How to Cite a Book in Turabian (9th edition)
Learn how to cite printed and electronic books in Turabian format (9th edition). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.
Turabian Bibliography Format
Here is the standard Turabian format for citing a book in your bibliography:
Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
Turabian Example for a Book
A complete Turabian reference for a book, formatted by the official Turabian CSL style definition — the same engine that powers the generator on this site:
Okafor, Amara. 2019. The Craft of Research Writing. 2nd ed. Cambridge: University Press.
Matching in-text citation: (Okafor 2019)
Turabian In-Text Citation
Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:
Parenthetical
(Smith 2024, 45)
Narrative
Smith (2024, 45) writes...
Key Turabian Formatting Rules
- Italicize the book title.
- Include place of publication and publisher.
- For footnotes: First Name Last Name format.
- For bibliography: Last Name, First Name format.
- Similar to Chicago style with minor simplifications.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your book.
- Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the Turabian (9th edition) template shown above.
- Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
- Add to your bibliography: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
- Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match Turabian requirements.
Evidence and review notes
Worked examples are generated by citeproc from the published CSL definition, not written by a language model. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.
CSL style record: turabian.csl
Metadata to collect
- author or editor
- book title
- edition
- publisher
- publication year
- ISBN
Common metadata traps
- Match the ISBN and year to the edition you actually used.
- Do not cite the whole book when your source is a chapter by another author.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a book in Turabian?
- To cite a book in Turabian (9th edition), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.
- What is the Turabian format for a book citation?
- The Turabian format for a book is: Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
- What does the in-text citation look like for a book in Turabian?
- In Turabian, the in-text citation for the example above is (Smith 2024, 45)
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