Learning how to cite a textbook correctly protects your work from plagiarism and shows your reader exactly where your information came from. This guide walks through textbook citations in APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago 17th edition, including how to handle editions and chapters from edited textbooks.
What counts as a textbook, and why the format matters
For citation purposes, a textbook is usually treated like any other book. The format you use depends on three things: the citation style your instructor requires, whether the textbook has one author or several, and whether you are citing the whole book or a single chapter from an edited collection.
Two details trip students up most often. The first is the edition number, which you must include when the book is not the first edition. The second is the difference between an authored textbook (the same people wrote the whole thing) and an edited textbook (different authors wrote separate chapters, and editors compiled them). These two cases use different structures, so identify which one you have before you build the entry.
If you want to check your work after reading, our free citation generator can format any of these examples automatically.
How to cite a textbook in APA (7th edition)
APA uses an author-date system. The reference list entry lists the author, the year in parentheses, the italicized title, the edition (if any), and the publisher. In APA, only the first word of the title and subtitle, plus any proper nouns, are capitalized.
A standard textbook with one or two authors
Smith, J. A., & Brown, K. L. (2021). Introduction to cognitive psychology (4th ed.). Pearson.
In-text: (Smith & Brown, 2021).
Note the ampersand (&) between the two author names and the abbreviation ed. for edition. The edition goes in parentheses after the title and is not italicized. If the book is a first edition, leave the edition element out entirely.
An edition number in APA
Place the edition in parentheses right after the title, before the period that closes that part of the entry. Write it as “(2nd ed.)”, “(3rd ed.)”, “(4th ed.)”, and so on. A revised edition is written “(Rev. ed.)”.
Garcia, M. (2020). Foundations of organic chemistry (3rd ed.). McGraw Hill.
In-text: (Garcia, 2020).
A chapter in an edited textbook in APA
When different authors write different chapters, cite the specific chapter author, then the chapter title (not italicized), then the editors, the book title (italicized), the page range, and the publisher. The editors’ initials come before their surnames here, which is the reverse of the chapter author.
Patel, R. (2019). Memory and learning in adolescence. In A. Johnson & T. Lee (Eds.), Developmental psychology: A modern approach (2nd ed., pp. 112–138). Routledge.
In-text: (Patel, 2019).
The edition and page range share one set of parentheses, separated by a comma. Use “pp.” for a page range and “p.” for a single page. For more on multi-author rules, see our guide on how to cite multiple authors.
How to cite a textbook in MLA (9th edition)
MLA uses author-page in-text citations and a Works Cited entry built from the MLA core elements. Titles use headline capitalization (major words capitalized), and the book title is italicized.
A standard textbook in MLA
Smith, Julia A., and Karen L. Brown. Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. 4th ed., Pearson, 2021.
In-text: (Smith and Brown 45).
Notice the differences from APA: MLA spells out “and” rather than using an ampersand, gives full first names, and places the year at the end. The in-text citation uses a page number with no comma. For two authors, only the first author’s name is inverted.
An edition number in MLA
In MLA, the edition appears after the title, lowercase and abbreviated: “4th ed.”, “Rev. ed.”, or “2nd ed., revised”. Only include it when the book is not the first edition.
Garcia, Maria. Foundations of Organic Chemistry. 3rd ed., McGraw Hill, 2020.
In-text: (Garcia 210).
A chapter in an edited textbook in MLA
For a chapter, the chapter title goes in quotation marks, the book title in italics, and the editors follow the word “Edited by”. Add the page range at the end after the year.
Patel, Ravi. “Memory and Learning in Adolescence.” Developmental Psychology: A Modern Approach, edited by Amy Johnson and Thomas Lee, 2nd ed., Routledge, 2019, pp. 112–38.
In-text: (Patel 120).
MLA shortens the second number in a page range over 99 (so 112–138 becomes 112–38). The in-text citation always points to the specific page you used, not the whole chapter range.
How to cite a textbook in Chicago (17th edition)
Chicago offers two systems. Notes and Bibliography uses footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography, and is common in history and the humanities. Author-Date uses in-text parentheses plus a reference list, and is common in the sciences and social sciences. The examples below show both.
A standard textbook in Chicago (Notes and Bibliography)
Bibliography: Smith, Julia A., and Karen L. Brown. Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. 4th ed. New York: Pearson, 2021.
Footnote: 1. Julia A. Smith and Karen L. Brown, Introduction to Cognitive Psychology, 4th ed. (New York: Pearson, 2021), 45.
In the bibliography, the first author’s name is inverted and the elements are separated by periods. In the footnote, names are in normal order, publication details sit in parentheses, and the entry ends with the specific page you cited.
A standard textbook in Chicago (Author-Date)
Reference list: Smith, Julia A., and Karen L. Brown. 2021. Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. 4th ed. New York: Pearson.
In-text: (Smith and Brown 2021, 45).
An edition number in Chicago
Chicago writes the edition after the title, abbreviated and followed by a period: “3rd ed.” or “Rev. ed.” As always, omit it for a first edition.
Bibliography: Garcia, Maria. Foundations of Organic Chemistry. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2020.
Footnote: 2. Maria Garcia, Foundations of Organic Chemistry, 3rd ed. (New York: McGraw Hill, 2020), 210.
A chapter in an edited textbook in Chicago
Cite the chapter author and chapter title (in quotation marks), then “In” plus the italicized book title, the editors after “edited by”, the edition, the page range, and publication details.
Bibliography: Patel, Ravi. “Memory and Learning in Adolescence.” In Developmental Psychology: A Modern Approach, edited by Amy Johnson and Thomas Lee, 2nd ed., 112–38. New York: Routledge, 2019.
Footnote: 3. Ravi Patel, “Memory and Learning in Adolescence,” in Developmental Psychology: A Modern Approach, ed. Amy Johnson and Thomas Lee, 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge, 2019), 120.
Note that the bibliography spells out “edited by” while the footnote shortens it to “ed.” The footnote points to the single page used; the bibliography gives the full chapter range.
Quick comparison across the three styles
- Author names: APA uses initials and an ampersand. MLA and Chicago spell out full names and use “and”.
- Date placement: APA puts the year right after the author. MLA puts it at the end. Chicago varies by system.
- Capitalization: APA uses sentence case for titles. MLA and Chicago use headline case.
- In-text form: APA is (Author, Year). MLA is (Author Page). Chicago is a footnote number or, in Author-Date, (Author Year, Page).
You can format any of these in seconds with the APA citation generator, MLA citation generator, or Chicago citation generator. For deeper rules, our broader guide to citing a book covers ebooks, translations, and reprints.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to include the edition when I cite a textbook?
Include the edition number whenever the book is not the first edition. Look at the copyright page or front cover for wording like “Fourth Edition” or “Revised Edition”. If the book is a first edition, leave the edition element out in all three styles. The edition matters because page numbers and content often change between editions, so your reader needs to find the exact version you used.
How do I cite one chapter from an edited textbook?
Cite the author of that specific chapter first, then the chapter title, then the editors and the book title, followed by the page range. In APA the chapter title is in plain text and the book title is italicized; in MLA and Chicago the chapter title goes in quotation marks. Always include the page range of the full chapter in your reference or bibliography entry.
What if the textbook has no named author, only editors?
If you are citing the whole edited book rather than a single chapter, start the entry with the editors’ names followed by “(Ed.)” or “(Eds.)” in APA, or “editor” or “edited by” in MLA and Chicago. If there is truly no author or editor, begin with the title and order your reference list by the first significant word of that title.
Should I cite an e-textbook differently?
If the content and pagination match the print version, you can cite an e-textbook exactly like the print book in all three styles; you do not need to mention the format. If you read it on a platform without stable page numbers, APA recommends omitting the page number and using a paragraph or section marker for in-text citations instead. Our guide to citing a PDF covers files you downloaded.