Books provide overviews, background, history and introductions as well as in-depth examinations of topics. Many people wonder about the differences between books and eBooks, and which one is better. The only difference between books and eBooks is access and format; print books are physical items and eBooks are digital files that can be accessed from a variety of devices. The content and quality are the same.

Examples of Books

• Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss
• Elements of Indigenous Style by Gregory Younging
• The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy by Robert S. Porter

Books with One Author

Reference List Entry: Format (10.2)

Author, A. (Date). Title of book. Publisher name.
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Reference List Entry: Example

Roach, K. (2019). Canadian justice, Indigenous injustice: The Gerald Stanley and Colten Boushie case. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Parenthetical Citation (Paraphrase)

(Author, Date), e.g.: One potential solution is for the Parliament of Canada to advocate for. . . (Roach, 2019).
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Parenthetical Citation (Direct Quotation)

(Author, Date, Page number), e.g.: “Parliament should consider placing more emphasis on. . .” (Roach, 2019, p. 220).

Narrative Citation (Paraphrase)

Author (Date), e.g.: Roach (2019) argues that the Parliament of Canada should advocate for. . .

Narrative Citation (Direct Quotation)

Author (Date, Page number), e.g.: Roach writes that, “Parliament should consider placing more emphasis on. . .” (2019, p. 33).

Books with Multiple Authors

Reference List Entry: Format (10.2)

Author, A., Author, B., & Author, C. (Date). Title. Publisher. 

Reference List Entry: Example

Gomez, R., Isakov, A., & Semansky, M. (2015). Small business and the city: The transformative potential of small-scale entrepreneurship. (1st ed.). University of Toronto Press.
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Parenthetical Citation (Paraphrase)

(Author & Author, Date) or (Author et al., Date) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: The development of the subway system and the opening of the Yorkdale Shopping Centre would eventually lead to. . . (Gomez, Isakov, & Semansky, 2015).

Parenthetical Citation (Direct Quotation)

(Author & Author, Date, Page number) or (Author et al., Date, page number) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: “These two events – a subway line extension and the opening of Canada’s first climate-controlled shopping mall – inadvertently set in motion. . . ” (Gomez, Isakov, & Semansky, 2015, p. 55).

Narrative Citation (Paraphrase)

Author and Author (Date) or Author et al. (Date) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: Gomez, Isakov, and Semansky (2015) link the development of the subway system and the opening of the Yorkdale Shopping Centre with. . .

Narrative Citation (Direct Quotation)

Author and Author (Date, Page number) or Author et al. (Date, page number) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: Gomez, Isakov, and Semansky (2015) note that, “These two events – a subway line extension and the opening of Canada’s first climate-controlled shopping mall – inadvertently set in motion . . .” (p. 35).
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Remember! For in-text citations of works with two authors, list the last names of both authors. For works with three authors or more, list the last name of the first author followed by et al. For example, the book Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing was edited by Wendy Diane Duggleby, Barbara J. Astle, Patricia A. Stockert, Amy M. Hall, Anne Griffin Perry, and Patricia Ann Potter. The in-text citation for this book would read, (Duggleby et. al., 2019) or Duggleby et. al. (2019).  

Books in Translation

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.2)

Author, A. (Date). Title of book. (Translator). Publisher name.

What if the original work and the translated work were published in different years? (9.39)

If the original work and the translated work were published in different years, include the publication date of the original work at the very end of the reference list entry in brackets, e.g.: Author, A. (Date). Title of book. (Translator). Publisher name. (Original work published Date).  

Reference List Entry: Example

Saulnier, A. (2015). Losing our voice: Radio-Canada under siege. (P. Couture, Trans.) Dundurn Press. 

Parenthetical Citation (Paraphrase)

(Author, Date), or (Author & Author, Date), or (Author et al., Date) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: The CKAC radio station, based in Montreal, was the first station to . . . (Saulnier & Couture, 2015).

Parenthetical Citation (Direct Quotation)

(Author, Date, Page number), or (Author & Author, Date, Page number) or (Author et al., Date, Page number) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: “The first real public radio service worthy of the name in the Montreal area was not Radio-Canada, but rather CKAC, which also owned the daily newspaper La Presse at the time” (Saulnier & Couture, 2015, p. 22).

Narrative Citation (Paraphrase)

Author (Date), Author and Author (Dater), or Author et al. (Date) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: Saulnier and Couture note that, contrary to popular belief, the first public radio service in Montreal was not Radio-Canada, but . . . (2015).

Narrative Citation (Direct Quotation)

Author (Date, Page number), Author and Author (Date, Page number), or Author et al. (Date, Page number) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: Saulnier and Couture begin by noting that, “”The first real public radio service worthy of the name in the Montreal area was not Radio-Canada, but rather CKAC. . .” (2015, p. 25).
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Remember! For in-text citations of works with two authors, list the last names of both authors. For works with three authors or more, list the last name of the first author followed by et al. 

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Books with Chapter by Different Authors

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.3)

Chapter Author, A. (Date). Title of chapter. Editor, E. (Ed.) Title of book. (page numbers of chapter). Publisher name. DOI [if available]

Reference List Entry: Example

Dahl, M. (2015). Moving forward: Australian flight nurses in the Korean War. Brooks, J. & Hallett, C.E. (Eds.) One hundred years of wartime nursing practices, 1854-1953. (pp.254-277). Manchester University Press.
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Hint! When citing individual chapters, the chapter title and the author of the chapter can be found on the first page of the chapter.  

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Parenthetical Citation (Paraphrase)

(Author, Date), or (Author & Author, Date), or (Author et al., Date) for chapters with three or more authors, e.g.: Australian flight nurses first served during . . . (Dahl, 2015).

Parenthetical Citation (Direct Quotation)

(Author, Date, Page number), or (Author & Author, Date, Page number), or (Author et al., Date, Page number) for chapters with three or more authors, e.g.: “The flight nurse role in Australia was first established in the Second World War, although it was scaled down within the RAAF at war’s end” (Dahl, 2015, p. 271)

Narrative Citation (Paraphrase

Author (Date), Author and Author (Date), or Author et al. (Date) for chapters with three or more authors, e.g.: Dhal explores that the early history of Australian flight nurses, which began. . . (2015).

Narrative Citation (Direct Quotation)

Author (Date, Page number), Author and Author (Date, Page number), or Author et al. (Date, Page number) for chapters with three or more authors, e.g.: Dahl notes that, “the flight nurse role in Australia was first established in the Second World War, although it was scaled down within the RAAF at war’s end” (2015, p. 271).
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Remember! For in-text citations of works with two authors, list the last names of both authors. For works with three authors or more, list the last name of the first author followed by et al. 

eBooks

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Remember! The citation style for print books and eBooks is the same, except the addition of a DOI if one is available. 

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.2)

Author, A. (Date). Title of book. Publisher name. DOI [if available]
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Remember! Not all eBooks will have a DOI.

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Reference List Entry Example

Morris, T. & Goldsworthy, S. (2020). Public relations ethics: The real world guide. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003107491
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Hint! There are many different eBook platforms, so screens will look different depending on where the eBook is being accessed.  The image above is just one example.

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Parenthetical Citation (Paraphrase)

(Author, Year), or (Author & Author, Year), or (Author et al., Year) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: The role of public relations in ethics debates is . . (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2020).

Parenthetical Citation (Direct Quotation)

(Author, Year, Page number), or (Author & Author, Year, Page number), or (Author et al., Year, Page number) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: “In practice, PR’s role in wider ethical debates is limited by a number of factors (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2020, p. 32).

Narrative Citation (Paraphrase)

Author (Year), Author and Author (Year), or Author et al. (Year) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: Morris and Goldsworthy describe the limitations of the role of public relations. . . (2020).

Narrative Citation (Direct Quotation)

Author (Year, Page number), Author and Author (Year, Page number), or Author et al. (Year, Page number) for books with three or more authors, e.g.: Morris and Goldsworthy argue that, “in practice, PR’s role in wider ethical debates is limited by a number of factors (2020, p. 32).
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Remember! For in-text citations of works with two authors, list the last names of both authors. For works with three authors or more, list the last name of the first author followed by et al. 

 

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Sources

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style. (7th ed.).