Chapter in an edited book

You may need to consult more than one section to accurately represent the source used.  Your citation and reference list entry may look different depending on the number of authors it has. Check the APA FAQs  for further advice.

Chapters in books need only be cited separately if they are in an edited book and each have different authors.

In-text citation examples

…has been argued (Daniels, 1993)

OR

Daniels (1993) argues that…

OR

Daniels (1993, p.221) states that…

Reference list

Reference list template

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter or section. In A. Editor, B. Editor & C. Editor (Eds.), Title of book (pages of the chapter referred to). Publisher.

If there is no author, as in an article or section from a reference work:

Title of entry or section (Year of publication). In Title of reference work (xx ed., Vol. xx, pp. xxx–xxx). Publisher.

Make sure you read the style notes below

Reference list example

Daniels, P. J. (1993). Australia's foreign debt: Searching for the benefits. In P. Maxwell & S. Hopkins (Eds.), Macroeconomics: Contemporary Australian readings (pp. 200–250). Harper Educational.

Tips for this reference type

  • It is only necessary to cite book chapters if they are in an edited book, where each chapter has a different author.
  • Provide both the title of the chapter (not italicised) and the title of the book (italicised).
  • Give inclusive page numbers for the chapter in the Reference List.
  • Details about edition, volume number or chapter page range are placed in parentheses, e.g., ( 2nd ed.). or (Rev. ed.). or (Vol. 16).
  • If there is no chapter author, use the editor's name as author and do not repeat as editor.
  • If pages are being directly referenced in the text, include the page number/s in the in-text citation after the year.
  • Do not invert the editor's name. (e.g. P. Maxwell, not Maxwell, P.)

Explore resources to help with reference management and enable you to effectively integrate and cite sources into your writing and assessment tasks.


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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