How do I List a Book in APA Formatting?

Writers use the APA (American Psychological Association) style typically in the social sciences such as psychology, sociology and anthropology. APA style originated within the scientific community to increase reading comprehension and precision while keeping "clear and consistent presentation of written material," according to the APA. Unlike other styles, APA focuses on graphical and analytical information, the explicit reporting of critical information and a clear presentation of scientific facts and experiments.

Things You'll Need

  • Book's author/authors (preferable) or editor
  • Book's publication year
  • Book's title
  • Book's place of publication
  • Book's publisher
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Instructions

  1. Citing the Book

    • 1

      Write the author's or authors' name beginning with the last name. Follow the last name with a comma and then write the initials of the author's first and (if used) middle name, including periods. If there are multiple authors, list them in alphabetical order with each separated by a comma. If there are more than seven authors, follow the sixth listed author with an ellipsis and follow it with the final author in the series.

    • 2

      Write the year the book was published after the author's name. Place this date in parentheses and follow it with a period and a space.

    • 3

      Write the full title of the book, including subtitles. Underline (if handwriting) or italicize (if typing) the title, including subtitles. Capitalize only the first word of the title, the first word of a subtitle, the first word after a colon or dash and proper nouns. Follow the title with a period and a space.

    • 4

      Record the location where the book was published using the standard City, State format. Use the two letter postal abbreviations for the name of the state (ex: NY, PA, MA). Follow the location with a colon and two spaces.

    • 5
      The publisher is an important part of citing a book in APA style.

      Record the publisher of the work after the location and end the citation with a period.

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