To quote a textbook in APA 7, put the quoted words in quotation marks and add an in-text citation with the author’s last name, the year, and the page number: (Rokach, 2005, p. 477). A textbook is cited exactly like any other book in APA, the fact that it is a textbook does not change the format. The page number is required for a direct quote, and the in-text citation matches a full entry on your References page. Here are the formats and the cases that trip students up.
How to quote a textbook in APA (in-text)
APA gives you two options. In a parenthetical citation, everything goes in parentheses after the quote: The authors note that loneliness is “often invisible to others” (Rokach, 2005, p. 477). In a narrative citation, you name the author in the sentence and put the year after the name and the page after the quote: Rokach (2005) argues that loneliness is “often invisible to others” (p. 477).
Use “p.” for one page and “pp.” with an en dash for a range, such as (Rokach, 2005, pp. 477–478). The sentence’s period goes after the closing parenthesis.
How to format the References entry for a textbook
A standard textbook with named authors is formatted like any book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the textbook (edition). Publisher. Include the edition number if it is not the first, because textbooks are revised often and the edition affects page numbers:
Rokach, A. (2005). Loneliness and the life cycle (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
How to quote a textbook with an editor and chapter authors
Many textbooks are edited collections where each chapter has its own author. In that case, cite the chapter author, not the editor, in your in-text citation, and format the References entry as a chapter in an edited book: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of textbook (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. This is the most common textbook citation mistake, quoting the editor when the words belong to a chapter author.
Quoting a textbook with no page numbers
For an online textbook or ebook without stable pages, APA lets you use another locator: a chapter, a section heading, or a paragraph number, such as (Rokach, 2005, Chapter 4) or (Rokach, 2005, “The Isolated Adult” section). Do not use e-reader page numbers that shift with font size, because they will not match another reader’s copy. For more on locators when pages are missing, see quoting a source with no page number.
Two rules that apply to every textbook quote
Quote exactly, marking any change with brackets and any omission with an ellipsis, and always pair the in-text citation with a full References entry. For a direct quote you always need the page number; for a paraphrase you do not, though naming the page is still helpful. For the general rules and the difference between quoting and paraphrasing, see how to cite a quote in APA and MLA and the in-text citation for an APA direct quote.
FAQ
How do you quote a textbook in APA?
Put the words in quotation marks and cite the author, year, and page: (Rokach, 2005, p. 477). Use “pp.” for a page range.
Is a textbook cited differently from a regular book in APA?
No. A textbook uses the standard book format. Add the edition number in the References entry, since textbooks are revised often.
How do you cite a chapter author in a textbook?
Cite the chapter author in the in-text citation and format the References entry as a chapter in an edited book, listing the editor and the chapter’s page range.
What if the textbook has no page numbers?
Use a chapter, section heading, or paragraph number as the locator, such as (Rokach, 2005, Chapter 4). Avoid e-reader page numbers that change with font size.
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