Skip to Main Content

APA Citation 7th Edition

Books and eBook References

When it comes to formatting physical and digital copies of books for reference list entries, the process is generally the same, with the exception for eBooks being they include the DOI or URL information. 

The general format for books and eBooks should be as follows:

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Publisher Name.

Things to note:

  • If the book contains a DOI or URL place it after the publisher's name; if there is no DOI or URL, the reference ends after the publisher's name.
  • For any works featuring editors, use the abbreviation "(Ed.)" if there is only one editor. Any works that contain more than one editor need to use the abbreviation "(Eds.)".

For additional examples of formatting books/eBooks, please consult 10.2 of the Publication Manual or the APA Style website.

Additionally, if citing a chapter in an authored book, please create a reference for the whole book and provide the chapter number as part of the in-text citation only; for more examples of this, please review section 8.13 of the Publication Manual. 

Book without DOI, from an academic database or print copy

In-text: (Festić, 2012)

Reference List: Festić, F. (2012). Gender and trauma: Interdisciplinary dialogues. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Refer to section 9.30 of the Publication Manual on the inclusion of database information in your references. 

Diagnostic manual

In-text: (American Psychiatric Association, 2022)

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

For additional examples on how to appropriately cite other editions and entries in the DSM, please take a look at the APA Style website.

Chapter in an edited book without a DOI, from an academic research database or print copy

In-text: (Zaoui, 2018)

Reference list: Zaoui, S. (2018). Humanizing sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation through a trauma-informed, person-in-environment lens. In L. Finley (Ed.), Gender, sexuality, and peace education: Issues and perspectives in higher education (pp. 58-62). Information Age Publishing.