APA 7th Edition Book Citation Generator
Search by ISBN or title to create an APA 7 book reference. AllCitations formats book titles, editions, publishers, and author-date in-text citations.
Auto-filled from the book record
- Authors (full list)
- Publication year
- Title and subtitle
- Edition number
- Publisher
- DOI when available
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
(Kahneman, 2011)
+7 more variations covered below
Sample formatted to the official APA 7th edition rules. Your real citation fills in from any URL, DOI, or ISBN.
Enter an ISBN, DOI, or book title
Added citations open in the full bibliography generator, where you can copy, edit, or export them.
APA 7 book citation format
Use this template as the structure for every book citation in APA 7.
Reference list template
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book in sentence case (Edition ed.). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx
In-text citation template
(Author, Year, p. PageNumber)
- Italicise the entire book title and any subtitle, in sentence case.
- Edition (2nd ed., 3rd ed.) goes in parentheses after the title, not italicised.
- APA 7 dropped publisher location - just write the publisher name.
Common book citation variations
Real books do not always fit the standard template. Use these examples for the edge cases you will hit most often.
Two authors
Reference list
Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2000). The elements of style (4th ed.). Longman.
In-text
(Strunk & White, 2000, p. 23)
Use an ampersand (&) between two authors in the reference list and parenthetical citations.
Three to twenty authors
Reference list
Mehl, M. R., Vazire, S., Holleran, S. E., & Clark, C. S. (2010). Eavesdropping on happiness. Cambridge University Press.
In-text
(Mehl et al., 2010)
List all authors in the reference list (up to 20). In-text uses 'et al.' from the first citation onward.
Edited book
Reference list
Brown, T. A., & Barlow, D. H. (Eds.). (2021). Casebook in abnormal psychology (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
In-text
(Brown & Barlow, 2021)
Add (Ed.) or (Eds.) after the editor name(s), before the year.
Chapter in an edited book
Reference list
Doe, J. (2022). Cognitive load in second-language learners. In R. Smith (Ed.), Language learning research (pp. 45-72). Routledge.
In-text
(Doe, 2022, p. 47)
Cite the chapter author first, then 'In' followed by the editor's initials and last name, the book title, page range, and publisher.
Book with a DOI
Reference list
Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. Crown Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000216-000
In-text
(Cain, 2012)
Add the DOI as a URL beginning with https://doi.org/ when one is available.
E-book or audiobook (when format matters)
Reference list
Obama, B. (2020). A promised land (T. Cooper, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Penguin Random House Audio.
In-text
(Obama, 2020)
Only specify format in brackets when it changes how readers find the work (audiobook narrator, special edition).
Republished or translated book
Reference list
Freud, S. (2010). The interpretation of dreams (J. Strachey, Trans.). Basic Books. (Original work published 1900)
In-text
(Freud, 1900/2010)
Show both dates in-text, separated by a slash, with the original date first.
How to cite a book in APA 7, step by step
1. List the authors
Use Last name, First initial. Middle initial. for each author. Separate multiple authors with commas, and use an ampersand (&) before the final author: Smith, J. A., & Doe, M. B. List up to 20 authors; for 21+, list the first 19, then '...' then the final author.
2. Add the publication year
Write the year in parentheses after the authors: (2022). For books with both an original and a translation/reprint date, use the most recent edition's year in this slot and add the original date in parentheses at the end.
3. Write the title in sentence case and italics
Capitalise only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns. Italicise the whole title including any subtitle: 'Thinking, fast and slow' or 'The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma'.
4. Add the edition if it's not the first
Put the edition number in parentheses after the title, not italicised: (2nd ed.), (Rev. ed.). First editions get no edition note. Edition goes before the publisher.
5. Name the publisher
Use the publisher's name as it appears on the book's title page, dropping 'Inc.', 'Co.', 'Publishers'. APA 7 omits publisher location entirely - no city or state. Use a comma between two publishers if the book lists co-publishers.
6. Add a DOI when available
If the book has a DOI, append it at the end as a URL: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. No 'Retrieved from' or 'DOI:' prefix. If there is no DOI and the book is print-only, end the reference at the publisher.
7. Build the in-text citation
Use (Author, Year, p. X) for direct quotes or specific passages, (Author, Year) for paraphrased material. For multiple authors, use 'et al.' after the first author for three or more: (Mehl et al., 2010). For two authors, list both with an ampersand: (Strunk & White, 2000).
Common APA 7 book citation mistakes
Avoid: Including the publisher's city or state (e.g., 'New York: Penguin')
Correction: APA 7 dropped publisher location entirely. Write only the publisher name: 'Penguin'.
Avoid: Italicising the edition information
Correction: Only the book title and subtitle are italicised. '(2nd ed.)' is in regular type.
Avoid: Using title case for book titles in the reference list
Correction: APA 7 uses sentence case in the reference list: 'The body keeps the score', not 'The Body Keeps the Score'. In-text mentions of the title use title case.
Avoid: Using 'et al.' in the reference list for 3-20 authors
Correction: 'et al.' only appears in in-text citations. The reference list shows all authors up to 20.
Avoid: Writing 'DOI:' or 'Retrieved from' before the DOI
Correction: APA 7 formats DOIs as plain URLs beginning with https://doi.org/. No prefix, no 'Retrieved from'.
Avoid: Including the ISBN in the reference
Correction: APA references do not include ISBNs. The ISBN helps look up metadata but doesn't appear in the final citation.
Avoid: Treating an e-book's URL as a DOI
Correction: Only true DOIs (https://doi.org/...) go in the DOI slot. Avoid bookstore or library catalogue URLs unless no DOI exists and the URL is the only stable access route.
When this format does not apply
The book format is not always the right choice - use these notes to pick the right citation style for adjacent source types.
The 'book' is actually a chapter you read
Cite the chapter, not the whole book. Use the chapter format: Chapter author, year, chapter title, In Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. X-Y), Publisher.
You're citing an edited collection as a whole
Use the edited book format with (Ed.) or (Eds.) after the editor name(s). Cite individual chapters separately when you reference specific chapters.
The book is a translation
Include the translator after the title: (T. Cooper, Trans.). If the original publication date matters for context, add '(Original work published [year])' at the end.
You read an audiobook
Only add an audiobook designation if the narrator or audio version is relevant. For a standard audiobook of an existing book, you can cite the print edition.
The book is self-published or print-on-demand
Use the author's name as the publisher when no traditional publisher exists. APA 7 does not penalise self-published works in formatting.
Quick APA 7 rules
- Use sentence case for book titles.
- Italicize the book title and edition information.
- Omit publisher location in APA 7.
- Include a DOI as a URL when the book has one.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a book in APA 7?v
Use Author. (Year). Title in italics. Publisher. Add the edition in parentheses after the title when the book is not the first edition, and include a DOI as a URL if one is available.
Can I use an ISBN for an APA book citation?v
Yes - an ISBN helps look up the book's metadata, but the final APA 7 reference does not include the ISBN itself.
Do I include the publisher's location in APA 7?v
No. APA 7 dropped publisher location. Write only the publisher name (Penguin, not 'New York: Penguin').
How do I cite a book with many authors?v
List all authors up to 20 in the reference list. For 21 or more, list the first 19, an ellipsis, and the final author. In-text, use 'et al.' for three or more authors after the first author.
How do I cite a chapter from an edited book?v
Cite the chapter author first, the chapter title in sentence case (not italicised), then 'In Editor's Initial. Last name (Ed.), Book title (pp. X-Y). Publisher.'
Should I add an edition number for a first edition?v
No. APA 7 only shows edition information when the book is not the first edition, formatted as (2nd ed.), (Rev. ed.), or similar.