APA Style Guide – Italics

Key Elements:

When citing a book in APA style, 7th edition, ensure you include the following key elements:

  • Author(s): Last name, First name initial(s).
  • Publication Year: Enclosed in parentheses.
  • Book Title: Sentence case, followed by a period.
  • Name of the Publication

1. Authored Book with a DOI:

Format:
Author, N. (Year). Title. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxx

Example:
Pinker, S. (2018). Enlightenment now: The case for reason, science, humanism, and progress. Penguin. https://doi.org/10.1101/123456

Parenthetical In-text Citation: (Pinker, 2018)
Narrative In-text Citation: Pinker (2018) argued that…

Notes:

  • Italicize the book title.
  • Capitalize only the first word of the title and any subtitles, as well as proper nouns.

2. Authored Book without a DOI:

Format:
Author, N. (Year). Title. Publisher.

Example:
Harari, Y. N. (2015). Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. Harper.

Parenthetical In-text Citation: (Harari, 2015)
Narrative In-text Citation: Harari (2015) proposed…

Notes:

  • If a URL is available, include it after the publisher’s name.
  • Italicize the book title.
  • Capitalize only the first word of the title and any subtitles, as well as proper nouns.

3. Edited Book with a DOI:

Format:
Editor, N. (Ed.). (Year). Title. Publisher. https://doi.org/xxx

Example:
Miller, R. L., & Brewer, J. D. (Eds.). (2003). The A-Z of social research. Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446212443

Parenthetical In-text Citation: (Miller & Brewer, 2003)
Narrative In-text Citation: Miller and Brewer (2003) compiled…

Notes:

  • Italicize the book title.
  • Capitalize only the first word of the title and any subtitles, as well as proper nouns.

4. Chapter in an Edited Book with a DOI:

Format:
Author, N. (Year). Chapter title. In N. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. #-#). Publisher. https://doi.org/xxx

Example:
Brown, P. (2017). The Role of education. In M. Johnson (Ed.), Perspectives in sociology (pp. 45-67). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1080/1234567890

Parenthetical In-text Citation: (Brown, 2017)
Narrative In-text Citation: Brown (2017) discussed…

Notes:

  • Italicize the book title but not the chapter title and page numbers.
  • Capitalize only the first word of the chapter title and any subtitles, as well as proper nouns.

5. Book with Different Editions:

Format:
Author, N. (Year). Title (Edition). Publisher. https://doi.org/

Example:
Johnson, R. L., & Christensen, C. M. (2011). Reinventing discovery: The new era of networked science (2nd ed.). Princeton University Press.

Parenthetical In-text Citation: (Johnson & Christensen, 2011)
Narrative In-text Citation: Johnson and Christensen (2011) introduced the concept of…

Notes:

  • Include the edition in parentheses after the title, without italics.
  • Capitalize only the first word of the title and any subtitles, as well as proper nouns.

6. Dictionary Entry:

Format:
Organization. (n.d.). Title of entry. In Title of dictionary or encyclopedia. Retrieval Date, from https://www.example.com

Example:
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Semantics. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 4, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semantics

Parenthetical In-text Citation: (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 2005)
Narrative In-text Citation: The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2005) defines…

Notes:

  • Write (n.d.) for the date (i.e., no date) and write the date of retrieval.
  • Italicize the dictionary title but not the entry.
  • Capitalize only the first word of the title and any subtitles, as well as proper nouns.