When you write a research article, citation entries help inform readers of words or opinions that are not your words or ideas. In general, you should place an in-text citation at the end of every sentence whose language or statement you are paraphrasing or quoting from a source. The in-text citation will direct you to the full citation entry in the reference list, at the end of the article. Although the basic information contained in citations for books is the same, the format differs between Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA) and Chicago citation styles.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using the MLA Citation Style
Step 1. Begin the bibliography entry (in English, works cited) with the author's name
Type the author's last name first, followed by a comma and a space. After that, enter the author's first name. If the author's middle name or initials are listed on the title page of the book, include the name. Place a period at the end of the name.
- For example: Gleick, James.
- If the book is written by two or three authors, separate each name with a comma and use the word "and" before the last author's last name. Only the first author's name is reversed. For example: Gillespie, Paul and Neal Lerner.
- If the book is written by more than three authors, use the first author's name, then insert a comma and the Latin abbreviation " et. al. ". For Indonesian, use the abbreviation "etc.". For example: Wysocki, Anne Frances, et. al.
- For Indonesian: Wysocki, Anne Frances, et al.
Step 2. State the title of the book and type it in italic text
Type in the title of the book using the title case format (capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and other words that have more than four letters). If the book has a subtitle, type a colon and a space at the end of the main title, then enter a subtitle. Insert a period at the end of the subtitle.
For example: Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science
Step 3. Include publisher information and year of publication
Type the name of the publisher of the book, followed by a comma and a space. After that, enter the year the book was published. Place a period at the end of the quote entry.
- For example: Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Penguins, 1987.
- If you are using an e-book instead of a printed one, specify the type of book as the “version” or “edition” of the book before the publisher's name. For example: Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Kindle ed., Penguins, 1987.
- For Indonesian: Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. Kindle Edition, Penguin, 1987.
Bibliography Entry Format in MLA Citation Style
Last Name, First Name. Book Title in Title Case Format. Publisher, Year.
Step 4. Use the author's name and page number for in-text citations
Whenever you are paraphrasing or quoting information from a book, place a parenthesis (quotation in the text) at the end of the sentence before the closing punctuation mark (period). State the author's last name and the number or page range containing the information.
- For example, you might write something like this: "Although the weather can be represented in forecasts and statistics, in nature there is never exactly the same event that occurs twice (Gleick 12)."
- If you mention the author's name in a sentence, only include the page number or range of the in-text citation.
Method 2 of 3: Using ANY Citation Style
Step 1. State the author's name and date of publication
Begin the reference entry with the author's last name, followed by a comma and a space. Type in the author's first initial (and middle initial if available). Separate the names of multiple articles with a comma and insert an ampersand (“&”) before the last author's name. Add the year of publication and enclose it in parentheses. Insert a period outside the closing parenthesis.
For example: Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991)
Step 2. Type the title of the book in italics
Enter the title of the book in sentence case format (capital letters as the first letter of the first word and only your own name). If the book has a subtitle, add a subtitle after the main title (in sentence case format). Place a period at the end of the title.
- For example: Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publications.
- If you are using an e-book, state the type of book in square brackets after the title. Do not write this information in italics. Place a period after the closing square bracket, and not the end of the title. For example: Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publications [Kindle ed.].
- For Indonesian: Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publication [Kindle Edition].
Step 3. End the entry with the location and name of the publisher
For publications from the United States and Canada, state the name of the city and the two-letter abbreviation of the city or state name. For other publications, include the name of the city and the name of the country. Insert a colon and a space, then type the name of the publisher. Place a period at the end of the publisher's name.
For example: Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide to preparing manuscripts for journal publications. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association
Reference List Entry Format in APA Citation Style
Last Name, Initial First Name. Middle Initials. (Year). Book title in sentence case format: Subtitles in the same format. Location: Publisher.
Step 4. Use the author's last name and year of publication for in-text citations
Whenever you paraphrase or quote information from a source, include a bracketed citation (quotation in-text) at the end of the sentence. State the author's last name, followed by a comma, then type the year the book was published.
- For example, you might write something like this: "A journal article is tighter and more restrained than a dissertation (Calfee & Valencia, 1991)."
- For Indonesian: “Journal articles are more restrictive and “constrained” than dissertations (Calfee & Valencia, 1991).”
- If you mention the author's name in the article, add an in-text citation right after the name and include only the year of publication.
- When you use direct citations from sources, include the number or page range that contains the information in the source text. Place a comma after the year of publication, then use the abbreviation “p.” or "pp." (for Indonesian, “p.”) followed by the page number or range.
Method 3 of 3: Using the Chicago Quote Style
Step 1. State the author's name
In a bibliography, type the author's last name first, followed by a comma and a space. Enter the author's first name, followed by his or her middle name or initials if applicable. For books with multiple authors, only reverse the order of the first author's name. Separate each name using a comma and add the words “and” or “and” before the last author's name. Insert a period at the end of the name.
- For example: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker.
- For Indonesian: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker.
Step 2. Type the title of the book in italics
Enter the title of the book in title case format (capital letter as the first letter of the first word, and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adverbs). If the book has subtitles, insert a colon at the end of the main title to introduce the subtitle. Type in a subtitle using the same format (title case). After that, end with a dot.
- For example: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker. The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry.
- For Indonesian: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker. The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry.
Step 3. Finish with publishing information
Type the publication location of the book, followed by a colon and a space. Enter the name of the publisher, followed by a comma and a space. After that, include the year the book was published. Insert a period at the end of the bibliography entry.
- For example: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker. The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
- For Indonesian: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker. The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
- If you are using an e-book instead of a printed one, state the edition of the book at the end of the entry. For example: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker. The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Kindle edition.
- For Indonesian: Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker. The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Kindle Edition.
Bibliographic Entry Format in Chicago Citation Style
Last Name, First Name. Book Title in Title Case Format: Subtitles in Same Format. Location: Publisher, Year.
Step 4. Adjust the format as you write the footnote
When you paraphrase or quote information from a source, place the footnote superscript number at the end of the sentence. Footnotes include the same information as information in bibliographic entries, but use a different format. Don't reverse the order of the names and use commas instead of periods to separate each quote element. Place the publishing information in parentheses. End the footnote with a page number or range containing the information you are paraphrasing or quoting, followed by a period.
- For example: Douglas W. Mock and Geoffrey A. Parker, The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 72.
- For Indonesian: Douglas W. Mock and Geoffrey A. Parker, The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 72.
Tips
- If you need guidance on citing book chapters, search and read articles on how to cite book chapters.
- If your teacher or professor prefers the Harvard citation style, you need to learn how to properly cite a book using that citation style.
