Author, A. A. (Year). *Title of work*. Publisher.
Let's break this down and look at examples:
Basic Format (One Author):
* Author's Last Name, A. A. (This is the author's surname followed by their initials.)
* (Year). (The year of publication in parentheses.)
* *Title of work*. (The title of the book is italicized.)
* Publisher. (The name of the publisher. If there is more than one publisher, list only the first.)
Example:
Smith, J. (2023). *The psychology of learning*. Oxford University Press.
Format with Multiple Authors (Up to 20 authors):
List all authors' last names and initials, separating each author's name with an ampersand (&).
Example (2 authors):
Jones, A. B., & Brown, C. D. (2022). *Effective communication strategies*. McGraw-Hill Education.
Example (3 or more authors):
Garcia, M. L., Rodriguez, P., & Hernandez, R. (2021). *Spanish linguistics: A comprehensive guide*. Cambridge University Press.
Format with an Editor or Translator:
If the work is edited or translated, indicate this after the title.
Example (Edited Book):
Johnson, L. (Ed.). (2020). *The future of technology*. Springer.
Example (Translated Book):
Freud, S. (2019). *The interpretation of dreams* (J. Strachey, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Note that the translator's name is in parentheses after the title, including a "Trans.")
Format with Edition:
If it's not the first edition, include the edition number after the title.
Example:
Williams, S. (2018). *Introduction to statistics* (2nd ed.). Pearson.
Additional Information (Optional but Recommended):
* DOI: If the book has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), include it after the publisher information. DOIs are often found on the book's title page or online. Example: ...Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198808453.001.0001
* Location: If a DOI is not available, you may include the location of the publisher (city, state). This is less common now with online access.
Important Notes:
* Italicize the book title but not the publisher name.
* Capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the title and subtitle, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.
* Use a hanging indent for the reference. This means the first line of the reference is flush left, and subsequent lines are indented. Most word processors can automatically create hanging indents.
Remember to always double-check your referencing against your institution's style guide or the official APA style manual for the most accurate and up-to-date information.