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APA Book Chapter Citation

Cite a chapter from an edited book in APA format.

Journal article
Example result
Watson, J. D., & Crick, F. H. C. (1953). Molecular structure of nucleic acids: A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid. Nature, 171(4356), 737–738. https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0
Source data complete
APA 7th
Watson, James D., and Francis H. C. Crick. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature, vol. 171, no. 4356, 1953, pp. 737–738. DOI: 10.1038/171737a0.
Source data complete
APA 7th
Watson, James D., and Francis H. C. Crick. 1953. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature 171 (4356): 737–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.
Source data complete

APA Format for Book Chapter References
7th Edition

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Author (of the chapter)
  • List the chapter’s author(s) in the order shown in the chapter.
  • Format each author as last name followed by initials (e.g., Smith, J. A.).
  • For 2–20 authors, separate names with commas and use “&” before the final author.
  • For 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, insert an ellipsis (…), then add the final author.
Year
  • Use the year of publication of the edited book (the source that contains the chapter).
  • If no date is available, use (n.d.).
Title of chapter
  • Write the chapter title in sentence case (capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns).
  • The chapter title is not italicized.
  • End the chapter title with a period.
Editor(s)
  • After the chapter title, add In and then list the editor(s) of the book.
  • Format editors as initials followed by last name (e.g., E. E. Editor).
  • Use (Ed.) for one editor, and (Eds.) for two or more editors.
  • Place a comma after the editor section (after “(Ed.)” or “(Eds.)”).
Title of book
  • Write the book title in italics and use sentence case.
  • If the book is not the first edition, include the edition in parentheses right after the title (e.g., (2nd ed.)). The edition is not italicized.
Page range
  • Include the chapter’s page range in parentheses after the book title.
  • Use pp. before the page range (e.g., (pp. 25–38)).
  • Place the page range section before the publisher.
Publisher
  • List the publisher’s name only (do not include the publisher location).
  • If the author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher name.
DOI or URL
  • If a DOI is available for the chapter (or for the book in a way that specifically identifies the chapter), include it as a URL (e.g., https://doi.org/...).
  • If there is no DOI and the chapter was accessed online with a stable URL that works for readers, include the URL.
  • If there is no DOI and the content was accessed from a database or source where the URL will not work for most readers, omit the URL.

APA Book Chapter Examples

Use this format only for chapters from edited books (chapters written by different authors). If the book is authored (all chapters by the same author(s)), APA recommends citing the whole book instead.

One chapter author (basic)

Start with the chapter author, then add In + editor(s) + book title + page range.
Example:
Darwin, C. (1964). Natural selection. In B. Campbell (Ed.), Human evolution (pp. 125–130). Aldine.

Two chapter authors + multiple editors + volume

Use “&” between two chapter authors. For the book, list all editors and use “(Eds.)”. Put volume and pages in the same parentheses.
Example:
Platt, M. D., & Glimcher, P. W. (2013). The neural basis of decision making. In K. N. Ochsner & S. M. Kosslyn (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of cognitive neuroscience (Vol. 1, pp. 321–344). Oxford University Press.

eBook chapter with DOI

If the chapter has a DOI, include it at the end as a URL (preferred). Do not add a period after the DOI.
Example:
Schneider, Z. (2019). Clinical reasoning. In J. Crisp, C. Douglas, G. Rebeiro, & D. Waters (Eds.), Potter & Perry’s fundamentals of nursing (5th ed., pp. 486–515). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
Replace the DOI above with the exact DOI from your source. If no DOI exists, use the chapter’s URL only when the chapter is available online.

Organization as chapter author

If a chapter is authored by an organization, put the organization name in the author position.
Example:
World Health Organization. (2018). Risk communication. In S. A. Rasmussen & J. E. Goodman (Eds.), Public health emergency preparedness (pp. 77–92). Springer.

No chapter author

If a chapter truly has no author, move the chapter title to the author position. (If the book is authored, cite the whole book instead.)
Example:
Introduction. (2016). In T. S. Author (Ed.), Title of edited book (pp. 1–6). Publisher.
Use this only when the chapter/section is genuinely unsigned. If you can identify an author (person or organization), use that author instead.

In-Text Citations

In APA style, in-text citations for a book chapter are based on the chapter author, not the editor or the book title. APA uses two in-text formats: parenthetical citations (author and year in parentheses) and narrative citations (author as part of the sentence).

Basic citation styles

Parenthetical citation

The chapter author and year appear together in parentheses.

The concept has been widely discussed (Smith, 2020).

Narrative citation

The chapter author appears in the sentence; the year follows in parentheses.

Smith (2020) explains this concept in detail.

Two Authors

Parenthetical citation

List both chapter authors, joined by an ampersand (&).

(Smith & Johnson, 2019)

Narrative citation

Use “and” between authors when they appear in the sentence.

Smith and Johnson (2019)

Three or More Authors

Parenthetical citation

Use the first chapter author’s surname followed by “et al.”

(Garcia et al., 2021)

Narrative citation

Use “et al.” after the first author in the sentence.

Garcia et al. (2021)

Organization as Author

Parenthetical citation

Use the full name of the organization that authored the chapter.

(World Health Organization, 2020)

Narrative citation

Spell out the organization name when it appears in the sentence.

World Health Organization (2020)

No Author

Parenthetical citation

Use the chapter title in quotation marks when no author is listed.

("Cognitive Development," 2018)

Narrative citation

Start the sentence with the chapter title, followed by the year.

"Cognitive Development" (2018)

Citing Specific Pages in a Chapter

Parenthetical citation

Include the chapter page number or range after the year.

(Smith, 2020, pp. 45–47)

Narrative citation

Place the page number after the year in parentheses.

Smith (2020, p. 46) argues that…

Chapter vs. Whole Book

Citing a chapter

Use the chapter author’s name, even if the book has editors.

(Smith, 2020)

Citing the entire book

Use the book author or editor only when the whole book is cited.

(Brown, 2019)

Same Author, Same Year (a, b)

Parenthetical citation

Add letters after the year to distinguish chapters by the same author.

(Smith, 2020a)

(Smith, 2020b)

Narrative citation

Use the same lettered year format in the sentence.

Smith (2020a)

Smith (2020b)

Multiple Chapters in One Citation

Parenthetical citation

List chapter citations alphabetically and separate them with semicolons.

(Brown, 2018; Smith, 2020)

Narrative citation

Typically handled by discussing each chapter in separate sentences.

Quick Checklist

Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Mistake 1

Citing the editor as the author

In APA, a book chapter reference starts with the chapter author. The editor belongs in the In … (Ed./Eds.) part, not at the beginning.

Wrong

✕ Brown, T. (Ed.). (2020). Chapter title. In Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Correct

✓ Smith, J. L. (2020). Chapter title. In T. Brown (Ed.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Mistake 2

Italicizing the chapter title

In APA, the chapter title is not italicized. The book title is italicized.

Wrong

✕ Smith, J. (2020). Chapter title. In T. Brown (Ed.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Correct

✓ Smith, J. (2020). Chapter title. In T. Brown (Ed.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Mistake 3

Using Title Case for chapter or book titles

APA uses sentence case for both chapter titles and book titles. Only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.

Wrong

✕ Smith, J. (2020). How People Learn Best. In T. Brown (Ed.), The Psychology Of Learning (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Correct

✓ Smith, J. (2020). How people learn best. In T. Brown (Ed.), The psychology of learning (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Mistake 4

Leaving out “In” before the editor and book title

Book chapters include the container information after the chapter title, starting with In, followed by the editor(s) and the italicized book title.

Wrong

✕ Smith, J. (2020). Chapter title. T. Brown (Ed.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Correct

✓ Smith, J. (2020). Chapter title. In T. Brown (Ed.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Mistake 5

Using the wrong editor label (Ed./Eds.)

Use (Ed.) for one editor and (Eds.) for multiple editors. The label appears right after the editor name(s).

Wrong

✕ In T. Brown, L. Green (Ed.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Correct

✓ In T. Brown & L. Green (Eds.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Mistake 6

Forgetting the chapter page range

For a chapter in an edited book, APA includes the chapter page range in parentheses after the book title (and edition, if any).

Wrong

✕ Smith, J. (2020). Chapter title. In T. Brown (Ed.), Book title. Publisher.

Correct

✓ Smith, J. (2020). Chapter title. In T. Brown (Ed.), Book title (pp. 12–28). Publisher.

Mistake 7

Adding the publisher location

APA 7th removed cities and countries. List the publisher name only.

Wrong

✕ Publisher, New York, NY.

Correct

✓ Publisher.

Mistake 8

Adding a DOI/URL when it’s not needed (or formatting it incorrectly)

Include a DOI or URL only when the chapter (or the book) is read online. If a DOI exists, use it in URL format (no “DOI:” label).

Wrong

✕ DOI: 10.1234/abcd.5678

Correct

✓ https://doi.org/10.1234/abcd.5678

APA Book Chapter Citation FAQ

For a chapter in an edited book, the reference begins with the chapter author and year. Then include the chapter title, followed by “In”, the editor names with (Ed.) or (Eds.), the italicized book title, the chapter page range, and the publisher.

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of the book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.

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