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APA (7th Edition) Referencing Guide

Guide to APA citation style using the 7th Edition of the APA Style Manual.

Is it a book or a chapter?

When to cite the whole book:

When the entire book has been written by the same set of authors, and the chapters have not been contributed by different authors, then you regard the entire book as a single source and cite the whole book. If you use three different chapters from the same book, it still only counts as one source - only one book.

Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2007). Introduction to academic writing. Pearson/Longman.
 

When to cite the individual chapters:

If the book has been edited or compiled, and each chapter has its own authors, then you cite each chapter separately. If you use three different chapters, each chapter counts as a separate source.

Martin, A. (2006). Literacies for the digital age. In A. Martin & D. Madigan (Eds.), Digital literacies for learning (pp. 3-25). Facet.

 

Information needed for a book Information needed for a chapter of an edited book
  • The author(s) of the book
  • The date of publication of the book
  • The title of the book
  • The name of the publishers
  • If it is an electronic book, you will need a URL or a DOI. 
  • The author(s) of the chapter
  • The date of publication of the book
  • The title of the chapter
  • The editor(s) of the book
  • The title of the book
  • The page numbers for the chapter (complete range - e.g., 25-39)
  • The name of the publishers
  • If it is an electronic book, you will need a URL or a DOI. 

Are you trying to cite a section of a custom textbook? Custom textbooks are works that have been compiled for a particular course or cohort, and the chapters may have originally come from a variety of sources. Please see the section on Custom Textbooks under Class Handouts and Lectures.

Book and book chapters video

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