How to Cite a Book in MLA, APA, and Chicago Styles?

Following a specific citation style is crucial for academic researchers. They must follow a style to acknowledge the real source of information and give credit for the ideas and information where it is due.

In addition, correctly citing the references is essential for researchers, whether students or scholars, to help readers locate the referenced material and validate the research.

Moreover, citing the authors in a particular style also helps researchers avoid plagiarism. Usually, some researchers do actual research and follow the guidelines regarding academic integrity and plagiarism. Still, their work is full of plagiarism. 

The plagiarism checker points out which portions are plagiarized and need some modifications. Plagiarism checkers these days are very sophisticated, and they can determine whether a text is an original work. They show plagiarism when researchers do not properly cite their sources of information. Therefore, following a citation is also essential to avoid plagiarism.

This short but comprehensive guide will enlighten you on how to cite a book in the most commonly used and accepted citation styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago.

Let’s explore how to cite sources in these referencing styles!

 

How to Cite a Book in MLA Style 9th Edition?

 

Citing a book in MLA style 9th Edition is very simple, and researchers can quickly learn how to cite the books. However, there are many issues with citing books. For example, there are different kinds of books, and each book could have a different number of authors. Moreover, they could have many other variations that make it difficult for researchers to memorize each of them and follow the perfect structure every time they cite a source.

However, this guide will separately mention everything to help you avoid any confusion while citing the sources in MLA 9th Edition.

 

1. Cite a Book with One Author

When citing a book with a single author in MLA is quite simple. The in-text citation remains almost the same in most cases. It includes the author’s last name and the page number/numbers indicating the discussion.

 

In-Text: (Author’s last name Page number)

 

Example: Most people who fall into the category of intellectuals are privileged people; otherwise, they would not be in this category (Chomsky 5).

 

In this example, Chomsky is the author’s last name, and 5 is the page number.

On the other hand, mentioning the sources in the bibliography takes much work. Here is the format for that;

 

References: Last name of the author, First name. Title of the Book. Publisher name, Publication Date.

 

Example: Chomsky, Noam. Chomsky: A New World in Our Hearts. PM Press, 2022.

 

 

2. Cite a Book with Two Authors

 

Citing a book with two authors is also very simple. If you know the formatting style for one author, you will not find any difficulty learning it.

 

In-text: (Last name of the first author and last name of the second author page number)

 

Example: Write the last names of both authors and connect them with “and” and mention the page number at last (Marcus and Flintoff 78-79).

 

References: Last name of the first author, First name, And Last name of the second author, First name. Book Title. Publisher name, Publication Date.

 

Example: Marcus, Richard, and Andrew Flintoff. How to Cite Two Authors. XYZ Press. 2023.

 

3. Cite a Book with Three or More Authors

 

Citing a book with three authors is not much difficult. In fact, it is easier and quicker than two authors, where researchers do not need to mention everyone’s names.

 

In-text: (Last name of the first author, et al Page number).

 

Example: Some people tend to criticize Governments no matter what they do (Fernandez et al).

 

References: Write the last name of the author, First name. Book Title. Publisher name, Publication Date.

 

Example: Fernandez, Austin, et al. How to Cite Three Authors. XYZ Press. 2023.

 

 

4. Cite a Book by an Organization

 

When citing a book published by an organization, you do not need to worry. It is also effortless to cite it and does not include any complexities.

 

In-text: (Name of the organization Page number)

 

Example: COVID-19 had severe effects on the world (XYZ Organization13)

 

References: Name of the organization. Book title. Publisher, Publication Date.

 

Example: XYZ Organization. How to Cite a Book by an Organization. XYZ Press, 2023.

 

How to Cite a Book in APA 7th Edition?

 

As mentioned, the APA style is common in social sciences like Mass Communication, Sociology, Psychology, etc. It is prevalent these days. Most universities and journals accept the 7th Edition of APA citation style. 

 

Therefore, those who research in any social sciences area must learn to cite sources in APA style 7th Edition. Otherwise, they could make some mistakes in reference writing that could cost them a lot. Here is how to mention different types of books in APA style;

 

1. Cite a Book with One Author

 

Like MLA 9th edition, citing one author is simplest in this style. Anyone with zero knowledge of this style can quickly learn and never forget it.

 

In-text: (Last name of the author, Year of publication, p. Page number)

 

Example: The class difference creates poverty (Hales, 2023, p. 312).

 

References: Last name of the author, First name. (Year of publication). Book Title in Italics. Publisher name.

 

Example: Johnson, Andrew. (2022). Cite a Book with One Author. XYZ Press.

 

2. Cite a Book with Two Authors

 

When you cite a book with two authors, you need to mention both authors’ names in both in-text and references. Let’s see how you can do it.

 

In-Text: (Last name of the first author & Last name of the second author, Year of publication, p. Page number).

 

Example: Human race has pressed the self-destruction button of the planet (Bell & Cook, 2023, p. 32).

 

References: Last name of the first author, First name., & Last name of the second author, First name. (Year). Book Title. Publisher name.

 

Example: Allister, Bell., & Ian Cook. (2023). Cite a Book with Two Authors. XYZ Press.

 

3. Cite a Book with Three or More Authors

 

The method of citing a book with three or more authors in APA is quite similar to MLA, as there is no need to mention all the authors. Instead, mentioning the last name of the first author is enough.

 

In-Text: (Last name of the first author, et al, Year of publication, p. Page number).

 

Example: Creative writing requires excellent observation skills (McAllister, et al., 2023, p. 23).

 

References: Last name of the first author, First name. (Year). Book Title. Publisher.

 

Example: McAllister, Graham. (2023). Cite a Book with Three or More Authors. XYZ Press.

 

4. Cite a Book by an Organization

 

Citing a book written by an organization is not difficult at all. It is all about writing the organization’s name instead of the author’s.

 

In-Text: (Name of the organization, Year of publication, p. page number)

 

Example: AI will transform how we do business (XYZ Organization, 2023, p. 135).

 

References: Name of the organization. (Year of Publication). Book Title. XYZ Press.

 

Example: XYZ Organization. (2023). Cite a Book Written by an Organization. XYZ. Press.

 

How to Cite a Book in Chicago Style 17th Edition?

 

Chicago style is also quite common in many universities and disciplines. That is why researchers and students must also know about it. Although this citation style is simple to learn, many need to learn about it. However, this guide will help you learn how to cite different types of books in this referencing style.

 

1. Cite a Book with One Author

 

In-Text: (Author’s last name Year of publication, Page number)

 

Example: Lack of quality in education is why most students fail to succeed in their lives (Sharma 2023, 7).

 

References: Last name, First name. Year of publication. Book Title. City of publication. Publisher.

 

Example: Sharma, Rohit. 2023. Cite a Book with One Author. London. XYZ Press.

 

2. Cite a Book with Two Authors

 

Here is how you cite a book with two authors in Chicago style 17th Edition.

 

In-Text: (First author’s Last name and Second author’s last name, Year of publication, Page number).

 

Example: Wars create problems instead of solving them (Gibbs and Smith 2023, 73).

 

References: First author’s last name, Initial of the first name., and Second author’s last name, Initial of the first name. Year of publication. Book Title. City of publication. Publisher.

 

Example: Gibbs, H. and Smith, G. 2023. Cite a Book with Two Authors in Chicago Style. London. XYZ Press.

 

3. Cite a Book with Three or More Authors

 

Let us look at the method of citing a book with three or more authors.

 

In-Text: (First author’s last name et al. Year of publication, Page number)

 

Example: Pollution is a bigger problem than terrorism (Ponting et al. 2023. 25).

 

References: First author’s last name, First name., Second author’s last name, first name., Third author’s last name, First name., Year of publication. Book Title. City of publication. Publisher

 

Example: Ponting, Adam., Gilchrist, Ricky., and McGrath, Shaun. 2023. Cite a Book with Three Authors in Chicago Style. Perth. XYZ. Press.