How to Cite a Book in APA, MLA & Chicago Format (2026 Guide)

Citing books correctly is one of the most common tasks in academic writing — and one of the easiest to mess up.

Whether you're writing an essay, research paper, or thesis, you'll likely need to cite at least a few books. The problem? Each citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago) has different rules, and getting the details wrong can cost you points.

In this guide, you'll learn exactly how to cite a book in the three major citation styles, with ready-to-use templates and examples you can copy.

What Information Do You Need to Cite a Book?
How to Cite a Book in APA Format
How to Cite a Book in MLA Format
How to Cite a Book in Chicago Style
How to Cite an eBook
How to Cite an Edited Book
How to Cite a Chapter in an Edited Book
How to Cite a Book with Multiple Authors
Common Book Citation Mistakes to Avoid
FAQ

What Information Do You Need to Cite a Book?

Before you start formatting your citation, gather these details from your book:

Author name(s) — Last name, first name (or initials)
Publication year — When the book was published
Book title — In italics
Edition — If not the first edition
Publisher — The company that published the book
Location — City of publication (Chicago style only)
Page numbers — For in-text citations when quoting

You'll find most of this information on the title page and copyright page (usually the first few pages of the book).

How to Cite a Book in APA Format

APA (American Psychological Association) is widely used in social sciences, psychology, and education.

APA Book Citation Template

Reference list entry: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle if any (edition). Publisher.

In-text citation: (Author, Year, p. #)

APA Book Citation Example

Let's say you're citing this book:

Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Year: 2008
Title: Outliers: The Story of Success
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Reference list: Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. Little, Brown and Company.

In-text citation: (Gladwell, 2008, p. 42)

Key APA Rules for Books

Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle (plus proper nouns)
Italicize the book title
Include the edition in parentheses after the title (if applicable)
Don't include the publisher location (APA 7th edition removed this requirement)

How to Cite a Book in MLA Format

MLA (Modern Language Association) is commonly used in humanities, literature, and arts.

MLA Book Citation Template

Works Cited entry: Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

In-text citation: (Author Last Name page#)

MLA Book Citation Example

Using the same Gladwell book:

Works Cited: Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

In-text citation: (Gladwell 42)

Key MLA Rules for Books

Use title case for book titles (capitalize major words)
Italicize the book title
Place a period after the author's name
No "p." before page numbers in in-text citations

How to Cite a Book in Chicago Style

Chicago style offers two systems: Notes-Bibliography (common in humanities) and Author-Date (common in sciences). Here's the Notes-Bibliography format.

Chicago Book Citation Template

Bibliography entry: Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Footnote (first reference): First Name Last Name, Title of Book (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page#.

Chicago Book Citation Example

Bibliography: Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

Footnote: Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008), 42.

Key Chicago Rules for Books

Include the city of publication
Use title case for book titles
Footnotes use normal name order (First Last); bibliography uses inverted order (Last, First)

How to Cite an eBook

eBooks follow the same basic format as print books, with one addition: include the format or platform if relevant.

APA eBook Citation

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. URL or DOI

Example: Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. Little, Brown and Company. https://www.example.com/outliers

MLA eBook Citation

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. Platform, URL.

Example: Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company, 2008. Kindle edition.

Chicago eBook Citation

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year. URL or platform.

Example: Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008. Kindle.

How to Cite an Edited Book

When citing an entire book that has an editor instead of an author:

APA Format

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

Example: Smith, J. D. (Ed.). (2020). Handbook of academic writing. Academic Press.

MLA Format

Editor Last Name, First Name, editor. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.

Example: Smith, John D., editor. Handbook of Academic Writing. Academic Press, 2020.

Chicago Format

Editor Last Name, First Name, ed. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year.

Example: Smith, John D., ed. Handbook of Academic Writing. New York: Academic Press, 2020.

How to Cite a Chapter in an Edited Book

When you're citing a specific chapter written by one author in a book edited by someone else:

APA Format

Chapter Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.

Example: Johnson, M. K. (2020). Writing effective introductions. In J. D. Smith (Ed.), Handbook of academic writing (pp. 45-72). Academic Press.

MLA Format

Chapter Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Chapter." Title of Book, edited by Editor Name, Publisher, Year, pp. xx-xx.

Example: Johnson, Mary K. "Writing Effective Introductions." Handbook of Academic Writing, edited by John D. Smith, Academic Press, 2020, pp. 45-72.

Chicago Format

Chapter Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Chapter." In Title of Book, edited by Editor Name, pp. xx-xx. Place: Publisher, Year.

Example: Johnson, Mary K. "Writing Effective Introductions." In Handbook of Academic Writing, edited by John D. Smith, 45-72. New York: Academic Press, 2020.