Worked citation example

How to Cite a Book in IEEE, APA, BibTeX, and LaTeX

Format a complete book reference in IEEE, APA, BibTeX, and LaTeX, including edition, publisher, and citation-key guidance.

Book4 minute read

A book reference usually needs the author or editor, title, edition when it is not the first, publisher, and year. Cite a chapter instead when a different author wrote the part you used inside an edited volume.

The example uses a technical book familiar to power-system students. Notice that APA and IEEE place the year and edition in different positions even though both begin with the same source record.

One verified record

See how the source changes by format.

Each output below uses the same metadata.

Source recordIEEEAPA 7BibTeXLaTeX citation

Source metadata

Author
Prabha Kundur
Title
Power System Stability and Control
Publisher
McGraw-Hill
Place
New York, New York, USA
Year
1994

IEEE

P. Kundur, Power System Stability and Control. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

IEEE places the book title before the publication location, publisher, and year.

APA 7

Kundur, P. (1994). Power system stability and control. McGraw-Hill.

APA places the year immediately after the author and generally omits the publisher location.

BibTeX

@book{kundur1994power,
  author    = {Prabha Kundur},
  title     = {Power System Stability and Control},
  publisher = {McGraw-Hill},
  address   = {New York, NY, USA},
  year      = {1994}
}

Use @book and store the author, title, publisher, and year as separate fields.

LaTeX citation

The standard small-signal model follows Kundur \cite{kundur1994power}.

Use a meaningful key such as author plus year plus a title word.

Practical workflow

Check the record before formatting it.

  1. Check the title page and copyright page rather than relying only on a retailer listing.

  2. Record the edition when the source is not the first edition.

  3. Identify whether you used the whole book or a separately authored chapter.

  4. Generate the reference in the required style from the verified record.

  5. Add a page locator in the text when quoting or discussing a specific passage and the style requires it.

Questions students ask

Frequently asked questions

Do I cite the whole book or one chapter?

Cite the whole book when the complete work has the same author and supports your use. Cite a chapter when it has its own author inside an edited collection.

Should I include the edition?

Include the edition when it is the second or later edition. The edition helps readers find the same text and page numbering you used.

Does a book need a URL?

A standard print book reference usually does not. Add a DOI or stable source URL when the selected style calls for it and it identifies the version you used.

Reference standards

Check the required style before you submit.

Continue the workflow