How to Cite a Book in APA and MLA
Books are the easiest source to cite once you know the pattern. Here are APA 7 and MLA 9 side by side — whole books, chapters, editions, and multiple authors — with examples you can copy.
Whole book
APA 7
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book (Edition). Publisher.
Example: Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
MLA 9
Author. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.
Example: Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
APA uses the initials of the first name and sentence case for the title; MLA spells out the first name and uses title case. APA 7 dropped the city of publication — MLA never used it.
Chapter in an edited book
APA 7
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. 00-00). Publisher.
MLA 9
Author. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book, edited by Editor, Publisher, Year, pp. 00-00.
In-text citations
- APA:
(Kahneman, 2011)or(Kahneman, 2011, p. 42)for a quote. - MLA:
(Kahneman 42)— author and page, no comma.
Multiple authors
- APA: two authors joined with & in the reference and in text:
(Smith & Jones, 2024). Three or more:(Smith et al., 2024). - MLA: first author inverted, then normal order:
Smith, John, and Mary Jones.Three or more:Smith, John, et al.
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How do you cite a book in APA 7?
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book (Edition). Publisher. The title is in italics and sentence case, and APA 7 no longer includes the city of publication.
How do you cite a book in MLA 9?
Author. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. The title is italicized and in title case.
How do you cite a chapter in an edited book?
APA: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. 00-00). Publisher. MLA: Author. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book, edited by Editor, Publisher, Year, pp. 00-00.
How do you cite a book with two authors?
APA uses an ampersand: (Smith & Jones, 2024). MLA lists both names, the first inverted: Smith, John, and Mary Jones.