Quoting textbooks in APA format is actually the same as citing other books in that format. However, textbooks usually have additional editors and editions so you will need to take additional steps to cite them properly.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using APA Style to Cite Textbooks with Author
Step 1. Add the name of the author or editor first
Write the author's last name, the author's first initial, then his middle initial. For books being edited, write the name of the editor in the same format, then insert “Ed” for single editors and “Eds” for multiple editors after the name. If the book has author and editor information, list the author first, followed by the year of publication and title. After that, add the names of the editors.
- Format: Author, A. A.
- Examples of edited books: Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.).
- Example of an edited book with clear author information: Plath, S. (2000). The unabridged journals. K. V. Kukil (Ed.).
Step 2. Enter the year of publication
Place the year of publication in parentheses after the author's name, and end with a period.
- Format: Author, A. A. (year of publication).
- Example: Smith, P. (2012).
Step 3. Include the title of the book
Write the title of the book in italics. Use capital letters for the first letter in the title. Add a colon if there is a subtitle, capitalize the first letter of the subtitle, and write everything in italics.
- Format: Author, A. A. (year of publication). Book title: Subtitle
- Example: Smith, P. (2012). Cut to the chase: Online video editing and the Wadsworth constant
Step 4. List the edition of the book
Do not write the edition of the book in italics. Editions must be added after the title or subtitle (if available). Add a period at the end of the edition.
- Format: Author's last name, first name initials. Middle initials. (year of publication). Book title: Subtitle (edition number, with ordinal numbers for English or “th edition” for Indonesian, without a period after).
- Example: Smith, P. (2012). Cut to the chase: Online video editing and the Wadsworth constant (3rd ed.).
- Example (Indonesian): Lestari, D. (2012). Supernova: Lightning (3rd ed.).
Step 5. End the citation with the location and name of the publisher
For the location, use the name of the city or area. If you need to add state information in the United States, use a two-word abbreviation for the state without a period (eg "AZ" for Arizona or "NY" for New York). Place a colon between the location and publisher name, then add a period after it.
- Format: Author's last name, first name initials. Middle initials. (year of publication). Book title: Subtitle (edition number, with ordinal numbers in English.). City, State (if available): Publisher.
- Example: Smith, P. (2012). Cut to the chase: Online video editing and the Wadsworth constant (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: E&K Publishing.
- Example (Indonesian): Lestari, D. (2012). Supernova: Lightning (3rd ed.). Sleman: Library Landscape
Method 2 of 3: Using APA Style to Cite E-Books
Step 1. Write the name of the author/editor, year of publication, title, and edition of the book
The first part of citing an online textbook is similar to the steps for citing a printed textbook. The only information that needs to be left is the location and name of the publisher.
Format: Author's last name, first name initials. Middle initials. (year of publication). Book title
Step 2. Add the URL used to access the book
At the end of the quote, write "Retrieved from", then include the URL.
- Example: James, H. (2009). The ambassadors. Retrieved from
- Example (Indonesian): Lestari, D. (2012). Supernova: Lightning. Taken from
- For textbooks with programs, list the edition of the program. Example: George, D., & Mallery, P. (2002). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple guide and reference (4th ed., 11.0 Update). Retrieved from
- Examples in Indonesian: George, D., & Mallery, P. (2002). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple guide and reference (fourth ed., version 11.0). Taken from
Step 3. Add doi number if available
If there is a doi number for an online textbook to quote (this number is essentially the “social security” number for the book's web site), you will need to include it.
- The doi number is usually found on the first page, near copyright information or on the landing site of the database used to access the book.
- Example: Rodriguez-Garcia, R., & White, E. M. (2005). Self-assessment in managing for results: Conducting self-assessment for development practitioners. doi: 10.1596/9780-82136148-1
Method 3 of 3: Creating an In-Text Citation
Step 1. Include the source of the information in the text
You will need to cite the textbook in addition to the information used from the book in the text/document being created.
- Show the author in the sentence. One way to cite a textbook in APA format is to display the author in a sentence. Use only the author's last name. If author information is not available, but you have editor information, use the editor's name. End with the year of publication (in parentheses).
- Example: According to Smith, the theory does not make sense (2000). Next example: Clark and Hernandez believe otherwise (1994).
Step 2. Add a direct quote from the text in your article/writing
If you use quotes or sentences straight from the textbook, you also need to display them in the article/writing.
- Include the page number at the end of the quote (use “p.” for English or “hal.” for Indonesian).
- Example: According to Jones (1998), "Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time" (p. 199).
- Example (Indonesian): According to Budiningsih (2008), “Handling linen properly can save restaurant operating costs” (p. 28).
Step 3. Include author information in the post (in parentheses)
If you don't include author information in the sentence, you need to add the author's last name in parentheses after direct quotations or “borrowed” text from the source book. If there are multiple authors, list them all. Place a comma after the last name, then add the year of publication.
- Example: Thanks to the research, this was proven wrong (Johnson, 2008).
- This research shows the opposite (Smith, Johnson & Hernandez, 1999).
