Quotation or citation of a book is done so as to give the author due credit for his/her work, or to show that the presented information is credible. This Penlighten article explains the various ways in which a book can be quoted.
Did You Know?
The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, first published by the Oxford University Press in 1941, is the most widely referred book for citation purposes all over the world. In 2009, it was in its 7th edition, with a volume of over 1100 pages and containing as many as 20,000 quotations.
Quotation or citation is done to show the readers that the specific information has been taken from another source. It is done when direct quotes of more than one word are used, when the author’s idea is used to make a point (summarizing or paraphrasing), when using statistical information, or to show that the provided information is credible. Books are usually quoted in an essay, in a research paper, in a thesis, etc.
There are various styles in which a book can be quoted. These include MLA, APA, AAA, Chicago (CMS), which are used for anthropology and ethnography, CSE which is used for biological science, AMA which is used for nursing, dentistry, biomedical, and medical sciences, ACS which is used for chemistry, and IEEE and ASCE which are used for engineering documentation. However, the most commonly used styles are:
APA Style
APA format is the official style used by the American Psychological Association, and is commonly used to cite sources in psychology, education, and social sciences. The basic format has the last name of the author, initials of the first and middle names, the title in italics, year in which it was published, and publisher information.
Basic Format
Last, F. (Year Published) Book title. City, State: Publisher.
Example
Clark, R. (2014). Types of gases. San Francisco, CA: Mills Publications.
How to Cite a Book in Print in APA
In APA style, the author’s last name appears first, followed by first and middle initials. If the book has more than one author, the names are separated with a comma, and “&” is used before the last author. If the book has editor(s), “(Ed.)” or “(Eds.)” is used. If the book has no author, the book title appears before the date. If the date is not available, “(n.d.)” is used. Only the title’s first word and the proper nouns are capitalized in APA style. To list the page numbers, “p.” is used for one page, and “pp.” is used for two or more pages.
Book With No Author
Book title. (Year Published). City: Publisher.
Types of gases. (2014). San Francisco, CA: Mills Publications.
Book With One Author
Last, F. (Year Published). Book title. City: Publisher.
Clark, R. (2014). Types of gases. San Francisco, CA: Mills Publications.
Book With More Than One Authors
Last, F. M., Last, F. M., Last, F. M., et al.
Clark R., Collins P., Thompson M., et al. (2014). Types of gases. San Francisco, CA: Mills Publications.
Book With Author and Editor
Author. (Year). Title of book. In Editor. (Ed.), Title of Collection (pp. 25 – 37). City: Publisher.
Clark, R. (2014). Types of gases. In S. Mitchell. (Ed.), Types of Greenhouse Gases (pp. 25 – 37). San Francisco, CA: Mills Publications.
Book With Editor as Author
Editor (Last name, First name). (Ed.).
Mitchell, S. (Ed.). (2014). Types of gases. San Francisco, CA: Mills Publications.
Book With More Than One Editors
(Last name, First name)., (Last name, First name)., (Last name, First name)., & (Last name, First name). (Eds.).
Michell, S., Lee, S., Kennedy, J. (Eds.). (2014). Types of gases. San Francisco, CA: Mills Publications.
How to Cite a Book Online in APA
When ciiting a book online, the DOI (digital object identifier) should be used whenever possible. The DOI is generally available at the beginning or end of an online document. Most of them start with “http://dx.doi.org/”.
Clark, R. (2012, October 5). Types of Gases. Retrieved from http://typesofgases.mlb.com
How to Cite a Book from a Database in APA
When citing the book from a database, mention the DOI of the article. If it is not mentioned, use the periodical’s homepage URL. If no DOI is provided, use the publisher’s homepage URL. Direct links to information about specific periodical articles or books should not be used, as these links are not static. If no website for the publisher or periodical exists, you can use the database’s homepage URL. In APA, the DOI is mentioned after the book title.
Clark, R. (2012, October 5). Types of gases. Retrieved from http://www.infobasepublishing.com
MLA STYLE
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is used in various humanities disciplines like English studies, foreign literature and studies, cultural studies, literary criticism, and comparative literature. The general format of MLA style begins with the author’s name (last name, first name), and is followed by the book’s title in italics, and publisher information.
Basic Format
Last, First. Book Title. City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Example
Jones, William. Live Your Life. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
How to Cite a Book in Print in MLA
For citing a book in print in MLA style, start with the author’s name (last name, first name), the book’s title in italics along with the publisher’s information. The author’s name, the book title, and the publisher information should all be followed by a period. If the book has a subtitle, it should also be italicized, and follow the title after a semicolon.
Book. City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Live Your Life. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
Book With One Author
Last, First. Book. City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Jones, William. Live Your Life. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
Book With More Than One Author
First author (Last name, First name), Second author (First name, Last name).Title. City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Jones, William, with Anna Roberts. Live Your Life. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
Book With Author “With” Others
Author (Last name, First name), with Person 1 (First name, Last name) and with Person 2 (First name, Last name). Title. City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Jones, William, with Anna Roberts and John Miller. Live Your Life. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
Book With Author and Editor
Last name, First name. Title. Ed. (Editor – First Name, Last name). City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Jones, William. Live Your Life. Ed. Chris Reynolds. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
OR
(Editor – Last name, First Name), ed. Title. By (Author – First Name, Last Name). City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Reynolds, Chris, ed. Live Your Life. By William Jones. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
Book With a Subtitle
Last, First M. Book: Subtitle. City: Publisher, Year Published. Print.
Live Your Life: Your Guide to Have it All. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Print.
How to Cite a Book Online in MLA
Quoting an online book is quite similar to quoting a book in print. Make sure you add as much original publication information as possible, followed by the electronic publication information. This should include the site’s name, the editor of the site (if available), the date of publication or date accessed, and the URL.
Jones, William. Live Your Life. New York: Miller Press, 2014. Google Books. Web. 3 Feb. 2014. < http://books.google.com >
How to Cite a Book from a Database in MLA
For quoting a book from a database in MLA style, provide advanced information for the book if it is available. The URLs can be left out, unless the book cannot be found without the URL. Also, include the date when the book was electronically published.
Jones, William. Live Your Life. New York: Miller Press, 2014. NetLibrary. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
CMS STYLE
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) denotes two important things: notes and bibliography, and author-date. While the notes and bibliography style are used for arts, history, and literature, the author-date style is used for physical, natural, and social sciences. CMS is used for manuscript preparation and publication, grammar, and documentation. It is also called the “editors’ bible”. It includes two documentation styles. First is the Notes-Bibliography System (NB), which is used in literature, history, and arts. The second is the Author-Date System, which is used in social sciences.
How to Cite a Book in Print in CMS
The basic format of this style has the author’s name, the book title, and the year of publication. Citation in Chicago Manual of Styles involves two important steps: reference sources through a footnote, and listing the reference sources at the end of the text.
FOOTNOTE
Basic Format
First Last. Book Title (City: Publisher, Year of publication), Page.
Example
Jeff Anderson. Handbook of Financing (Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014), 265.
REFERENCE
Basic Format
Last, First. Book Title. City: Publisher, Year of publication.
Example
Anderson, Jeff. Handbook of Financing. Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014.
Book With One Author
FOOTNOTE
First Last. Book Title (City: Publisher, Year of publication), Page.
Jeff Anderson. Handbook of Financing (Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014), 265.
(Anderson 2014, 265)
REFERENCE
Last, First. Book Title. City: Publisher, Year of publication.
Anderson, Jeff. Handbook of Financing. Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014.
More Than One Author
FOOTNOTE
First author First name Last name and second author First name Last name, Title of Book (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), Page
Jeff Anderson, and Brian Phillips. Handbook of Financing (Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014), 341.
(Anderson and Phillips 2014, 341)
REFERENCE
First author Last name, First name, and second author First name Last name. Title: Subtitle. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Anderson, Jeff, and Brian Phillips. Handbook of Financing. Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014.
Book With Editor as Author
FOOTNOTE
Editor First name, Last name, ed, Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, date of publication).
Example: Sarah Johnson, ed, The Handbook of Financing (Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014), 90-97.
(Johnson 2014, 90-97)
REFERENCE
Editor Last name, First name, ed. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
Example: Johnson, Sarah, ed. Handbook of Financing. Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014.
How to Cite an eBook in CMS
When citing a book in CMS, make sure you add as much original publication information as possible, followed by the electronic publication information. This should include the site’s name, the editor of the site (if available), the date of publication or date accessed, and the URL. In CMS, an eBook is quoted as follows:
Anderson, Jeff. The Handbook of Financing. Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014. Kindle HDX edition.
(Anderson 2014)
How to Cite an eBook From a Database in CMS
When citing a book from database in CMS, mention the DOI of the article. If it is not mentioned, use the periodical’s homepage URL. If no DOI is provided for an eBook, use the publisher’s homepage URL. Direct links to information about specific periodical articles or books should not be used, as these links are not static. If no website for the publisher or periodical exists, you can use the database’s homepage URL. In CMS, the DOI is added at the end of the citation after the publishing year.
Example: Anderson, Jeff. The Handbook of Financing. Cambridge: Green Tree Publishing, 2014. doi:10.1536/938-0-8213-3143-1.
When citing a book, make sure that you maintain the same style and format throughout the work. The key to citing is to present enough information for the reader to find the cited work easily.