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What to take from the book
Everything a citation needs is on two pages near the front: the title page and the copyright page behind it. The cover is designed for selling and often shortens the title, so trust the inside.
- Author or editor
- As the title page names them. A book of chapters by different writers lists editors instead; cite the chapter you used (below).
- Title and subtitle
- Both, from the title page, joined by a colon.
- Edition
- Only if it is not the first: 2nd ed., revised ed. It is on the title page or the copyright page.
- Publisher
- From the title page, without Inc., Ltd. or Publishers. If two are named, the copyright page shows which is the main one.
- Year
- From the copyright page. If it lists several, use the most recent copyright year for your edition, not the reprint dates.
- ISBN
- On the copyright page or above the barcode on the back. The generator looks the book up by it, so you get that exact edition.
One book in every style
Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep, from its ISBN, with page 112 cited in the text:
MLA 9: Works Cited entry
Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.
MLA 9: in-text
(Walker 112)
APA 7: reference
Walker, M. (2017). Why we sleep: Unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.
APA 7: in-text
(Walker, 2017, p. 112)
Chicago 18: bibliography entry
Walker, Matthew. Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.
Chicago 18: first footnote
Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (Scribner, 2017), 112.
Harvard: reference list entry
Walker, M. (2017) Why we sleep: unlocking the power of sleep and dreams. Scribner.
Harvard: in-text
(Walker, 2017, p. 112)
IEEE: reference
[1] M. Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner, 2017.
IEEE: in-text
[1, p. 112]
APA and Harvard put the title in sentence case: only the first word and names keep capitals, and APA also capitalizes the first word of the subtitle, which Cite Them Right does not. MLA, Chicago and IEEE use title case.
Editions, chapters, translations and e-books
- A later edition: open More details and type the edition number. Every style puts it after the title, as 2nd ed. or 2nd edn.
- One chapter in an edited book: choose Chapter or work in an anthology under Fill in the form instead. The chapter’s author leads, and the book’s editors and the chapter’s pages follow.
- A translation: add the translator under More details; MLA, APA and Chicago name them.
- An e-book: cite it like the print book. MLA can add the version, such as e-book, in More details. If the e-book has no fixed page numbers, cite a chapter or section instead of a page.
- An old work in a new edition: add the year it was first published, and APA writes both, such as (Shelley, 1818/2018).
Step-by-step book guides
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Questions
Where do I find a book’s ISBN?
On the copyright page, the back of the title page, or above the barcode on the back cover. It is 13 digits, often starting 978. A 10-digit ISBN works too.
Do I include the city where the book was published?
Not in MLA 9, APA 7 or Cite Them Right Harvard, which all dropped it. The generator leaves it out of those styles.
The search found the right book but the wrong year. Why?
A title search finds the work and one of its editions. Paste the ISBN from your copy for the exact edition, or correct the publisher and year in the form.
Is the citation generator free?
Yes, every style, with no account and no limit on citations you type in. Looking up a link, DOI or ISBN is free too; a network that looks up a lot in a short time is asked for a quick human check.
Where are my citations kept?
In this browser only, in as many named lists as you like, until you clear or delete them. What you search for or look up goes to Format’s server, which asks Crossref, Open Library or the page itself. Nothing about you goes with it.
Are there ads?
No. The generator shows no ads and needs no sign-up. Your lists are kept in this browser, not on our server, and what you look up is used only to find the source.