Writing Guides
References- Print Books
Basic Format for a Book with One Author
List the author’s last name followed by a comma and the first initial. Insert the date in parentheses and italicize the title. Follow with the place of publication and the publisher, separated by a colon.
Example(s):
Orenstein, P. (2016). Girls and sex: Navigating the complicated new landscape. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Cite the online version only if a print version is not available or is hard to find. Insert “n.d.” if no publication date is given.
Example(s):
Robinson, K. (n.d.). Beyond the wilderness. Retrieved from http://onlineoriginals.com/showitem.asp?itemID=113
If you consulted an e-reader, list the format in square brackets. The URL stands in place of information about the publisher. If you accessed the online version from a paid site, such as Amazon.com, use the phrase “Available from” rather than “Retrieved from.”
Example(s):
Inoue, A.B. (2015). Antiracist writiing assessment ecologies: Teaching and assessing writing for a socially just future [ePub]. Retrieved from http://wac.colostate.edu/books/inoue/ecologies.epub
Basic Format for a Book with Two or More Authors
List the authors in the same order that they title page does, each with the last name first. Use commas to separate authors and use an ampersand (&) before the final author’s name. List every author up to and including seven; for a work with eight or more authors, give the first six names followed by three ellipsis dots and the last author’s name (Do not use an ampersand in such cases).
Example(s):
Watkins, D., & Brook, Y. (2016). Equal is unfair: America’s misguided fight against income inequality. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Grant, A., & Sandberg, S. (2016). Originals: How non-conformists move the world [Kindle]. Available from http://amazon.com
Basic Format for a Book with a Corporate or Group Author
Write the full name of the corporate or group author. If the corporation is also the publisher, use “Author” for the publisher’s name.
Example(s):
Linguistic Society of America. (2016). Annual report: The state of linguistics in higher education. Washington, DC: Author.
Basic Format for a Book with an Unknown Author
When no author is listed on the title or copyright page, begin the entry with the title of the work. Alphabetize the entry by the first significant word of the title (not including A, An, or The).
Example(s):
The book of Aquarius: Alchemy and the philosopher’s stone. (2011). Charleston, SC: Forgotten Books.
Basic Format for Citing Two or More Books by the Same Author
Give the author’s name in each entry and the list of titles in chronological order.
Example(s):
Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. New York, NY: Random House.
Duhigg, C. (2016). Smarter, faster, better: The secrets of being productive in life and business. New York, NY: Random House.
Basic Format for a Translated Book
List the author first, followed by the year of publication, the title, and the translator (in parentheses, identified by the abbreviation “Trans.”). Place the original date of the work’s publication at the end of the entry.
Example(s):
Mauriac, F. (2015). What I believe (W. Fowlie, Trans.). Londong, England: Forgotten Books. (Original work published 1963).
Basic Format for an Edition Other Than the First
Note the edition (“2nd ed., “ “Rev.ed.”) after the title.
Example(s):
Spatt, B. (2016). Writing from sources (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Basic Format for a Book with an Author with an Editor
Include the editor’s name and the abbreviation “Ed.” in parentheses after the title.
Example(s):
Newport, M.T. (2011). Alzheimer’s disease: What if there was a cure? (P. Hirsch, Ed.). Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications.
Basic Format for a Work in an Edited Collection or Anthology, Including a Foreword, Introduction, Preface, or Afterword
Begin with the author, publication date, and title of the selection (not italicized). Follow with the word “In,” the names of the editors (initials first), the abbreviation “Ed.” or “Eds.” in parentheses, the title of the anthology or collection (italicized), inclusive page numbers for the selection (in parentheses, with the abbreviation “pp.”), and the place and publisher.
Example(s):
Sargeant, S. (2016). Psychology and models of health. In A. Tom & P. Greasley (Eds.), Psychology for nursing (pp. 21-34). London, England: Polity Press.
Joli, F. (2016). Foreword. In J. Arena, Legends of disco: Forty stars discuss their careers (pp. 1-2). Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Basic Format for a Sacred Text
Treat as you would a book.
Example(s):
Holy Bible: King James version. (2011). New York, NY: American Bible Society.
Basic Format for a Dissertation or Thesis
Give the author, date, and title before identifying the type of work (doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis). End with the name of the database and the identifying number, or the URL.
Example(s):
West, R. (2012). Hostility toward the unattractive: Challenging current “sexual harassment” law (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (AAI 3545458).
Basic Format for a Book with Two or More Sources By the Same Author in the Same Year
List the works alphabetically, and include lowercase letters (a, b, and so on) after the dates.
Example(s):
Roach, M. (2013a). Gulp: Adventures on the alimentary canal. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.
Roach, M. (2013b). My Planet: Finding humor in the oddest places. White Plains, NY: Reader’s Digest..