Essential Elements
All book citations should include the following elements:
1. Name of Author, Editor, or Compiler
2. Title of Book (italicized)
3. Edition used (if on title page and other than the first)
4. Number(s) of Volume(s) if using two or more volumes
5. City of Publication
6. Name of Publisher
7. Year of Publication
8. Medium of Publication
9. Series name if part of a series
Note: E-books require additional information. See the example to the right and the Online Databases section for more details.
Sample Citations - Books
Book by a Single Author or Editor
Single Author
Example:
Single Editor
If you are citing an entire edited book, place the editor's name in the author position followed by "ed."
Example:
Author and Editor
If you are citing a specific chapter, entry, or article in an edited book or in a reference book, see instructions below.
Book by Multiple Authors or Editors
Two authors
List the authors in the order they appear on the title page. List the first author with the last name first; additional authors' names are listed with the first name followed by the last name.
Example:
Three authors
List the authors in the order they appear on the title page. List the first author with the last name first; additional authors' names are listed with the first name followed by the last name.
Example:
Hopkins, Nigel J., John W. Mayne, and John R. Hudson. The Numbers You Need. Detroit: Gale, 1992. Print.
Four or more authors
You may list each author as in the examples above, or list the first author followed by "et al." (meaning "and others").
Example:
Darling-Hammond, Linda, et al. Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2008. Print.
Multiple editors, translators, or compilers
Place a comma after the final name and add the appropriate abbreviation (eds., trans. or comps.)
Example:
Shephard, John, et al., eds. Continuum Encyclopedias of Popular Music of the World. 2nd ed. 7 vols. London: Continuum, 2003. Print.
Book by a Corporate Author or Organization
List the name of the organization in place of the author.
Example:
Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: MLA, 2009. Print.
If your book is part of a series, the series name and number (if any) should be given after the medium of publication. Do not italicize or put in quotes.
Example:
Begin the citation with the author of the work, not the editor of the book.
Example:
Chapter, Section, or Essay in an Edited Book
Begin the citation with the author of the work, not the editor of the book.
Example:
Entry or Article in a Reference Book
Signed Entry
Begin the citation with the author of the article, not the author or editor of the book. Page numbers are not necessary if the entries are arranged alphabetically.
Example:
Unsigned Entry
If no author is attached to an entry, begin with the title of the entry. Page numbers are not necessary if the entries are arranged alphabetically.
Example:
"Giuseppe Verdi." The New Penguin Opera Guide. Ed. Amanda Holden. New York: Penguin, 2001. Print.
Include the volume number after the editor's name. (If there is no editor, the volume number will appear after the title.)
Example:
Include the volume number after the editor. (If there is no editor, the volume number will appear after the title.)
- Only include edition information if it is NOT the first edition.
- Write edition as it appears in the book. (3rd, Revised, Abridged, Expanded, etc.; written as 3rd ed., Rev. ed., Abr. ed., Expanded ed., etc.)
Example:
Cite the work as you would a print book, followed by:
- the database in which you accessed the e-book
- the medium of publication
- the date of access
