Audiobook Citation Generator
Cite an audiobook from Audible, Libby or a CD in APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18. Enter the author, title, narrator and audio publisher — plus the first print year and a time stamp if you quote — and get the reference, in-text citations, notes and bibliography entry. Free, no sign-up.
Audiobook details
One author per line, as First Last or Last, First.
One per line. Chicago calls the narrator the reader (read by).
Type it in sentence case, as APA wants: capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns. MLA and Chicago get title case automatically.
The audio publisher named on the recording, such as Random House Audio or Audible Studios, not the store you bought it from.
For an older book, APA gives both years in the text: (Lee, 1960/2014).
Hours and minutes, such as 12:17 or 12 hr 17 min.
Where the quoted words start. It goes in the in-text citation and the notes in place of a page number.
Audible, Libby, Spotify. MLA names it only if you give a web address; Chicago adds it to the format.
Your citations
Enter the book's title to see your citations.
How to Use the Audiobook Citation Generator
- 1. Find the audio edition's details. The credits or the store page give the author, the narrator, the audio publisher (Caedmon, Random House Audio, Audible Studios) and the year this recording came out.
- 2. Type the title in sentence case. Capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns, as APA wants. The generator converts the title to title case for MLA and Chicago.
- 3. Add the first print year for an older book. APA treats the audiobook as a republished work and gives both years in the text: (Lee, 1960/2014).
- 4. Add a time stamp when you quote. An audiobook has no page numbers, so all three styles locate a quotation by the point in the recording where it starts.
What Goes in an Audiobook Citation
An audiobook is cited as a book with a few extra credits: who reads it, who published the recording and, for Chicago, how long it runs. The three styles agree on the core and differ on almost every extra.
| Part | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrator | (S. Spacek, Narr.) after the title | Narrated by Sissy Spacek | read by Sissy Spacek |
| Format | [Audiobook] after the narrator | audiobook ed. in the Version element | audiobook, then the running time |
| Publisher | The audio publisher | The audio publisher | The audio publisher, in parentheses in a note |
| An older book | (Original work published 1960) and both years in the text | Optional; the Handbook (§5.108) allows it after the title | Not needed |
| A quotation | (Lee, 1960/2014, 1:25:40) | (Lee 01:25:40) | at 1:25:40 in the note |
APA 7 adds the narrator and the [Audiobook] label only when the recording matters — an abridged text, a point about the narration or a quotation located by time (Publication Manual, pp. 321–322). If you only paraphrase an unabridged recording, citing the print edition is just as correct. MLA 9 always describes the version you used, so the entry says “audiobook ed.” and names the narrator as a contributor. Chicago 18 (§14.58) cites the audiobook like a book and adds the reader, the format and the running time; a note can point to a passage by its time.
Audiobook Citation Examples
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, first published in 1960, in the unabridged recording read by Sissy Spacek for Caedmon in 2014, which runs 12 hours 17 minutes:
APA 7th edition
Reference list:
Lee, H. (2014). To kill a mockingbird (S. Spacek, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Caedmon. (Original work published 1960)
In-text (parenthetical):
(Lee, 1960/2014)
In-text (narrative):
Lee (1960/2014)
MLA 9th edition
Works Cited:
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Narrated by Sissy Spacek, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., Caedmon, 2014.
In-text citation:
(Lee)
Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)
Footnote:
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, read by Sissy Spacek (Caedmon, 2014), audiobook, 12 hr., 17 min.
Shortened note:
Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Bibliography:
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Read by Sissy Spacek. Caedmon, 2014. Audiobook, 12 hr., 17 min.
Quoting a line that starts 1 hour, 25 minutes and 40 seconds in? Add the time stamp, and the citations point to it:
With a time stamp
APA in-text:
(Lee, 1960/2014, 1:25:40)
MLA in-text:
(Lee 01:25:40)
Chicago footnote:
Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, read by Sissy Spacek (Caedmon, 2014), audiobook, at 1:25:40.
Common Mistakes
- Giving the store as the publisher. Audible, Apple Books and Libby usually sell or lend the recording. Name the audio publisher in the credits, unless the recording really is an Audible Studios production.
- Dropping the original year in APA. An audiobook of an older book ends with (Original work published 1960), and the in-text citation carries both years.
- Inventing a page number. Quote by time stamp, as the player shows it.
- Treating an abridged recording as the book. It is a different text: say so with Abridged ed. in APA and abridged ed. in MLA.
- Adding the app to an MLA entry. Leave out the app or store you downloaded from. Name a website only when you listened on the web, with its URL.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do you cite an audiobook in APA 7?
- Give the author, the year of the recording, the title in italics, the narrator with Narr., the label [Audiobook] and the audio publisher: Lee, H. (2014). To kill a mockingbird (S. Spacek, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Caedmon. For an older book, add (Original work published 1960) and cite both years in the text: (Lee, 1960/2014).
- Do I have to say I listened to the audiobook?
- In APA, only when it matters: if the audiobook is unabridged and you paraphrase, citing the print book is fine. Once you quote by time stamp, comment on the narration or use an abridged version, cite the audiobook. MLA and Chicago describe the version you used, so their entries always say audiobook.
- How do you cite an audiobook in MLA format?
- Start with the author and the title, then name the narrator and the version: Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Narrated by Sissy Spacek, audiobook ed., unabridged ed., Caedmon, 2014. If you listened on a website, add it after the date as a second container with its URL.
- How do you quote an audiobook without page numbers?
- Use the time stamp where the quoted words begin. APA puts it after the year — (Lee, 1960/2014, 1:25:40) — and MLA after the author with no comma, written as the player shows it: (Lee 01:25:40). In a Chicago note, end with at 1:25:40.
- Is Audible the publisher of my audiobook?
- Usually not. Audible sells recordings made by publishers such as Caedmon, Penguin Random House Audio or Macmillan Audio, and the credits name them. Audible Studios is the publisher only of the recordings it produced itself.
- How do you cite an audiobook in Chicago style?
- Cite it like a book and add the reader, the format and the running time. The note reads Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, read by Sissy Spacek (Caedmon, 2014), audiobook, 12 hr., 17 min.; the bibliography entry gives the same facts in sentences, starting with Lee, Harper.