Arts >> Books >> Book Publishing

How to Cite a Published Book Summary

Writing a piece requiring a book summary citation can be daunting. Different book formats, contributors, and authors demand different notations. However, it must be stressed that it is necessary to cite sources whenever you refer to them in a published work, even if you are citing a summary. The Chicago Manual of Style is the generally acknowledged authority, and writers would be wise to refer to the section regarding book review and summary citations for additional assistance.

Things You'll Need

  • Medium of choice (such as paper or computer)
  • Cited document
Show More

Instructions

    • 1
      Citations differ depending on the style of the piece.

      Select a citation format that reflects your piece's style. If your piece falls under the humanities, add a footnote to your document, followed by a bibliography containing the full reference. If you write a science piece, include the author's last name only, the year the review was published, and the referenced page number, enclosed in parentheses, followed by a reference list at the end of the piece.

    • 2
      Cite multiple authors differently from singular authors.

      Consider the number of authors or transcribers. The format will reflect the individual responsible for the piece you cite. If there is one author, begin the citation with the last name and then the first, separated by a comma. Place a period after the name. If there are two authors, the format should list the first author in the last-name, first-name format, followed by the second author in a first-name, last-name format, separated by a comma and "and" clause. For example, "Smith, John, and Jason Davis." Follow the names with a period, as with a single author.

    • 3
      Referenced book summaries must be identified as such.

      Determine the next item listed in the citation. For humanities papers, the referenced review title must be written next. Remember, a period follows the author's name, so include the book review title, in quotation marks, behind that period. Capitalize all important words. Follow the book review title with another period. If you are writing a science piece, however, follow the author's name with the cited book review's published year, and end with a period. Then, include the book review title, and end with a period. In this title, only the first word should be capitalized.

    • 4
      Bibliographies can be daunting, but references generally follow a predictable format.

      Reference the target of the cited review in the following format (without the quotation marks): "Review of Being and Nothingness, by Jean-Paul Sartre." Replace "Being and Nothingness" with the cited piece's topic of review, and "Jean-Paul Sartre" with the author of the book reviewed. The reviewed book's title should be italicized.

    • 5
      Recognizing your piece as either a science or humanities paper helps take the guesswork out of citing a book review.

      Write the publisher next, followed by a comma, and then write the date your cited review was published. Pieces categorized under the humanities will include the date in the format "January 1, 2010," without the quotation marks and ending with a period. Science pieces will include only the month and date, followed by the period, since documenting the year occurs in Step 3.

Book Publishing

Related Categories