How to Cite a Book Chapter in APA Style (Complete Guide)

Key Takeaways

• Edited book chapters require a full reference entry with both the chapter author and the book editor
• Authored book chapters do not get their own reference entry — cite the whole book instead
• In-text citations for an authored book chapter include the chapter number when pointing to a specific section
• Page ranges use pp. in the reference list, but never in the in-text citation
• Always check whether your book is authored (single writer) or edited (compilation of different authors) — this decision determines everything

Citing a chapter in a book sounds straightforward, but the APA Style 7th edition manual draws a critical distinction that most students miss: an authored book chapter and an edited book chapter follow completely different rules. Get this wrong, and your reference list will either double-count a source or omit a citation entirely.

This guide walks through exactly how to cite book chapters in APA Style, covering both reference list entries and in-text citations, with real examples for every scenario.

Authored Books vs. Edited Books: The Critical Distinction

Before you write a single citation, you need to determine what kind of book you’re citing. This decision drives every formatting choice that follows.

Authored Books (One Writer)

An authored book has a single author (or a small team of co-authors) who wrote every chapter. You’re reading one person’s or one team’s consistent argument throughout the entire book.

If you cite a specific chapter from an authored book, you do not create a separate reference entry for the chapter. Instead, you create one reference entry for the whole book and point to the chapter in your in-text citation.

Why this matters: APA Style treats an authored book as a single coherent work. Creating separate entries for individual chapters would fragment the reference list and misrepresent the source as something it isn’t.

Edited Books (Multiple Authors + Editor)

An edited book is a collection of chapters written by different authors, compiled and organized by an editor (or editorial team). Each chapter has its own author with its own argument, perspective, and conclusion.

If you cite a specific chapter from an edited book, you create a reference entry for that chapter alone — not for the whole book. The editor appears in the entry, but the chapter author takes priority.

Practical test: Look at the table of contents. If each chapter lists a different author, it’s an edited book. If one author wrote the entire book, it’s an authored book.

How to Cite an Edited Book Chapter in APA 7th Edition

Reference List Format

The reference list entry for a chapter in an edited book follows this exact structure:

Chapter Author(s). (Year). Title of chapter. In Editor(s) (Ed./Eds.). Title of Book (pp. page range). Publisher.

Worked example:

Fountain, Y. (2019). Physical activity games. In J. Stone & C. E. Schaefer (Eds.), Game play: Therapeutic use of games with children and adolescents (3rd ed., pp. 79–98). John Wiley & Sons.

Breaking it down:

• Chapter author(s): List the person or people who actually wrote the chapter you cited
• Year: The book’s publication year (not the chapter’s — chapters don’t have independent publication dates)
• Chapter title: Sentence case only (capitalize the first word, any word after a colon, and proper nouns). Do not italicise the chapter title.
• In + editor(s): Use (Ed.) for one editor, (Eds.) for multiple. Note that “In” connects the chapter to the book.
• Book title: Italicise, sentence case.
• Page range: Enclosed in parentheses, preceded by pp.. The edition number (if not the first) goes in the same parentheses, separated by a comma: (3rd ed., pp. 79–98).
• Publisher: The publisher’s name only — no city or state required in APA 7th.

In-Text Citation for Edited Book Chapters

Paraphrase:

• Parenthetical: (Fountain, 2019)
• Narrative: Fountain (2019) argued that...

Quotation (add page number):

• Parenthetical: "...quote text..." (Fountain, 2019, p. 85)
• Narrative: Fountain (2019) stated, "...quote text..." (p. 85)

You can optionally add a page range to the in-text citation when the chapter is particularly long or complex, but this isn’t required.

Variations on Edited Book Chapter References

Chapter with a DOI

If the chapter has a DOI, append it after the publisher:

Fountain, Y. (2019). Physical activity games. In J. Stone & C. E. Schaefer (Eds.), *Game play: Therapeutic use of games with children and adolescents* (3rd ed., pp. 79–98). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx

Chapter Retrieved from a Database

If the chapter is from an academic research database and has no DOI or stable URL, the reference ends after the publisher. Do not include the database name (APA Style explicitly instructs against this).

If the chapter has a stable URL but no DOI, include the URL after the publisher (as the APA Style website’s official example does).

Reprinted Chapter

When you’re citing a chapter that was reprinted from an earlier source, provide both the original and reprint years in the in-text citation:

(Original year / Reprint year)

Parenthetical: (Bronfenbrenner, 1973/2005)
Narrative: Bronfenbrenner (1973/2005)

The reference list entry includes a reprinted note after the publisher:

Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). The social ecology of human development: A retrospective conclusion. In U. Bronfenbrenner (Ed.), *Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development* (pp. 27–40). SAGE Publications. (Reprinted from *Brain and intelligence: The ecology of child development*, pp. 113–123, by F. Richardson, Ed., 1973, National Educational Press)

How to Cite a Chapter in an Authored Book

This is where most students make their biggest mistake. When a book is authored (single writer or co-authors for the whole book), you do not create a separate reference entry for the chapter.

Reference List Format

Create a standard reference entry for the entire book:

Author(s). (Year). *Title of book in sentence case* (Edition, if not first). Publisher. DOI (if available)

Example:

Kearney, D. J., & Simpson, T. L. (2020). Concise guides on trauma care: Mindfulness-based interventions for trauma and its consequences. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000154-000

In-Text Citation for Authored Book Chapters

When you point to a specific chapter (especially when paraphrasing), include the chapter identifier:

Paraphrase, pointing to a chapter:

• Parenthetical: (Kearney & Simpson, 2020, Chapter 2)
• Narrative: Kearney and Simpson (2020, Chapter 2) described...

Quotation (always include page number):

• Parenthetical: "mindfulness significantly reshapes the clinical course of depression" (Kearney & Simpson, 2020, p. 42)
• Narrative: Kearney and Simpson (2020) described how "mindfulness significantly reshapes the clinical course of depression" (p. 42)

If you’re drawing from multiple chapters or from the whole book, a standard in-text citation (author and year only) is sufficient — there’s no requirement to specify a chapter.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Mistake 1: Treating Authored and Edited Books the Same Way

Creating a separate reference entry for a chapter from an authored book breaks APA formatting. If the book has a single author (or a consistent co-author team), cite the whole book. Only separate chapter entries for edited books.

Mistake 2: Italicising the Chapter Title

Chapter titles are not italicised. Only the book title gets italics. This is one of the most common formatting errors students make.

Mistake 3: Including Page Numbers in In-Text Citations for Paraphrases (Edited Books)

For edited book chapter paraphrases, APA Style says adding a page number is optional — it’s useful for complex or long chapters but not required. For authored book chapter paraphrases, including the chapter number is the correct approach, not page numbers.

Mistake 4: Including the Database Name

Whether the chapter came from JSTOR, ProQuest, EBSCO, or any other academic database, the database name must never appear in the reference entry. APA Style treats the chapter the same way whether it was retrieved in print or through a database.

Mistake 5: Using “pp.” in In-Text Citations

The abbreviation pp. appears only in the reference list, never in the in-text citation. Always use p. (or pp. for pages in a quotation) inside parentheses: (p. 42) or (pp. 79–98) in the reference list.

Mistake 6: Forgetting the Edition Number

If you’re citing a non-first edition, include the edition number in the same parentheses as the page range, separated by a comma: (3rd ed., pp. 79–98).

Quick Reference Table

Here’s a side-by-side comparison so you can quickly decide which format to use:

When to Cite a Chapter vs. the Whole Book

You should cite a specific chapter when:

• The chapter contains unique data, findings, or arguments you’re directly referencing
• The chapter is by a different author from the rest of the book (edited book)
• You need to point readers to a very specific section of the text

You should cite the whole book when:

• You’re drawing from multiple chapters
• The book has a single author and you’re engaging with its overall argument
• The chapter doesn’t contain independent authorship (authored book)

FAQ

How do I cite a chapter in an edited book when the book has no editor listed?

If a chapter has its own author but the book has no identifiable editor, APA Style recommends treating the reference as if the chapter author is the primary contributor. You would format the entry starting with the chapter author, followed by the year, chapter title, and then the book title (if identifiable). If the book has neither an editor nor a separate chapter author, cite the entire book as authored.

Can I cite an ebook chapter differently from a print book chapter?

No. APA Style 7th edition treats ebook and print chapters identically in the reference list. Do not include platform information (Kindle, etc.) or device type. If the ebook chapter lacks pagination, omit the page range entirely from the reference.

What if the chapter has no author — only an organization?

Use the organization as the author. Format the same way: (Organization, Year). In the reference list, list the organization name first, followed by the year, chapter title, editor(s), book title, page range, and publisher.

Do I need a DOI for every book chapter?

APA Style 7th edition requires a DOI if one exists. If the chapter has a DOI, include it. If not, include a URL only if there’s a stable URL that will resolve for readers (like a chapter-level link on a publisher’s website). If there’s no DOI and no stable URL, the reference ends after the publisher name.

Next Steps

Understanding the distinction between authored and edited book chapters is one of the most impactful citation decisions you can make. It’s the difference between a reference list that looks polished and one that raises red flags with your instructor.

Once you’ve mastered book chapter citations, these related guides will help you build on that knowledge:

• Academic Citation Styles: APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard — Master the broader landscape of citation formats beyond APA
• How to Paraphrase Correctly — Pair proper paraphrasing techniques with proper citations
• How to Properly Attribute Sources — Ensure every source you use is credited in the right format
• Research Paper Structure — Learn where citations fit into the overall architecture of a paper
• Citation Generators vs Manual Citation — Understand the trade-offs between automated tools and hand-formatted references

References and External Sources

American Psychological Association. (2020). Chapter in an edited book/ebook references. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/edited-book-chapter-references

Lee, C. (2020, September 21). Book chapters: What to cite. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/book-chapters

The OWL at Purdue. (n.d.). APA: Reference list — Books. Purdue Online Writing Lab. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_books.html