Citing books correctly in APA format is a fundamental part of academic writing. It not only strengthens your work by backing up your ideas with credible sources, but also ensures you’re giving proper credit where it’s due. But when it comes to books, especially eBooks, edited volumes, or reprints, the rules can get a bit nuanced.
Knowing how to APA cite book sources with accuracy can make a real difference in the quality and credibility of your writing. In this guide, I’ll take you through a clear, step-by-step approach to citing books from creating references by hand to using reliable citation tools and formatting them cleanly in WPS Office.
Quick APA Guide – How to Cite a Book in APA Format (7th Edition)
APA book citations might seem simple at first glance, but the details can get surprisingly specific. The way authors are listed, how titles are styled, and even the punctuation all follow a set structure. Over time, I’ve found that having a simple, go-to format makes a big difference particularly when switching between printed books, eBooks, and edited volumes. Let’s start with the basics. The general format for citing a book in APA style (7th edition) is:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book: Subtitle if applicable. Publisher.
Pretty easy, right? But let’s take a look at the special cases you’re likely to encounter.
Book Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
One Author (Print) | Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Publisher. | King, S. (2011). 11/22/63. Scribner. |
Two Authors | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title. Publisher. | Brown, D., & Wilson, L. (2018). Data science basics. TechWorld. |
eBook | Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Publisher. https://xxxxx | Johnson, M. (2019). Digital minds. Online Books. https://digitalminds.io |
Edited Book | Editor, A. A. (Ed.). (Year). Title. Publisher. | Green, T. (Ed.). (2015). Modern psychology. BrainHouse. |
Chapter in Edited Book | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In Editor, B. B. (Ed.), Title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. | Adams, R. (2017). Memory and trauma. In P. Nelson (Ed.), Clinical psychology (pp. 44–58). HealthBooks. |
Reprint | Author, A. A. (Year of Original Work). Title. (Reprint Year). Publisher. | Freud, S. (1899). The interpretation of dreams. (1953). Basic Books. |
No Author | Title. (Year). Publisher. | The Oxford Dictionary of Science. (2020). Oxford Press. |
How to Format APA Book Citations in WPS Word
Typing out a citation is one thing, making it look right on the page is another. APA style has specific formatting rules that go beyond just the text itself. Things like italics, line spacing, and hanging indents all play a role in creating a clean, professional reference list. WPS Office gives you all the tools you need to format an APA citation for a book correctly. From italics to hanging indents, each part can be styled easily without installing extra plugins.
Step 1: Launch the WPS Office application and select “Docs” to open WPS Writer. This is where you’ll be entering and formatting your APA book citation.
Step 2: Enter the citation using the correct APA structure as discussed in the above part. Once it’s typed out, highlight the entire citation so you can apply formatting in the next steps. For example, you might type something like:
King, S. (2011). 11/22/63. Scribner.
Step 3: APA style requires book titles to be italicized. Highlight just the title portion of your citation, then click the I icon in the top menu to apply italics. Leave the other details in regular font.
Step 4: Once you’ve italicized the title, go ahead and highlight all the entries. Then, right-click the highlighted section and choose “Paragraph” from the context menu.
Step 5: In the Paragraph window, set up the formatting like this:
Under Line spacing, choose “Multiple” from the dropdown, and type 2 in the box next to it.
Under Indentation, set “Special” to Hanging and enter 0.5 inches in the “By” box.
Step 6: Still under the “Home” tab, choose Arial from the font menu, and set the size to 12. This ensures consistency with APA guidelines.
Step 7: Highlight the formatted citation, click on “Styles”, and select “New Style”. Give it a clear name as saving your APA reference citation book format like this means you won’t have to repeat these steps every time
Use Citation Tools to Generate Book References Automatically
If you’re short on time or dealing with multiple sources, using citation generators is a smart way to handle the problem ‘how to cite book APA’ without missing the small formatting details. These tools are designed to follow the latest APA rules and can quickly generate clean, ready-to-copy book references with just a few clicks. They’re one of the easiest ways to APA cite book sources without missing a detail.
Tool | Features | Pros | Cons | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
MyBib | Free APA generator, browser plugin, exports in Word format | Simple interface, no ads | Limited advanced customization | |
BibMe | Supports multiple citation styles, APA 7 compliant | Offers quick corrections | Some features require sign-up | |
Citation Machine | Easy fill-in-the-blank templates for books and chapters | Fast and beginner-friendly | Occasional formatting glitches |
FAQs About APA Book Citation
1. Do I need to italicize the title of the book in APA?
Yes, always. Book titles in APA style should be italicized, not underlined or placed in quotation marks.
2. How do I cite a book with two or more authors?
Use an ampersand between the last two names:
Smith, J., & Lee, M. (2021). Global economics. World Press.
3. What if the book has no author?
Put the title in the author’s place:
The Oxford Dictionary of Science. (2020). Oxford Press.
4. Can I use WPS Word to format APA citations?
Absolutely. WPS Word supports italics, hanging indents, spacing, and even lets you save citation styles for later use.
