How to Cite a Textbook: In-Text Citations & Bibliography References

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Quote from any textbook in your academic research paper
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When you use a textbook as a reference in an academic or research paper, your readers should be able to find the information you used. To give readers this information and properly cite any textbook, you’ll need to provide an in-text citation as well as a corresponding reference in a bibliography at the end of your paper. However, the structure, order, and format of that information varies based on which citation style you’re using—APA, MLA, or Chicago style. We’ll teach you how to use all three so you can quote any book or textbook with confidence.

Textbook Citation Format: APA, MLA, & Chicago

  • APA Style: Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year). Title of textbook (Edition). Publisher. DOI or URL
  • MLA Style: Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Textbook . Edition, vol. Volume, Publisher , Year, DOI or URL. Page #.
  • Chicago Style: Author Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. Title Edition. Publication City: Publisher, Publication Year. DOI or URL.
Section 1 of 5:

Citing a Textbook in APA

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  1. An APA book or textbook citation includes the: author’s name, the year of publication, the textbook title (italicized and in sentence case), the translator’s name (if applicable), the edition, the publisher, and the DOI or URL. [1]
    • APA Reference page format :
      Author's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year). Title of textbook (Translator's First Initial. Middle Initial. Last Name, Trans., Editor’s First Initial. Middle Initial. Last Name, Ed.) (Edition). Publisher. DOI or URL
    • Sample APA Reference :
      Wayne, B. A. (2001). Wayne Enterprises: A case study in urban philanthropy (S. C. Kyle, Trans., A. T. Pennyworth, Ed.) (1st ed.). Random House. https://doi.org/10.3737
    • If you’d like to cite a specific chapter of a textbook, write the chapter title in sentence case immediately after the author name. For example:
      • Wayne, B. A. (2001). Vigilantism and crisis mitigation . Wayne Enterprises: A case study in urban philanthropy (S. C. Kyle, Trans., A. T. Pennyworth, Ed.) (1st ed.). Random House. https://doi.org/10.3737
  2. When quoting a textbook in APA style, there are two types of in-text citations : parenthetical and narrative . For a parenthetical citation, write the author’s last name with the year of publication and page number(s) in parentheses after the text that directly quotes the source (e.g., (Author's Last Name, Year, Page #)). For a narrative citation, write the author’s name into the sentence and add the year of publication and page number(s) in parentheses. [2]
    • Sample APA in-text citation (parenthetical) : “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” (Wayne, 2001, p. 55)
    • Sample APA in-text citation (narrative) : Wayne (2001), on the other hand, theorizes that “you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain” (p. 55)
    • If the textbook has two authors, write both authors’ last names separated by an ampersand. If the textbook has three or more authors, write the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”. [3]
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  3. If a textbook has two or more authors, include both authors in the reference entry. All authors’ names can be written as Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. Just separate each name with a comma and place an ampersand (&) before the final author. If a work has 20 or more authors, include the first 19 authors’ names, then insert an ellipsis (...) before the final author’s name. [4]
    • Sample Reference page entry with 2 authors: Wayne, B. A., & Grayson, R. J. (2001). Wayne Enterprises: A Case Study in Urban Philanthropy (S. C. Kyle, Trans., A. T. Pennyworth, Ed.) (1st ed.). Random House. https://doi.org/10.3737
    • Sample Reference page entry with 5 authors: Wayne, B. A., Grayson, R. J., White, J. O., Gordon, J. W., & Quinzel, H. F. (2001). Wayne Enterprises: A Case Study in Urban Philanthropy (S. C. Kyle, Trans., A. T. Pennyworth, Ed.) (1st ed.). Random House. https://doi.org/10.3737
    • If citing a textbook with no clear author , begin the reference entry with the book title followed by the year of publication in parentheses. For in-text citations, use the title of the book instead of the author's name.
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Section 2 of 5:

Citing a Textbook in MLA

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  1. An MLA book or textbook citation includes the author’s name, the textbook title italicized and capitalized like a headline, the translator’s name (if applicable), the editor’s name, the edition (if specified), the volume number (if specified), the publisher (in italics), the year of publication, the DOI or URL, and the cited page number range. [5]
    • MLA Works Cited format :
      Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Textbook . Translated by Translator's First Name Middle Initial. Last Name, Edited by Editor's First Name Middle Initial. Last Name, Edition, vol. Volume, Publisher , Year, DOI or URL. Page #.
    • Sample MLA Works Cited entry :
      Kent, Clark. Superhuman Powers in Global History . Translated by Lois J. Lane, edited by Alexander J. Luthor, 2nd ed., vol.4, Penguin , 2012, https://doi.org/10.4815 , pp. 5-6.
    • If you’d like to cite a specific chapter of a textbook, put the chapter title in quotation marks between the author’s name and the title of the textbook. For example: [6]
      • Kent, Clark. “Heat Vision: A Burning Intensity.” Superhuman Powers in Global History . Translated by Lois J. Lane, edited by Alexander J. Luthor, 2nd ed., vol.4, Penguin , 2012, https://doi.org/10.4815 , p. 20.
  2. There are two types of in-text citations for textbooks in MLA: parenthetical citations and narrative citations . A parenthetical citation appears in parentheses after the text that quotes or cites the source, and it follows this format: (Author's Last Name Page #). A narrative citation incorporates the author’s name into the sentence that quotes or cites them with the page number at the end of the sentence, e.g., “Author’s Name argues that… (Page Number).” [7]
    • Sample MLA in-text citation (parenthetical) : “Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better.” (Kent 5)
    • Sample MLA in-text citation (narrative) : As Kent maintains, “dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better” (5).
    • If the textbook has two authors, include both authors’ last names separated by “and.” If there are three or more authors, write the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”.
  3. If a textbook has two authors, write the Works Cited entry with their names listed in the order that they appear on the work. Invert the first author’s name (e.g., “Kent, Clark”) but write the other name normally (e.g., Perry White). If a textbook has three or more authors, invert the first author’s name, add a comma, then write “et al.”. [8]
    • Sample Works Cited entry with 2 authors: Kent, Clark, and Perry White. Superhuman Powers in Global History . Translated by Lois J. Lane, edited by Alexander J. Luthor, 2nd ed., vol.4, Penguin , 2012, https://doi.org/10.4815 , pp. 5-6.
    • Sample Works Cited entry with 3 authors: Kent, Clark, et al. Superhuman Powers in Global History . Translated by Lois J. Lane, edited by Alexander J. Luthor, 2nd ed., vol.4, Penguin , 2012, https://doi.org/10.4815 , pp. 5-6.
    • If citing a textbook with no clear author , omit the author’s name from the format and start the citation with the title of the work. For the in-text citation, use a shortened title of the work in parentheses (i.e., the first 1-3 words).
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Section 3 of 5:

Citing a Textbook in Chicago Style

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  1. A Chicago style book or textbook citation includes the author’s name, the textbook title italicized and capitalized in title case, the editor’s name (if applicable), the translator’s name (if applicable), the edition (if specified), the city of publication, the publisher, the year of publication, and the DOI or URL. [9]
    • Chicago style bibliography entry format :
      Author Last Name, First Name Middle Initial. Title Edited by Editor First Name Middle Initial. Last Name. Translated by Translator First Name Middle Initial. Last Name. Edition. Publication City: Publisher, Publication Year. DOI or URL.
    • Sample Chicago bibliography entry :
      Parker, Peter B. Interspecies Evolution: A Study of Enhanced Human Capabilities . Edited by Miles G. Morales. Translated by Gwendolyn M. Stacy. 8th ed. New York City: Harper Collins, 2020. https://doi.org/10.421610 .
    • If you’d like to cite a specific chapter of a textbook, put the chapter title in quotations after the author’s name. End the chapter title with a period, then write “In” before the book title. For example:
      • Parker, Peter B. “The Physics of Web-Swinging.” In Interspecies Evolution: A Study of Enhanced Human Capabilities . Edited by Miles G. Morales. Translated by Gwendolyn M. Stacy. 8th ed. New York City: Harper Collins, 2020. https://doi.org/10.421610 .
  2. Chicago style commonly uses footnotes for in-text citations. To cite a textbook in this style, add a numbered footnote immediately after a cited sentence. Write a shortened citation in the note (see below), then provide the full source information in a bibliography at the end of the paper. [10]
    • Sample Chicago style footnote : As evidenced throughout this research, it’s clear that “even the smallest person can make a difference.” 1 → 1. Parker, Interspecies Evolution , 103.
    • If the textbook has up to three authors, write each author’s last name into an in-text citation or footnote, separating the final two names with the word “and.” If the textbook has more than three authors, cite the first author followed by “et al.”.
    • Chicago style also has another accepted format known as author-date , which you can read more about here .
  3. If a textbook has multiple authors , cite up to 10 in the reference entry for a bibliography. List the authors’ names, but only invert the name of the first author. If the textbook has more than 10 authors, only list the first seven names, followed by “et al.”. [11]
    • Sample bibliography entry with 7 authors: Parker, Peter B., John J. Jameson Jr, Benjamin F. Parker, Maybelle Parker-Jameson, Mary Jane Watson, Norman V. Osborn, and Otto Octavius. Interspecies Evolution: A Study of Enhanced Human Capabilities . Edited by Miles G. Morales. Translated by Gwendolyn M. Stacy. 8th ed. New York City: Harper Collins, 2020. https://doi.org/10.421610 .
    • Sample bibliography entry with 11 authors: Parker, Peter B., John J. Jameson Jr, Benjamin F. Parker, Maybelle Parker-Jameson, Mary Jane Watson, Norman V. Osborn, Otto Octavius et al. Interspecies Evolution: A Study of Enhanced Human Capabilities . Edited by Miles G. Morales. Translated by Gwendolyn M. Stacy. 8th ed. New York City: Harper Collins, 2020. https://doi.org/10.421610 .
    • If citing a textbook with no clear author , start the citation with the title of the work.
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Section 4 of 5:

Which Citation Style Is Best to Use

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  1. If you’re writing a paper or essay for a class or university course, your teacher or professor will likely tell you which citation style to use. If they haven’t given you this instruction, you may want to ask them if they have a preference. Otherwise, you can choose from one of the citation styles used in your field of study or research: [12]
    • APA Style: The most popular style in academic fields, especially in social and behavioral sciences.
    • MLA Style: The second-most popular style, widely used in the humanities.
    • Chicago Style: Common in both humanities and sciences, particularly in business, history, and fine arts.
    • Bluebook & Oscola : Typically reserved for law studies.
    • Other specialized styles exist for specific disciplines, so research your academic area for more detailed information.
Section 5 of 5:

Frequently Asked Questions About Citing Sources

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  1. Look at the textbook’s title and copyright pages for sourcing information. These two pages, along with the cover of the textbook, usually contain all of the information you’ll need to cite a textbook. Depending on the citation style you’re using, look for: [13]
    • The textbook’s title and subtitle (if applicable)
    • The name(s) of the author(s)
    • The year of publication
    • The place of publication
    • Publisher name
    • Edition (if specified)
    • Additional contributors (e.g., editor, translator), if applicable
  2. If the textbook passage that you want to cite doesn’t have a page number, then use an alternate locator for your in-text citation. Nearly all of the citation styles accept a header or chapter number in place of a page number, e.g., (Kent, 2012, ch. 1). [14]
    • If you’re using APA, you can also count the paragraphs and include the paragraph number in your citation: e.g., (Wayne, 2001, para. 6). MLA and Chicago style, however, only recommend this alternative if the paragraph numbers are marked in the text.
  3. If a textbook’s chapters are written by different authors, rather than one author for the whole book, then cite the specific chapter that you’re referencing. [15]
  4. Bibliography is an umbrella term for the list of sources that you must place at the end of any academic work. However, some style guides use their own specific term for a bibliography. For example, MLA format includes a “Works Cited” page, APA uses a “References” page, and Chicago style sticks with “Bibliography.” [16]
    • Whatever style you’re using, make sure to follow their format to write a bibliography and include it at the end of your paper.
  5. Many websites offer quick citation generators for APA, MLA, Chicago, and other styles. However, you should always double-check that a citation generator is using the most updated style guides. Once you’ve finished creating your citations, compare them against the proper format to make sure they’re correct.
  6. If there are more sources besides textbooks that you need to cite for your paper, check out our step-by-step guides for citing different kinds of sources in any style:
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  • Question
    How do I cite an article from a textbook? I'm assuming it's just the author's last name (if not noted earlier) plus the page number.
    Community Answer
    You are correct. For example, (Thoreau 3). This would be a work by Henry David Thoreau, with the quote coming from page three.
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  • Question
    How do I cite an Edgar Allen Poe story from an English textbook?
    Community Answer
    If at all possible, you would want to find an original publication of the story, rather than citing the story from an English textbook, where it may be abridged. All citation methods prefer direct rather than indirect sources. From there, you would cite it as an individual story in a book, similar to the way you would cite a chapter in a textbook.
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  • Question
    My textbook contains different excerpts of literature. When quoting, do I reference Homer, the original author, or the textbook author?
    Community Answer
    If you are quoting the story itself, you would reference Homer, since Homer is the author of the words you are quoting. Try to find a direct source rather than quoting the textbook's quote.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/book-references
      2. ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/basic-principles/parenthetical-versus-narrative
      3. ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/creating-reference-list.pdf
      4. ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/creating-reference-list.pdf
      5. ↑ https://style.mla.org/works-cited/citations-by-format/
      6. ↑ https://style.mla.org/authored-chapters-coauthored-works/
      7. ↑ https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/
      8. ↑ https://libguides.uwf.edu/c.php?g=1167515&p=8525501
      9. ↑ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
      1. ↑ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
      2. ↑ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html
      3. ↑ https://pitt.libguides.com/citationhelp
      4. ↑ https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-elements-book
      5. ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations/no-page-numbers
      6. ↑ https://libguides.jcu.edu.au/apa/books
      7. ↑ https://writing.ku.edu/bibliographies

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To cite a textbook using MLA, start with the author’s last name, then list their first name. Next, provide the title of the book in italics. If you only used a chapter, provide the chapter title in quotation marks. Then, note the publication information, including the city where the book was published, the name of the publisher, and the year of publication. Finally, note how you accessed the text, for example, "Print," or "Internet." For information on how to use APA and Chicago style, keep reading!

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