Books, edited volumes, and e-books are cited slightly differently in every style. This guide shows you the same sources formatted across five major citation styles, covering the three most common book scenarios: whole books, chapters in edited books, and e-books.
Whole Book
Source details
Author: John W. Creswell and J. David CreswellYear: 2018 Edition: 5th
Title: Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches
Publisher: Sage Place: London
APA 7
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage.
APA 7: no publisher location; sentence case for book title; edition in parentheses before publisher
MLA 9
Creswell, John W., and J. David Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 5th ed., Sage, 2018.
MLA 9: title case; full first names; edition before publisher; year at end
Harvard
Creswell, J.W. and Creswell, J.D. (2018) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 5th edn. London: Sage.
Harvard: includes publisher location; uses "edn" not "ed."; "and" not "&"
Chicago AD
Creswell, John W., and J. David Creswell. 2018. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 5th ed. London: Sage.
Chicago AD: year immediately after author names; includes city
Vancouver
Creswell JW, Creswell JD. Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. 5th ed. London: Sage; 2018.
Vancouver: no commas between initials and surname; year at end after semicolon
Chapter in an Edited Book
This is one of the trickiest citation formats — you're citing an author's chapter inside a book edited by someone else. The chapter author and the book editor are different people.
Source details
Chapter author: Alan BrymanChapter title: Sampling in Qualitative Research
Editor: Paul Atkinson
Book title: SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research
Year: 2021 Pages: 45–62 Publisher: Sage Place: London
APA 7
Bryman, A. (2021). Sampling in qualitative research. In P. Atkinson (Ed.), SAGE handbook of qualitative research (pp. 45–62). Sage.
APA 7: Editor's initials before surname; (Ed.) or (Eds.); no "pp." in front of journal pages but required here
MLA 9
Bryman, Alan. "Sampling in Qualitative Research." SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, edited by Paul Atkinson, Sage, 2021, pp. 45–62.
MLA 9: "edited by" not "(Ed.)"; chapter title in quotes, book title in italics
Harvard
Bryman, A. (2021) 'Sampling in qualitative research', in Atkinson, P. (ed.) SAGE handbook of qualitative research. London: Sage, pp. 45–62.
Harvard: chapter title in single quotes; editor abbreviated as (ed.) lower case
Chicago NB
Footnote: Alan Bryman, "Sampling in Qualitative Research," in SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, ed. Paul Atkinson (London: Sage, 2021), 48.
Bibliography: Bryman, Alan. "Sampling in Qualitative Research." In SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, edited by Paul Atkinson, 45–62. London: Sage, 2021.
Bibliography: Bryman, Alan. "Sampling in Qualitative Research." In SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, edited by Paul Atkinson, 45–62. London: Sage, 2021.
E-books
For e-books with a DOI or stable URL, include it. For Kindle or other DRM-locked formats, some styles ask you to note the platform.
APA 7
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx
APA 7: add DOI or URL; no "e-book" label needed unless format is specifically relevant
MLA 9
Creswell, John W., and J. David Creswell. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 5th ed., Sage, 2018. EBSCOhost, doi:10.xxxx/xxxx.
MLA 9: add the database or platform name in italics as the "container," then DOI
Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | APA 7 | Harvard | MLA 9 | Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher location | Omit | Include | Omit | Include |
| Book title case | Sentence case | Sentence case | Title Case | Title Case |
| Edition format | (5th ed.) | 5th edn | 5th ed., | 5th ed. |
| Chapter title | No quotes | Single quotes | "Double quotes" | "Double quotes" |
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