Decide on a citation style. There are three major systems: the MLA (Modern Language Association), the APA (American Psychological Association) and the Turabian & Chicago Styles Guide. The APA citation style is the one most commonly used.
Gather the necessary information. You will need the author's name, the year of the book's publication, the book title, the edition of the book, the city where published and the name of the publisher. In some cases, you will also need the page numbers you are citing.
Decide where the citation will appear. This determines how you should format it.
Citations within the text always correspond to the bibliography, the list of references at the end of your paper. An in-text citation includes the name of the author and the page number where you found the information. It is placed between brackets. For example, "This is not the end of this" (Dawson, p. 122). If you are citing more than one book by the same author, then the in-text citation should also include the year of the book's publication: "This is not the end of this" (Dawson 1995, p.122). In both cases, the reader knows he can look at the bibliography at the end of your paper and find more information on the book you are citing.
Citations at the bottom of the page are called "footnotes." They correspond to information marked in the text of that page of your report, with a number. The number at the end of the sentence sends the reader to the foot of the page and gives him the book where the information was found: "'This is not the end of this'. 1" The footnote that corresponds to the number should include the first and last names of the author; the title of the book (italicized); the place and year of publication and the publisher's name, in brackets; and the page the information comes from: 1 Brian Dawson, The Moment Of Truth (New York: Random 1995) p. 122.
Citations in the bibliography at the end of the paper are arranged numerically and alphabetically and include the last name of the author and his initials; the edition year in brackets; the title of the book (italicized); and the location and name of publisher: Dawson, B. (1995) The Moment Of Truth. New York, Random.
Format your book citation. Check how the software you use allows you to insert footnotes or arrange your references alphabetically. Most versions of Microsoft Office Word just require you to press "insert," then "reference" and then "footnotes" to insert footnotes, or "bibliography" for the list of references at the end of your paper.
Review your citation. Make sure it is accurate. Double check that the information you are giving is right. Check the spelling.