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How to Cite Books in Your Bibliography With APA Style

In 1929, the American Psychological Association officially issued a literary format to standardize scientific writing. The format included rules on syntax, grammar, punctuation, configuration and citation. Citing books in a bibliography with APA style is a simple and straightforward procedure. Any scientific paper -- from start to finish -- should abide by all current APA guidelines to ensure the written work is given proper attention and respect from peers, colleagues and professional scientific communities.

Things You'll Need

  • APA guidelines text
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Instructions

    • 1

      Type the last name of the author of the book you are citing. Place a comma after the last name and include only the first initial of the author's first name. Insert a period after the name. Cite books in alphabetical order determined by the first letter of the author's last name.

    • 2

      Place the year the book was published in parenthesis. Insert a period after the date. Italicize the title of the book. Add a period at the end of the title.

    • 3

      Type the city of publication. Insert a colon after the city. Write in the name of the publishing company. Finish the citation by adding a period after the name of the publishing company.

    • 4

      Repeat Steps 1 through 3 for additional listings. Use hanging indentation, with the first line of the entry at the left margin and indented one-half inch.

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