An APA book citation follows the format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. This APA book citation generator creates properly formatted APA 7th edition citations for books automatically. Enter an ISBN for auto-fill, or input author, year, title, publisher, and edition manually. The tool handles multiple authors, editions, DOIs, and the current 2026 APA standard.
How to Cite a Book in APA Format
Citing a book in APA format requires four core elements: Author, Year, Title, and Publisher. The APA 7th edition (published 2020) simplified book citations by removing the publisher location (city and state) that was required in the 6th edition. This APA book citation generator applies all current rules automatically.
The standard APA book citation format is:
APA Book Citation Examples
| Scenario | APA 7th Edition Citation |
|---|---|
| Single author | Brown, A. J. (2022). Research methods in psychology. Oxford University Press. |
| Two authors | Smith, J., & Jones, R. (2023). Modern economics. Pearson Education. |
| With edition | Williams, K. (2021). Statistics for behavioral sciences (4th ed.). Cengage Learning. |
| With DOI | Lee, P. (2020). Digital transformation. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz |
| Edited book | Taylor, M. R. (Ed.). (2023). Advances in cognitive science. Academic Press. |
| No author | Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster. |
APA Book Citation Rules: Key Points
- Title formatting: Italicize the full book title. Use sentence case — capitalize only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon.
- No publisher location: APA 7th edition removed city/state/country from book citations. Just include the publisher name.
- Edition notation: Include edition in parentheses after the title: (2nd ed.). Do not indicate "1st edition" — only 2nd and above.
- DOI over URL: If a book has a DOI, always include it as https://doi.org/10.xxxx. Prefer DOI over database URLs.
- Multiple authors: List up to 20 authors. Use an ampersand (&) before the last author. For 21+, list first 19, ellipsis, then last.
- Edited volumes: Use (Ed.) for one editor and (Eds.) for multiple editors after the name(s).
When to Use This APA Book Citation Generator
Use this APA book citation generator whenever you reference a book, textbook, e-book, or edited volume in an academic paper requiring APA format. The tool handles single-author books, multi-author books, edited volumes, specific editions, and books with DOIs.
For other source types, use our dedicated generators:
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite a book in APA format?
To cite a book in APA 7th edition format, use: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. For example: Brown, A. J. (2022). Research methods in psychology. Oxford University Press. Italicize the book title and use sentence case. If the book has a DOI, add it at the end as a full URL: https://doi.org/10.xxxx.
How do I cite a book with multiple authors in APA?
For two authors: Smith, J., & Jones, R. (2023). Title. Publisher. For 3–20 authors, list all names with an ampersand before the last: Smith, J., Jones, R., & Lee, P. (2023). Title. Publisher. For 21+ authors, list the first 19, then an ellipsis, then the last author. In-text: use (Smith & Jones, 2023) for two; (Smith et al., 2023) for three or more.
How do I cite an edited book in APA format?
For an entire edited book: Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title of book. Publisher. For two editors: Editor, A. A., & Editor, B. B. (Eds.). For a chapter in an edited book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. X–Y). Publisher. The chapter title is in plain text; the book title is italicized.
Do I include the publisher location in APA book citations?
No. APA 7th edition removed the publisher location requirement. In APA 6th edition, you needed "New York, NY: Publisher." In APA 7th edition, just write the publisher name: Oxford University Press. No city, no state, no country. This change was made to simplify citations since most publishers can be identified by name alone.
How do I cite an e-book or online book in APA?
Cite an e-book the same way as a print book, but add a DOI if available: Author, A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. https://doi.org/10.xxxx. If no DOI exists but the book was accessed online, include the URL. Do not include the e-reader platform (Kindle, Apple Books) or database name (JSTOR) unless the book is only available through that source.
How do I cite a book edition in APA format?
Include the edition number in parentheses after the title, before the period: Author, A. (Year). Title of book (2nd ed.). Publisher. Use ordinal abbreviations: 2nd ed., 3rd ed., 4th ed. The edition notation is not italicized even though it sits within the italicized title. First editions do not need an edition statement.
Is this APA book citation generator free?
Yes, this APA book citation generator is completely free with no signup or paywall. You can generate unlimited APA 7th edition book citations at no cost. Paste an ISBN for instant auto-fill or enter book details manually. The tool formats author names, italicizes titles, and structures your citation per APA 7th edition rules automatically.
How do I cite a book with no author in APA?
When a book has no author, move the title to the author position and italicize it. Example: Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster. For edited books without an author, use the editor in the author position: Brown, K. L. (Ed.). (2022). Title. Publisher. Do not use "Anonymous" unless the book explicitly says "Anonymous."
This free APA book citation generator is maintained for 2026 and follows the APA 7th Edition Publication Manual. Whether you need to cite a textbook, an edited volume, or an e-book with a DOI in APA format, this tool delivers accurate, copy-ready citations instantly.