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.: (Roach, 2019)
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Parenthetical Citation (Direct Quotation)

(Author, Date, Page number), e.g.: (Roach, 2019, p. 33) 

Narrative Citation (Paraphrase)

Author (Date), e.g.: Roach (2019) 

Narrative Citation (Direct Quotation)

Author (Date, Page number), e.g.: Roach (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.: (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.: (Gomez, Isakov, & Semansky, 2015, p. 15)  

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)  

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, p. 45)
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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.: (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.: (Saulnier & Couture, 2015, p. 25) 

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 (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 (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.: (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.: (Dahl, 2015, p.45)

Narrative Citation (Paraphrase

Author (Date), Author and Author (Date), or Author et al. (Date) for chapters with three or more authors, e.g.: Dahl (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 (2015, p. 45)
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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.: (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.: (Morris & Goldsworthy, 2020, p. 10)

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 (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 (2020, p. 10)
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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.).