Skip to Main Content

Referencing Toolkit

Introduction

How-To Video

  Victoria University Library. (2016, November 24). APA Referencing: books. [video file]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/193009392 

How to Reference

Basic Format to Reference Books and eBooks

A basic reference list entry for a book (print version) in APA must include:

  • Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.
  • Year of publication of the book (in round brackets).
  • Book title (in italics).
  • Edition (in round brackets), if other than first.
  • Publisher.
  • DOI. Include a DOI for all works that have one, regardless of whether you used the online version or print version.
  • The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 1.27cm.

Example:

Fletcher, D. P. (2018). Disruptors: Success strategies for women who break the mold. Entrepreneur Press.

Fletcher, D. P. (2018). Disruptors: Success strate

Note: An e-book retrieved from an academic database that does not have a DOI is referenced as though it were the print version.

For books with multiple authors, edited books, print books, online books (other than from a Library database), and chapters in books see examples below.

Examples

Citation Examples

Material Type

In-text examples

Reference list examples

Book: Single Author

"It is self-identification..." (Fuller, 2011, pp.34-35).

or

Fuller (2011, pp.34-35) suggests that self identification...

Cite both authors each time the reference occurs.

Fuller, C. F. (2011). Sociology, gender and educational aspirations: Girls and their ambitions. Continuum International.

The edition number is included after the title of the work (not necessary for first editions).
Book: 2 Authors and Edition

According to Moran and Toner (2017)…

or

… this is evident (Moran & Toner, 2017).

Cite both authors each time the reference occurs.

Moran, A., & Toner, J. (2017). A critical introduction to sport psychology (3rd ed.). Routledge.

The edition number is included after the title of the work (not necessary for first editions).
Book: 3 to 20 Authors with DOI

Interval training involves "performing for a comparatively shorter time period during each exercise session" (Haile et al., 2015, p. 135).

or

Haile et al. (2015) note that interval training involves "performing for a comparatively shorter time period during each exercise session" (p.135).

Where there are 3 or more authors cite only the first author's surname followed by et al.

Haile, L., Gallagher, M., & Robertson, R. J. (2015). Perceived exertion laboratory manual: From standard practice to contemporary application. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1917-8

Provide the names of all authors in the reference list, up to and including 20 authors.
For a book with 21 or more authors follow the same author format as for a journal article with 21 or more authors.
Book: New Edition

"A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" (Austen, 1814/2005, p.195)

Include the original publication date in the citation.

Austen, J. (2005). Mansfield Park J. Wiltshire, Ed.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published in 1841.)

Book: Editior(s)

... open access data is of great value to researchers (Perry, 2018).

or

Perry (2018) promotes the use of...

Big data is giving insight into collective human behaviour (Lauro et al., 2017).

or

According to Lauro et al. (2017)...

Perry, S.M. (Ed.). (2018). Maximizing social science research through publicly accessible data sets. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3616-1

With more than one editor follow the multiple author format and use (Eds.).

Lauro, N. C., Amaturo, E., Grassia, M. G., Aragona, B., & Marino, M. (Eds.). (2017). Data science and social research: Epistemology, methods, technology and applications. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55477-8

Book: Reference Work

Hackfort et al. (2019) collate a useful resource for...

Hackfort, D., Schinke, R. J., & Strauss, B. (Eds.). (2019). Dictionary of sport psychology: Exercise, performance, and performing arts. Elsevier.

Books: Diagnostic Manual (DSM-5)

The American Psychiatric Association's (2013) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) describes the diagnostic features as being...

or

...as described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

It is common to identify the full title and edition of a diagnostic manual, along with the abbreviation, the first time you cite it in your text. Subsequent citations can refer to the abbreviation.
Note the use of Title Case and italics for the title and abbreviation.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Chapter or part of a Book to which a number of authors have contributed

Shah (2018) advocates “the use of analytics to make informed decisions at the executive leadership level” (p. 38).

or

There is value in “the use of analytics to make informed decisions at the executive leadership level” (Shah, 2018, p. 38).

In the in-text reference name the author of the chapter.

Shah, T. H. (2018). Big data analytics in higher education. In S. M. Perry (Ed.), Maximizing social science research through publicly accessible data sets (pp. 38-61). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-3616-1

Note that the editor's name appears with initials first and surname following.
Book: With volume numbers

... as this complex theory is dealt with in detail by Russell (2003, vol. 2, p.23; vol.3, pp.17-36).

Russell, B. (2003). The autobiography of Bertrand Russell (Vols. 1-3). Allen & Unwin.

If more than one volume is given, separate with a semi-colon.
Book: Translator and Author

(Marklund, 1999/2011)

Marklund, L. (2011). Exposed (N. Smith, Trans.). Random House. (Original work published 1999)

Note that the translators' name appears with initials first and surname following.
Book: Anonymous Author

(Anonymous, 2000)

Use only when a work's author is designated as Anonymous. Include the word 'Anonymous' followed by a comma and year.

Anonymous. (2000). Maximum Security (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.

In your reference list, include such titles in your alphabetical listing as if 'Anonymous' were a true name.
Book: No Author

As defined in the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers (2002) reference lists should be double spaced.

or

... should be double spaced (Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 2002)

Capitalise the major words in titles of books and articles when used within the body of your essay.

Style manual for authors, editors and printers. (2002). (6th ed.). AGPS.

If no author or editor, the title is used as the first element of the reference.
Book: Multiple works with the same Author

Perceptions of an event have more impact than the event itself, so accurate perceptions are key (Fujishin, 2018, 2020).

or

Fujishin (2018, 2020) tells us gesture is critical to creating genuine interpersonal connections.

Fujishin, R. (2018). The natural speaker (9th ed.). Routledge.

Fujishin, R. (2020). Natural bridges: A guide to interpersonal communication (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Order multiple works by the same author(s) by year of publication, earliest first.
Book: Classical or Religious Text

1 Cor. 13:1 (King James Bible, 1769/2017)

(The Qur'an, 2004, 5:3-4)

(Aristotle, ca. 350 B.C.E./1994, p. 134)

Where the parts of classic or religious texts are numbered consistently across all editions, use these numbers rather than page numbers.

King James Bible. (2017) King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)

The Qur’an (M. A. S. Abdel Haleem, Trans.). (2004). Oxford University Press.

Aristotle. (1994). Poetics (S. H. Butcher, Trans.). The Internet Classics Archive. http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/poetics.html (Original work published ca. 350 B.C.E.)

Where the original date of publication is known (and undisputed) include it. If the date of publication is only approximately known use the abbreviation ca. for 'circa'.
Secondary sources 

Intuition is defined as ”knowledge or knowledge structures that predispose individuals to think and act in particular ways without much conscious reflection” (Torff & Sternberg, 2001, as cited in Hernandez-Romero, 2017, p. 134).

or

Torff and Sternberg (2001, as cited in Hernandez-Romero, 2017) define intuition as “knowledge or knowledge structures that predispose individuals to think and act in particular ways without much conscious reflection” (p.134).

Hernández-Romero, L. (2017). Re-evaluating creativity: The individual, society, and education. Palgrave Macmillan.

Provide the full reference for the book that you actually read.
It is recommended you only cite a secondary source when the original work cannot be obtained.