separate them with a semicolon.

leftover-Alamo-omits-Svendsen (Alamo authored-book list is only Jackson and Sapolsky):

Svendsen, S., & Løber, L. (2020). The big picture/Academic writing: The one-hour guide (3rd digital ed.). Hans Reitzel Forlag. https://thebigpicture-academicwriting.digi.hansreitzel.dk/

leftover-Alamo-omits-Hygum (Alamo edited-book list is only Kesharwani and Torino):

Hygum, E., & Pedersen, P. M. (Eds.). (2010). Early childhood education: Values and practices in Denmark. Hans Reitzels Forlag. https://earlychildhoodeducation.digi.hansreitzel.dk

leftover-Alamo-omits-Thestrup (Alamo chapter list is only Aron and Dillard):

Thestrup, K. (2010). To transform, to communicate, to play—The experimenting community in action. In E. Hygum & P. M. Pedersen (Eds.), Early childhood education: Values and practices in Denmark. Hans Reitzels Forlag. https://earlychildhoodeducation.digi.hansreitzel.dk/?id=192

leftover-Alamo-shortened-database, as Alamo’s authored-book notes print it:

If the book does not have a DOI and is an ebook from an academic research database, end the book reference after the publisher name. Do not include database information in the reference. The reference in this case is the same as for a print book.

leftover-Alamo-omits-copyright-year: Alamo drops this Style Center sentence:

Use the copyright date shown on the book’s copyright page as the year of publication in the reference, even if the copyright date is different than the release date.

leftover-Urdan-missing-comma, as Alamo and the Style Center print Harris:

Harris, K. R., Graham, S., & Urdan T. (Eds.). (2012). APA educational psychology handbook (Vols. 1–3). American Psychological Association.

leftover-Alamo-Watson-http-space, as Alamo wraps the URL onto the next line:

Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (2013). Conditioned emotional reactions: The case of Little Albert (D. Webb, Ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. http://a.co/06Se6Na (Original work published 1920)

leftover-Watson-a.co-amazon (http://a.co/06Se6Na 301s to https, then to Amazon ASIN 1481950460 on 18 October 2026):

Keep the official http://a.co/06Se6Na string. Do not “fix” it to https. On 18 October 2026 the locator opened the Amazon product page for Conditioned Emotional Reactions: The Case of Little Albert (ISBN 9781481950466). Amazon is not the APA publisher element; do not paste that short link as the recovery path in your paper.

leftover-Cain-bitly-404 (Publication Manual example 22; http://bit.ly/2G0Bpbl 404s on 18 October 2026):

Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking (K. Mazur, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Random House Audio. http://bit.ly/2G0Bpbl

leftover-Hans-Reitzel-vs-Reitzels (copy each publisher as printed):

Svendsen uses Hans Reitzel Forlag (no s). Hygum and Thestrup use Hans Reitzels Forlag (with s).

leftover-OWL-eBook-edition, as Purdue OWL’s Electronic Sources page still offers it — do not copy:

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book [eBook edition]. Publisher. URL

leftover-OWL-Stoneman, as the live OWL books page still prints a house example instead of Jackson:

Stoneman, R. (2008). Alexander the Great: A life in legend. Yale University Press.

Reference (Jackson, 2019):

Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000

Parenthetical citation:

(Jackson, 2019)

Narrative citation:

Jackson (2019)

Reference (Sapolsky, 2017):

Sapolsky, R. M. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin Books.

Parenthetical citation:

(Sapolsky, 2017)

Narrative citation:

Sapolsky (2017)

Reference (Svendsen & Løber, 2020); leftover-Alamo-omits-Svendsen:

Svendsen, S., & Løber, L. (2020). The big picture/Academic writing: The one-hour guide (3rd digital ed.). Hans Reitzel Forlag. https://thebigpicture-academicwriting.digi.hansreitzel.dk/

Parenthetical citation:

(Svendsen & Løber, 2020)

Narrative citation:

Svendsen and Løber (2020)

Reference (Levenson et al., 2025), Common Reference Examples:

Levenson, H., Jinich, S., Vaz, A., & Rousmaniere, T. (2025). Deliberate practice in emotionally focused couple therapy. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000436-000

Parenthetical citation:

(Levenson et al., 2025)

Narrative citation:

Levenson et al. (2025)

Use the abbreviation “(Ed.)” for one editor and the abbreviation “(Eds.)” for multiple editors after the editor names, followed by a period. In the case of multiple editors, include the role once, after all the names.

Reference (Kesharwani, 2020):

Kesharwani, P. (Ed.). (2020). Nanotechnology based approaches for tuberculosis treatment. Academic Press.

Parenthetical citation:

(Kesharwani, 2020)

Narrative citation:

Kesharwani (2020)

Reference (Hygum & Pedersen, 2010); leftover-Alamo-omits-Hygum:

Hygum, E., & Pedersen, P. M. (Eds.). (2010). Early childhood education: Values and practices in Denmark. Hans Reitzels Forlag. https://earlychildhoodeducation.digi.hansreitzel.dk

Parenthetical citation:

(Hygum & Pedersen, 2010)

Narrative citation:

Hygum and Pedersen (2010)

Reference (Torino et al., 2019):

Torino, G. C., Rivera, D. P., Capodilupo, C. M., Nadal, K. L., & Sue, D. W. (Eds.). (2019). Microaggression theory: Influence and implications. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119466642

Parenthetical citation:

(Torino et al., 2019)

Narrative citation:

Torino et al. (2019)

Do not create references for chapters of authored books. Instead, write a reference for the whole authored book and cite the chapter in the text if desired.

Write the word “In” and the initials and last name (not inverted) of each editor. Use “(Ed.)” for one editor or “(Eds.)” for multiple editors. End with a comma.

If a chapter without a DOI has a stable URL that will resolve for readers, include the URL of the chapter in the reference (as in the Thestrup example, which is from the iBog database). Do not include the name of the database in the reference.

Authored-book chapter, parenthetical:

(McEwen & Wills, 2014, Chapter 16, p. 363)

Authored-book chapter, narrative:

McEwen and Wills (2014, Chapter 16, p. 363)

Reference (Aron et al., 2019):

Aron, L., Botella, M., & Lubart, T. (2019). Culinary arts: Talent and their development. In R. F. Subotnik, P. Olszewski-Kubilius, & F. C. Worrell (Eds.), The psychology of high performance: Developing human potential into domain-specific talent (pp. 345–359). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000120-016

Parenthetical citation:

(Aron et al., 2019)

Narrative citation:

Aron et al. (2019)

Reference (Dillard, 2020):

Dillard, J. P. (2020). Currents in the study of persuasion. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (4th ed., pp. 115–129). Routledge.

Parenthetical citation:

(Dillard, 2020)

Narrative citation:

Dillard (2020)

Reference (Thestrup, 2010); leftover-Alamo-omits-Thestrup:

Thestrup, K. (2010). To transform, to communicate, to play—The experimenting community in action. In E. Hygum & P. M. Pedersen (Eds.), Early childhood education: Values and practices in Denmark. Hans Reitzels Forlag. https://earlychildhoodeducation.digi.hansreitzel.dk/?id=192

Parenthetical citation:

(Thestrup, 2010)

Narrative citation:

Thestrup (2010)

Reference (Zeleke et al., 2020), Common Reference Examples:

Zeleke, W. A., Hughes, T. L., & Drozda, N. (2020). Home–school collaboration to promote mind–body health. In C. Maykel & M. A. Bray (Eds.), Promoting mind–body health in schools: Interventions for mental health professionals (pp. 11–26). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000157-002

Parenthetical citation:

(Zeleke et al., 2020)

Narrative citation:

Zeleke et al. (2020)

Use this format when a person other than the original author has added a new part to the work, such as a foreword or introduction.

Provide the author of the whole book in the main author element of the reference. Then provide the name of the person who wrote the foreword, introduction, or other new part, in parentheses, after the word “with.”

Reference (Kübler-Ross, 1969/2014):

Kübler-Ross, E. (with Byock, I.). (2014). On death & dying: What the dying have to teach doctors, nurses, clergy & their own families (50th anniversary ed.). Scribner. (Original work published 1969)

Parenthetical citation of the book:

(Kübler-Ross, 1969/2014)

Narrative citation of the book:

Kübler-Ross (1969/2014)

Parenthetical citation of the foreword:

(Kübler-Ross, 1969/2014, foreword by Byock, p. xv)

Provide the year of the republication in the main date element of the reference. Provide the year of original publication at the end of the reference in parentheses after the words “Original work published.”

Both publication years appear in the in-text citation, separated with a slash, with the earlier year first.

Reference (Watson & Rayner, 1920/2013); leftover-Watson-a.co-amazon:

Watson, J. B., & Rayner, R. (2013). Conditioned emotional reactions: The case of Little Albert (D. Webb, Ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. http://a.co/06Se6Na (Original work published 1920)

Parenthetical citation:

(Watson & Rayner, 1920/2013)

Narrative citation:

Watson and Rayner (1920/2013)

For a reprinted work (a work that has been published in two places at once), provide both years in the in-text citation, separated with a slash, with the earlier year first.

Provide the title, page range, editor, year of publication, and publisher of the original work in parentheses after the information about the work that you used.

Reference (Bronfenbrenner, 1973/2005):

Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). The social ecology of human development: A retrospective conclusion. In U. Bronfenbrenner (Ed.), Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development (pp. 27–40). SAGE Publications. (Reprinted from Brain and intelligence: The ecology of child development, pp. 113–123, by F. Richardson, Ed., 1973, National Educational Press)

Parenthetical citation:

(Bronfenbrenner, 1973/2005)

Narrative citation:

Bronfenbrenner (1973/2005)

Provide the name(s) of the editor(s)-in-chief as the editors of the work, even if the volume editors are different.

Reference (Harris et al., 2012); leftover-Urdan-missing-comma:

Harris, K. R., Graham, S., & Urdan T. (Eds.). (2012). APA educational psychology handbook (Vols. 1–3). American Psychological Association.

Parenthetical citation:

(Harris et al., 2012)

Narrative citation:

Harris et al. (2012)

One untitled volume, edition then volume:

Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of the handbook (2nd ed., Vol. 1). Publisher.

When the author and the publisher of a work are the same (as in many reports, books, and websites published by group authors), include the group name in the author element and omit it from the source element.

Because the author and the publisher are the same, “American Psychiatric Association” is written only in the author element.

Reference, DSM-5-TR with a DOI:

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787

Reference, print DSM-5-TR with no DOI to add:

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.).

leftover-DSM-copyright-Arlington, as the DSM-5-TR copyright page still prints it — do not copy the city:

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2022.

Parenthetical citation:

(American Psychiatric Association, 2022)

Narrative citation:

American Psychiatric Association (2022)

Reference, Publication Manual with a DOI:

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Parenthetical citation:

(American Psychological Association, 2020)

It is not necessary to note when you used an audiobook versus a book or an ebook when the content is the same, even if the format is different.

Reference (Cain, 2012), Publication Manual example 22; leftover-Cain-bitly-404:

Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking (K. Mazur, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Random House Audio. http://bit.ly/2G0Bpbl

Parenthetical quotation with a timestamp:

(Cain, 2012, 1:20:39)

Narrative citation:

Cain (2012)

leftover-OWL-eBook-edition, live OWL Electronic Sources template:

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book [eBook edition]. Publisher. URL

What APA Style actually wants for an ordinary ebook of the same edition:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book. Publisher.

leftover-OWL-Stoneman, live OWL books page:

Stoneman, R. (2008). Alexander the Great: A life in legend. Yale University Press.

Style Center authored-book model to copy instead:

Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000