Book chapter citation generator
Cite a chapter in an edited book, where different authors wrote different chapters.
or fill in the details below
How to cite a book chapter
Cite a chapter when different authors wrote different chapters of the book. If one author wrote the whole book, cite the whole book with the book citation generator.
Step 1
Paste the chapter’s DOI, the book’s ISBN or a title
A chapter DOI fills in everything, including its pages. An ISBN fills in the book, and you add the chapter.
Step 2
Check the editors and pages
The book’s editors and the chapter’s page range are where chapter citations usually go wrong. Check them against the book.
Step 3
Copy your citation
Add the reference entry to your list and use the in-text citation in your paper.
How to cite a chapter in an edited book in APA
An APA chapter citation gives the chapter’s authors, the year, the chapter title, In and the editors with their initials first, the book title in italics with the pages, the publisher and the DOI.
Format
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (2nd ed., pp. #–#). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxxx
Example
Gulliford, L., & Kristjánsson, K. (2017). Five historic philosophers discuss human flourishing and happiness in positive psychology. In N. J. L. Brown, T. Lomas, & F. J. Eiroa-Orosa (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of critical positive psychology (pp. 195–208). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315659794-15
In-text citation, with a page
Parenthetical: (Gulliford & Kristjánsson, 2017, p. 198)
Narrative: Gulliford & Kristjánsson (2017, p. 198)
How to cite a book chapter in MLA
An MLA chapter citation gives the author, the chapter title in quotation marks, the book in italics, edited by and the editors, the publisher, the year and the pages.
Format
Author. “Title of Chapter.” Title of Book, edited by Name, Publisher, Year, pp. #–#.
Example
Gulliford, Liz, and Kristján Kristjánsson. “Five Historic Philosophers Discuss Human Flourishing and Happiness in Positive Psychology.” The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology, edited by Nicholas J. L. Brown et al., Routledge, 2017, pp. 195–208, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315659794-15.
With three or more editors, MLA names the first and adds et al.
How to cite a book chapter in Chicago
Chicago gives the chapter title in quotation marks, In and the book in italics, edited by and the editors, and the chapter’s pages before the publisher.
Bibliography
Gulliford, Liz, and Kristján Kristjánsson. “Five Historic Philosophers Discuss Human Flourishing and Happiness in Positive Psychology.” In The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology, edited by Nicholas J. L. Brown, Tim Lomas, and Francisco Jose Eiroa-Orosa, 195–208. Routledge, 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315659794-15.
Footnote
Liz Gulliford and Kristján Kristjánsson, “Five Historic Philosophers Discuss Human Flourishing and Happiness in Positive Psychology,” in The Routledge International Handbook of Critical Positive Psychology, ed. Nicholas J. L. Brown et al. (Routledge, 2017), 198, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315659794-15.
Chapter or whole book: which should you cite?
This is the mistake students make most with chapters.
Different authors, different chapters
An edited book, like a handbook, has an editor and chapters by different authors. Cite the chapter you used.
One author wrote the whole book
Cite the whole book, even if you only read one chapter, with the book citation generator. Give the chapter’s pages in your in-text citation.
The editors wrote the chapter
When the editors also wrote your chapter, cite the chapter with them as its authors and as the book’s editors.
How to cite a reprinted chapter
A chapter first published somewhere else keeps its original year.
Add the original year
Fill in Original publication year under the details. APA adds (Original work published 1998) at the end of the entry.
In the text
APA gives both years: (Author, 1998/2019).
Later editions
For a chapter in a new edition of a book, give the edition, like 2nd, and the year of that edition.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a book chapter in APA?
Give the chapter’s authors, the year, the chapter title, In and the editors with their initials first and (Eds.), the book title in italics with the chapter’s pages, the publisher and the DOI.
How do I cite a book chapter in MLA?
Give the author, the chapter title in quotation marks, the book title in italics, edited by and the editors, the publisher, the year and the pages.
Should I cite the chapter or the book?
Cite the chapter when different authors wrote different chapters. When one author wrote the whole book, cite the book.
What if the chapter has no DOI?
Leave it out, or give the URL if you read the chapter online. Print chapters need neither.
Where do I find the chapter’s pages?
In the book’s table of contents, or on the chapter’s page on the publisher’s site. A chapter DOI fills them in for you.
Is this book chapter citation generator free?
Yes. It’s free with no signup, and your citations go into the same list as the main Citation Generator.