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APA 7: cite a book
Cite a whole authored book in APA 7: edition after the title, publisher at the end, and no city, checked against the A small book example.
Is this a whole book by one author?
This case covers a complete book written by a named author, here Maya Stone. If the book is a collection where each chapter has its own author, cite the chapter instead. Work from the title page and its reverse, where the edition, publisher and year of the copy you used are printed. An edition change can alter the text and the pages you quote, so record the edition that is actually in your hands.
Built from those details, Maya Stone's book appears like this in the reviewed APA example: Stone, M. (2024). A small book (2nd ed.). Example Press. The book title is italicized, and the edition, 2nd ed., follows the title in parentheses without italics. The page lists London as the place of publication, yet the APA entry leaves it out; keep the city in your notes only when another convention asks for it.
Filling in the book fields
- Choose APA 7 reference, then Authored book as the Source kind and Print version as the Version consulted.
- Enter Maya and Stone as the author, and A small book as both the Source title and the Reviewed sentence-case title.
- Type 2 in Numbered edition. The workbench adds the ordinal itself and prints (2nd ed.). A first edition, typed as 1, 1st or first, is left out of the entry.
- Add Example Press as Publisher and 2024 as Publication year, then press Create reference.
- If you also type London in Publication or institution city/place, the APA entry still omits it.
What the workbench will not do for a book
The Authored book kind has no editor rows; they appear only for chapters and conference papers. A book credited only to editors is therefore outside this tool, so use the APA book examples linked below for it. Nor will the workbench find the edition for you: it prints what you type, and it cannot tell a new edition from a reprint.
Scanning the book with the app
Citelle on iPhone can read the ISBN barcode: tap Scan barcode in Add a source and point the camera at the back cover. If the barcode is not an ISBN the app tells you so. The lookup goes to Open Library and then Crossref, and the app turns edition wording such as 2nd ed. or Third Edition into a number. A first edition is never written into the entry. Check the edition, publisher and year on the Edit source screen against the title page before you copy the citation.
Book details people often get wrong
- Naming the ebook platform, the reading device or the file name as the publisher.
- Treating a new printing as a new edition; only an edition statement on the book counts.
- Typing 2nd ed. into the title field instead of the edition field.
- Citing the whole book when the passage you used is a separately authored chapter.
Gather the source details
- Check the exact author or editor role.
- Record the complete book title and the edition used.
- Verify the publication year and publisher.
- Keep the publication place only when the selected convention requires it.
- Author
- Maya Stone
- Title as supplied
- A small book
- Publication year
- 2024
- Publisher
- Example Press
- Edition
- 2
- Publication place
- London
Tools
Sources
Next guide: Chicago 18 author-date: cite a book