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To cite a textbook in APA 7, use the ordinary book pattern: author, year, italic title in sentence case, the edition in parentheses if it is not the first, then the publisher and a DOI or URL if one exists. There is no separate textbook rule, and a print and an electronic copy follow the same pattern. This guide is for researchers, graduate students and thesis writers who need the exact reference-list entry and the matching in-text citation. It covers APA 7th edition (2020).
The format: how to cite a textbook in APA
Template for a whole textbook:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of book: Subtitle (# ed.). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx
| Element | What APA 7 asks for |
|---|---|
| Authors | Surname first, then initials separated by a space; an ampersand before the last author |
| Year | In parentheses after the authors, followed by a period |
| Title | Italic; capital letter only on the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns |
| Edition | In parentheses straight after the title, for example (4th ed.), with no period between the title and the bracket |
| Publisher | Publisher name only; no city or state |
| DOI or URL | Only if one exists; written as an https://doi.org/ link with no period after it |
These patterns follow the APA Style reference guide and reference examples handouts; full links are in the Sources section below.
Examples of an APA textbook citation
The sources below are fictional and written only to show the pattern. They are not real books or people.
Textbook with an edition
Hollis, R. P., & Nair, S. (2021). Statistics for social research (4th ed.). Ridgeline Publishing.
Single-author textbook with a subtitle
Morales, T. (2019). Principles of ecology: Systems and change. Kestrel Press.
The word “Systems” is capitalised because it is the first word after the colon.
Textbook with a DOI
Add the DOI at the end as a link, with no label and no final period: Morales, T. (2019). Principles of ecology: Systems and change. Kestrel Press. https://doi.org/10.0000/example
Chapter in an edited textbook
Cite the chapter when you used only that chapter: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor & F. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (# ed., pp. #-#). Publisher. The edition and the page range share one parenthesis, edition first, separated by a comma. Editor names are not inverted, and the chapter title is not italic.
Edited textbook cited as a whole, and republished works
Edited book with no single author: Editor, E. E. (Ed.). (Year). Title. Publisher. For a republished work, add the original publication year in the form (Original work published YEAR). A multivolume work puts the volume in parentheses after the title, for example (Vol. 2).
In-text citation for a textbook
The in-text form is the same for a textbook as for any other source: the author surname and the year, nothing about the edition or publisher.
- One or two authors, parenthetical: (Morales, 2019); (Hollis & Nair, 2021).
- Narrative: Morales (2019) argued that…
- Three or more authors: use the first author and “et al.” from the first citation, for example (Smith et al., 2019).
- Direct quotation: add the page, for example (Morales, 2019, p. 20).
- A quotation of 40 words or more goes in a block, indented 0.5 in. from the left margin, double-spaced and without quotation marks.
Each in-text citation must match an entry in the reference list. For multi-author forms see multiple authors in APA in-text citations.
How to cite an online textbook
An ebook or online textbook uses the same pattern as a print one. Keep the author, year, title, edition and publisher, then add the DOI if the book has one, or the URL otherwise. APA does not ask for database information for works found through an academic database.
How to cite a McGraw-Hill (or any publisher’s) textbook
There is no publisher-specific rule. The publisher, such as McGraw-Hill, is simply the Publisher element in the template, written as the name only with no location. When the publisher is the same as the author, APA 7 omits the publisher element.
Common errors
| Error | APA 7 correction |
|---|---|
| Adding the publisher’s city, as in APA 6 | Publisher location is no longer given for any reference type |
| Writing “DOI:” before the number | Use the https://doi.org/ link; the label was dropped in APA 7 |
| “Retrieved from” before every URL | Used only when a retrieval date is also needed |
| Title Case in the book title | Sentence case: first word, first word after a colon, proper nouns |
| Putting the edition after the publisher or adding a period before the bracket | Edition goes in parentheses straight after the title |
| Citing the whole book when you used one chapter of an edited textbook | Cite the chapter with the “In Editor (Ed.)” form and page range |
| Spelling out up to five names at first in-text citation (APA 6) | Three or more authors: first author plus et al. every time |
Style-guide edition
The patterns above follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020), which is the edition APA Style’s current handouts describe. For multi-style comparisons see how to cite a textbook in APA, Harvard, IEEE and AMA, and for MLA see in-text textbook citation in MLA.
Related: the APA Publication Manual, whether APA uses a works cited or references list, and citing a book by two authors.
FAQ
How do I reference a book in APA format with a DOI?
Put the DOI last, as an https://doi.org/ link, with no “DOI:” label and no period after it. Include it only if the book has one.
How do I properly cite a textbook in-text?
Use (Author, year), or Author (year) in the sentence. Add the page for a direct quote: (Author, year, p. 20). With three or more authors use the first author and et al.
How would I cite an online textbook?
Use the same pattern as a print textbook, adding the DOI or URL at the end.
How do I cite a McGraw-Hill textbook in APA format?
Write McGraw-Hill as the Publisher element, name only, after the edition.
Sources
Checked 7 November 2026.
- APA Style, Reference Examples (instructional handout, updated March 2026): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf
- APA Style, Reference Guide (instructional handout, updated March 2026): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-guide.pdf
- APA Style, Guide to What’s New in the 7th Edition and In-Text Citation Checklist: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids
- Purdue OWL, Reference List: Books: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_books.html
- University of Alabama Libraries, APA 7th Edition: Books: https://guides.lib.ua.edu/APA7/books
