How to Quote From a Book

Quoting from a book is essential for academic writing, literary analysis, and effective communication of ideas. Proper quotation not only lends credibility to your work but also allows you to engage with and build upon the thoughts of others. However, quoting from a book involves more than simply copying and pasting text.

Effective quoting requires careful selection of relevant passages, accurate transcription, proper formatting, and appropriate citation. It’s about integrating another author’s words into your writing while giving due credit and maintaining the context and integrity of the original text.

How to Cite a Quote from a Book

Citing a quote from a book correctly is crucial for academic integrity and avoiding plagiarism. The specific format for citation depends on the style guide you’re using (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago), but here are the general principles:

In-text citation

When you quote directly from a book, you must include an in-text citation immediately after the quote. This typically includes the author’s last name and the page number where the quote appears.

Examples

APA style: “The quote goes here” (Smith, 2020, p. 45).

MLA style: “The quote goes here” (Smith 45).

Reference list or bibliography

You must also include a full reference to the book in your reference list or bibliography at the end of your paper. This includes more detailed information about the source.

Examples

APA style: Smith, J. (2020). Title of the book. Publisher.

MLA style: Smith, John. Title of the Book. Publisher, 2020.

Quotation marks: Always enclose the direct quote in quotation marks.

Block quotes: Use block quote formatting for longer quotes (usually more than 40 words in APA or 4 lines in MLA). Indent the entire quote and omit quotation marks.

Ellipsis and brackets: Use an ellipsis (…) to indicate omitted words within a quote. Use brackets [ ] to add clarifying information within a quote.

Element	APA Style	MLA Style	Chicago Style
In-text citation	(Author, Year, p. #)	(Author #)	(Author Year, Page)
Example	(Smith, 2020, p. 45)	(Smith 45)	(Smith 2020, 45)
Quotation marks	“Quote”	“Quote”	“Quote”
Block quote threshold	40+ words	4+ lines	100+ words
Block quote format	Indented 0.5″, no quotes	Indented 0.5″, no quotes	Indented 0.5″, smaller font
Reference list format	Author, A. (Year). Title. Publisher.	Author, First Name. Title. Publisher, Year.	Author, First Name. Title. Place: Publisher, Year.
Page numbers in reference	Not included	Not included	Included for some source types

Book Citation Formats

Proper citation of books is crucial in academic writing, ensuring that you credit the original authors and allow readers to locate your sources. The format of book citations varies depending on the style guide you’re following. Here’s an overview of how to cite books in three major citation styles:

APA Style (7th Edition)

In APA format, book citations emphasize the publication date. The basic format is:

Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for the subtitle. Publisher Name.

Example: Smith, J. D. (2020). The Art of Citation: A comprehensive guide to academic writing. Scholarly Press.

Element	Format
Basic Format	Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for the subtitle. Publisher Name.
Example	Smith, J. D. (2020). The art of citation: A comprehensive guide to academic writing. Scholarly Press.
Two Authors	Smith, J. D., & Jones, M. L. (2020).
Three to Twenty Authors	List all authors’ names
More Than Twenty Authors	List the first nineteen, then use an ellipsis (…), and add the last author’s name
Edited Book	Smith, J. D. (Ed.). (2020).
Chapter in Edited Book	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx-xx). Publisher.
E-book	Include DOI if available. If no DOI, include the URL.

MLA Style

MLA format places more emphasis on the author and title. The basic format is:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.

Example: Smith, John D. The Art of Citation: A Comprehensive Guide to Academic Writing. Scholarly Press, 2020.

Element	Format
Basic Format	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Publication Date.
Example	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation: A Comprehensive Guide to Academic Writing. Scholarly Press, 2020.
Two Authors	Smith, John D., and Mary L. Jones.
Three or More Authors	Smith, John D., et al.
Edited Book	Smith, John D., editor. The Art of Citation. Scholarly Press, 2020.
Chapter in Edited Book	Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book, edited by Editor’s Name, Publisher, Year, pp. xx-xx.
E-book	Include the database or website name and URL if no stable URL is available.

Chicago Style

Chicago style offers two citation systems: notes and bibliography (NB) and author-date. For the bibliography format:

Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

Example: Smith, John D. The Art of Citation: A Comprehensive Guide to Academic Writing. New York: Scholarly Press, 2020.

Element	Format
Basic Format	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.
Example	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation: A Comprehensive Guide to Academic Writing. New York: Scholarly Press, 2020.
Multiple Authors (up to ten)	List all authors
More Than Ten Authors	List the first seven, followed by et al.
Edited Book	Smith, John D., ed. The Art of Citation. New York: Scholarly Press, 2020.
Chapter in Edited Book	Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Chapter Title.” In Book Title, edited by Editor’s Name, xx-xx. Place: Publisher, Year.
E-book	Include DOI or URL. For books consulted online, include the access date.

How to Cite an Entire Book

Here’s how to cite an entire book in three major citation styles:

Element	APA Style (7th ed.)	MLA Style (9th ed.)	Chicago Style (17th ed.)
Basic Format	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work: Subtitle. Publisher.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Place: Publisher, Year.
Example	Smith, J. D. (2020). The art of citation: A comprehensive guide. Scholarly Press.	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation: A Comprehensive Guide. Scholarly Press, 2020.	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation: A Comprehensive Guide. New York: Scholarly Press, 2020.
E-book with DOI	Add DOI at the end: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxxx	Not typically included	Add DOI at the end: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxxx
E-book without DOI	Add URL (no “Retrieved from”)	Add database or website name	Add URL and access date
Title Capitalization	Sentence case	Title case	Title case
Publisher Location	Not included	Not included	Included
Hanging Indent	Yes	Yes	Yes

Key points to remember:

• Always include the author’s name, book title, publisher, and year of publication.
• For e-books, include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if available or a URL if no DOI exists.
• Capitalize titles according to the specific style guide rules.
• Pay attention to punctuation and formatting details, as they differ between styles.

How to Cite a Specific Book Edition

Citing a specific book edition is important when the content may vary between editions. Here’s how to cite a specific book edition in three major citation styles:

Element	APA Style (7th ed.)	MLA Style (9th ed.)	Chicago Style (17th ed.)
Basic Format	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of work (nth ed.). Publisher.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Nth ed., Publisher, Year.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Nth ed. Place: Publisher, Year.
Example	Smith, J. D. (2020). The art of citation (3rd ed.). Scholarly Press.	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation. 3rd ed., Scholarly Press, 2020.	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation. 3rd ed. New York: Scholarly Press, 2020.
Edition Abbreviation	ed.	ed. (spelled out: edition)	ed.
Edition Placement	In parentheses after title	After the title, before the publisher	After the title, before the place
Revised Edition	(Rev. ed.)	Revised edition	Rev. ed.
E-book with DOI	Add DOI at the end	Not typically included	Add DOI at the end
Title Capitalization	Sentence case	Title case	Title case
Publisher Location	Not included	Not included	Included

Key points:

• Include the edition number after the title.
• Use “ed.” for the edition in APA and Chicago styles.
• In MLA, spell out “edition” and lowercase it.
• For revised editions, use “Rev. ed.” in APA and Chicago and “Revised edition” in MLA.
• Always follow the most recent guidelines of your chosen style guide.

How to Cite a Book Chapter

Citing a specific chapter from an edited book requires a slightly different format than citing an entire book. Here’s how to cite a book chapter in three major citation styles:

Element	APA Style (7th ed.)	MLA Style (9th ed.)	Chicago Style (17th ed.)
Basic Format	Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor & F. F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pp. xxx-xxx). Publisher.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book, edited by Editor’s Name, Publisher, Year, pp. xx-xx.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” In Title of Book, edited by Editor’s First Name Last Name, page range. Place: Publisher, Year.
Example	Smith, J. D., & Jones, M. L. (2020). The importance of proper citation. In A. Johnson & B. Williams (Eds.), Academic writing guide (pp. 50-75). Scholarly Press.	Smith, John D., and Mary L. Jones. “The Importance of Proper Citation.” Academic Writing Guide, edited by Alan Johnson and Beth Williams, Scholarly Press, 2020, pp. 50-75.	Smith, John D., and Mary L. Jones. “The Importance of Proper Citation.” In Academic Writing Guide, edited by Alan Johnson and Beth Williams, 50-75. New York: Scholarly Press, 2020.
Chapter Title Format	No quotation marks	In quotation marks	In quotation marks
Book Title Format	Italicized	Italicized	Italicized
Editor Format	(Eds.)	edited by	edited by
Page Range Format	(pp. xxx-xxx)	pp. xx-xx	xx-xx
Publisher Location	Not included	Not included	Included

Key points:

• Include the chapter author(s) and the book editor(s).
• Provide the page range for the specific chapter.
• The book title is italicized in APA and Chicago styles, but the chapter title is not.
• In MLA style, the book and chapter titles are in quotation marks.
• Always follow the most recent guidelines of your chosen style guide.

How to Cite an Online Book

Citing an online book follows similar principles to citing a print book, with some additional elements to indicate its online nature. Here’s how to cite an online book in three major citation styles:

Element	APA Style (7th ed.)	MLA Style (9th ed.)	Chicago Style (17th ed.)
Basic Format	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. URL or DOI	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Publisher, Year. Name of Database or Website.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year. URL or DOI.
Example	Smith, J. D. (2020). The art of citation. Scholarly Press. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxxx	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation. Scholarly Press, 2020. Google Books.	Smith, John D. The Art of Citation. New York: Scholarly Press, 2020. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxxx
DOI/URL	Include DOI if available; otherwise, URL	Not typically included	Include DOI if available; otherwise, URL
Database/Website	Not included	Include after-publication info	Not typically included
Access Date	Not included unless content may change	Not included	Include if no publication date
Publisher Location	Not included	Not included	Included
Title Capitalization	Sentence case	Title case	Title case
Hanging Indent	Yes	Yes	Yes

Key points:

• Include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if available; if not, use the URL.
• In APA, do not include “Retrieved from” before the URL unless the content may change.
• In MLA, include the name of the database or website after the publication information.
• In Chicago style, include the access date if no publication date is available.
• Always follow the most recent guidelines of your chosen style guide.

How to Cite a Translated Book

Citing a translated book requires including information about both the original author and the translator. Here’s how to cite a translated book in three major citation styles:

Element	APA Style (7th ed.)	MLA Style (9th ed.)	Chicago Style (17th ed.)
Basic Format	Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (T. Translator, Trans.). Publisher. (Original work published Year)	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Translated by Translator’s Name, Publisher, Year.	Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Translated by Translator’s Name. Place: Publisher, Year.
Example	Piaget, J. (1969). The psychology of the child (H. Weaver, Trans.). Basic Books. (Original work published 1966)	Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of the Child. Translated by Helen Weaver, Basic Books, 1969.	Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of the Child. Translated by Helen Weaver. New York: Basic Books, 1969.
Translator’s Name	(T. Translator, Trans.)	Translated by Translator’s Name	Translated by Translator’s Name
Original Publication Year	Included at end	Not required in the citation	Not required in the citation
Publisher Location	Not included	Not included	Included
Title Capitalization	Sentence case	Title case	Title case
Hanging Indent	Yes	Yes	Yes

Key points:

• Include the translator’s name in all formats.
• In APA, include the original publication year at the end of the citation.
• In MLA and Chicago, you can include the original publication year in the text if relevant, but it’s not required in the citation.
• Always follow the most recent guidelines of your chosen style guide.

Imported from https://nursingbay.com/how-to-quote-from-a-book/