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Referencing in APA 7th Style

How to reference books

Format

Author, N. (Year). Title (Edition.). Publisher. 

 

Components

  • Author(s) surname and initial(s)
  • Year the book was published 
  • Title of the book in italics
  • Edition of the book if it is a subsequent edition (2nd or higher)
  • Name of the publishing company

Examples

First edition of a book

Ackerman, N. (2012). The consulting veterinary nurse. Wiley-Blackwell.

 

Subsequent edition of a book

Srivastava, P. K. (2011). Elementary biophysics (2nd ed.). Alpha Science International.

Format

Author, N. (Year). Title (Edition.). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

 

Components

  • Author(s) surname and initial(s)
  • Year the book was published 
  • Title of the book in italics
  • Edition of the book if it is a subsequent edition (2nd or higher)
  • Name of the publishing company
  • DOI (if there is one) or web address if not accessed via LibrarySearch

 

A DOI, Digital Object Identifier, is a number given to some e-books and journal articles to link it to a permanent web location. It helps to make the source easier to find when added as a https:// link.

If you access an e-book through LibrarySearch then you do not need to include a web address. Only include this for books accessed directly through publisher's own websites where the book is not on LibrarySearch.

 

Examples

An e-book with a DOI

Varmus, M., Kubina, M., & Adámik, R. (2021). Strategic sport management: Sustainability of sports clubs. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66733-7

 

An e-book not in LibrarySearch

White, J. (2015). What’s wrong with private education? UCL IOE Press. https://www.ucl-ioe-press.com/books/schools-and-schooling/whats-wrong-with-private-education/ 

Sometimes each chapter of a book with have a different author(s), with the overall book being compiled by an editor, whose role is to bring all the chapters together to form the overall book.

In these cases it is important to give credit to the author(s) of any individual chapters you use, so the chapter author(s) are used in both the in-text citation and reference list entry. If you use more than one chapter from the same edited book you will need different in-text citations and reference list entries for each chapter.

 

Format

Author, N. (Year). Chapter title. In N. Editor (Ed.), Book title (ed., pp. #-#). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxxx

 

Components

  • Chapter author(s) surname and initial(s)
  • Year the book was published 
  • Title of the chapter
  • Initial(s) and surname(s) of the editor(s) of the book followed by (Ed.), if one editor or (Eds.), if more than one
  • Title of the overall book in italics
  • Edition of the book if it is a subsequent edition (2nd or higher)
  • Page number range of the chapter
  • Name of the publishing company
  • DOI if there is one for an e-book

 

Examples

First edition of an edited collection (print)

Walker, K., & Robertson, S. (2016). Contextualising information literacy to assessment criteria and measuring the impact on student performance: A collaborative approach. In C. Penman & M. Foster (Eds.), Innovations in learning and teaching: Showcasing new approaches to higher education (pp. 107-122). Merchiston Publishing.

 

First edition of an edited collection (e-book)

Nandakumar, R., & Ackerman, T. (2004). Test modeling. In D. Kaplan (Ed.), The SAGE handbook of quantitative methodology for the social sciences (pp. 93-105). SAGE. https://dx-doi-org.ezproxy.napier.ac.uk /10.4135/9781412986311

 

Subsequent edition of an edited collection 

Mathieson, S. (2014). Student learning. In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Marshall (Eds.), A handbook for teaching and learning in higher education: Enhancing academic practice (4th ed., pp. 63-79). Routledge. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/napier/detail.action?docID=1770537

 

StatPearls Chapter

Khan, M., Jose, A., & Sharma, S. (2021, September 27). Physiology, parathyroid hormone. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499940/ 

 

Some dictionaries and encyclopedias have individual authors and others have group/organisational authors. Each of these have slightly different referencing formats.

When you use an online website based dictionary there will not be a publication date as the entries are updated over time. Use (n.d.). for the year, and then a retrieval date is needed as shown in the examples below. If the work has a publication date then a retrieval date is not needed.

If you use more than one entry from the same work each entry should be referenced separately.

 

Individual Format

Author, N. (Year). Title of entry. In N. Editor (Ed.), Title of dictionary or encyclopedia (X Ed., p. X). Publisher. www.website.co.uk/entry

 

Components

  • Entry author(s) surname and initial(s)
  • Year the dictionary or encyclopedia was published 
  • Title of the entry you used
  • Initial(s) and surname(s) of the editor(s) of the work followed by (Ed.). if one editor or (Eds.). if more than one
  • Title of the dictionary or encyclopedia in italics
  • Edition if it is a subsequent edition (2nd or higher) and page number of the entry used
  • Name of the publishing company
  • Web address of the entry if accessed online

 

Group Format - Online 

Organisation. (n.d.). Title of entry. In Title of dictionary or encyclopaedia. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from www.website.co.uk/entry

 

Components

  • Name of the organisation who has written the dictionary or encyclopedia
  • Year the dictionary or encyclopedia was published 
  • Title of the entry you used
  • Title of the dictionary or encyclopedia in italics
  • The full date you accessed the entry in the format Month Day, Year,
  • Web address of the entry

 

Group Format - Print

Organisation. (Year). Title of entry. In Title of dictionary or encyclopaedia (X ed., p. X).

Components

  • Name of the organisation who has written the dictionary or encyclopedia
  • Year the dictionary or encyclopedia was published 
  • Title of the entry you used
  • Title of the dictionary or encyclopedia in italics
  • The edition used and the page number the entry can be found on

 

Examples

Entry with an individual author 

Ellis, C. S. (2008). Autoethnography. In L. M. Given (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods (Vol. 1, pp. 49-51). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://www-doi-‌org.ezproxy.napier.ac.u‌k/‌10.4135‌/9781412963909.n29

 

Print entry with a group author

American Psychological Association. (2015). Mood induction. In APA dictionary of psychology (2nd ed., p. 667).

 

Online entry with a group author 

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Attenuate. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 12, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/attenuate