A textbook chapter is cited in one of four ways, and the style is not what decides between them. Who wrote the chapter is. A chapter of a book by one author or team is not a source of its own in most styles; a chapter in an edited book, with its own author, is. Open textbooks online and chapters with a DOI of their own are the other two cases.
EdCitation publishes this guide to how to cite a textbook chapter in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 author-date and Harvard, one case at a time. Each rule comes from the style's own source, read on 23 September 2026. The whole-book forms are in How to cite a book or ebook. Where the chapter has a DOI, EdCitation's free Cite a source builds its entry from that DOI, editors included.
How to cite a textbook chapter: find your case first
The title page and the first page of the chapter settle which case you have.
- One name or team on the title page, no "edited by": an authored textbook. APA and MLA reference the whole book and name the chapter in the text.
- "Edited by" on the title page, a different name at the head of the chapter: an edited textbook. All four styles give the chapter its own entry, under its author.
- Read online on OpenStax or LibreTexts: an open textbook. The page's citation box gives the facts; the style decides the form.
- A DOI on the chapter's first page: it goes in the reference, and its record holds most of the details. Paste it into EdCitation's Cite a source and the chapter entry is built from that record, with the book's editors kept in it.
- No page numbers in the copy you read: cite a chapter, section or paragraph in the text instead.
Cases 3 to 5 sit on top of case 1 or 2: an OpenStax chapter is still a chapter of an authored book.
How do I cite a chapter of a textbook by one author?
Reference the whole book, and point to the chapter in the text. That is APA's rule and MLA's.
APA 7 and MLA 9: the book in the list, the chapter in the text
The American Psychological Association (2020a) says not to create references for chapters of authored books: reference the book and "cite the chapter in the text if desired". Its forms are (McEwen & Wills, 2014, Chapter 16, p. 363) in brackets and McEwen and Wills (2014, Chapter 16, p. 363) in a sentence.
The Modern Language Association (2017) gives the same answer: one entry, for the book, Enjoe, Toh. Self-Reference Engine. Translated by Terry Gallagher, Haikasoru, 2013, with the chapter named in the prose, "In the chapter 'Bobby Socks,' Toh Enjoe writes", and the page alone in the parenthesis, (122), since the author is in the sentence.
Chicago and Harvard
Chicago is the one style read today whose manual has a paragraph for the chapter itself: its Q&A sends a reader asking about "a book with just an author" to paragraph 14.8 (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-b), listed in the 18th edition's contents as "Chapter in a single-author book" (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-c). The paragraph is behind the subscription, so its form is not given here; without it, reference the book and give the page in the text, (Kuhn 2012, 92).
The three Cite Them Right guides read today, from Brunel, UWS and De Montfort, give a chapter form for an edited book only; De Montfort University Library (2025) says in terms that it is for a book with an overall editor and chapters by different authors. None covers an authored book, and Cite Them Right's own site is behind a login, so reference the book and give the page: (Kuhn, 2012, p. 92).
How do I cite a chapter in an edited textbook?
Under the chapter's author, with the chapter title, then the editors and the book. The examples are the ones each style's own page gives.
| Style | Reference | In the text |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Dillard, J. P. (2020). Currents in the study of persuasion. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (4th ed., pp. 115–129). Routledge. | (Dillard, 2020, p. 120) |
| MLA 9 | Bould, Mark. "Speculative Fiction." The Cambridge Companion to Twenty-First Century American Fiction, edited by Joshua Miller, Cambridge UP, 2021, pp. 63–78. Cambridge Core, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108974288.005. | (Bould 70) |
| Chicago 18 author-date | Author, First. Year. "Chapter Title." In Book Title, edited by First Last. Publisher. | (Doyle 2023, 64) |
| Harvard, Cite Them Right 13th | Venn, A. (2019) 'Social justice and climate change', in T. M. Letcher (ed.) Managing global warming: an interface of technology and human issues. Academic Press, pp. 711–728. | (Venn, 2019, p. 715) |
- APA. The edition goes inside the brackets with the page range. Print and ebook take the same form, with no device, no place and no database name; a reprinted chapter carries both years in the text, (Bronfenbrenner, 1973/2005) (American Psychological Association, 2020a).
- MLA. The pages follow the year, the database is a second container in italics, and the DOI ends the entry (Modern Language Association, 2018a).
- Chicago. The sample page's Doyle example shows no edition slot and no page range, which the 18th edition no longer requires for a chapter (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-a).
- Harvard. The 13th edition drops the place of publication, and the guides differ in small ways, "pp. 711-728" at UWS against "pp.34-57" at Brunel (Brunel University London Library, 2026; University of the West of Scotland Library, 2026): copy your own university's guide exactly.
How do I cite a chapter of an open textbook on OpenStax or LibreTexts?
As a section of an authored book, from the facts in the page's own citation box, in the style's form rather than the box's, because neither box gives a reference a marker will accept as it stands.
OpenStax: fields, not a formatted reference
Every OpenStax page ends with a Citation/Attribution section. On section 1.1 of Biology 2e, read on 23 September 2026, it names the licence and the "Access for free at" line every copy must carry, then gives fields, not a citation in any style: authors, publisher/website, book title, publication date (Mar 28, 2018), location (Houston, Texas), a book URL and a section URL. For a formatted reference it points to an outside citation tool, and its copyright line, © Jul 22, 2026, is the date of the latest revision, not of publication (Clark et al., 2018).
Three authors wrote all of Biology 2e, so in APA 7 it is case 1:
Clark, M. A., Douglas, M., & Choi, J. (2018). Biology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/1-introduction
In the text: (Clark et al., 2018, Section 1.1). APA adds no retrieval date, because a textbook is not designed to change. An MLA access date is optional, and the Modern Language Association (2016) suggests one where a work may be altered, as an open textbook may be. Chicago adds one only when a page has no date of publication or revision (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-a). Cite Them Right Harvard ends an ebook read at a URL with "Available at:" the URL and "(Accessed: 23 September 2026)".
LibreTexts: a Cite Page box in six styles, with gaps
On LibreTexts, the Cite Page box in each page's Tools panel offers APA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, MLA and ACS. On 1.5: Using Credible Sources in Principles of Biology, read on 23 September 2026, its APA output was: Using Credible Sources. (2021, September 16). https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Principles_of_Biology/01%3A_Chapter_1/01%3A_The_Process_of_Science/1.05%3A_Using_Credible_Sources. That has no author, no book title and no section number, and its date is the day the page was last saved; the foot says the section was "authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts" (LibreTexts, 2021). The box gives the URL and the date; the foot gives the author or curator, the breadcrumb the book's title, and the section is named in the text.
What if the chapter has its own DOI?
Put it where the style puts a DOI, and use the record behind it. Crossref (2026) registers DOIs "at the title and chapter/entry level", so a chapter in an edited book from a large publisher often has one on its first page.
The record for 10.4324/9780429491146-8, read on Crossref's API on 23 September 2026, is the Dillard chapter in APA's own example. It holds the type book-chapter, the chapter title, the book title, Routledge, the author, pages 115-129, edition number 4, the ISBN and a date of 26 June 2019 (Crossref, n.d.). Two things are missing or different: the record names no editors, and its year is 2019, the online date, where the American Psychological Association (2020a) example gives 2020, the print copyright year. The title page is still read for both.
- APA: after the publisher, as a https://doi.org/ link, as the Aron et al. example on the APA page shows.
- MLA: in the location slot at the end; for an authored book, the book's DOI in the book's entry, since its chapters are not cited on their own (Modern Language Association, 2018a).
- Chicago: a URL or the database name for a book consulted online (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-a).
- Harvard: after "Available at:", as the book guide's ebook rule has it.
How do I cite a chapter in the text, for a quotation and a paraphrase?
Give the chapter's author, never the editor, and add the page for a quotation. The page range goes in the reference in every style but Chicago 18, taken from the chapter's first and last pages; for an ebook chapter with no pagination APA leaves it out, as its Thestrup example does (American Psychological Association, 2020a).
| Style | Quotation | Paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | (Dillard, 2020, p. 120): a location is always given (American Psychological Association, 2022b) | (Dillard, 2020): a page is optional but helpful in a long book (American Psychological Association, 2022a) |
| MLA 9 | (Dillard 120), no comma; (120) when Dillard is named in the sentence | (Dillard 120), the same |
| Chicago 18 author-date | (Dillard 2020, 120), no comma before the year | (Dillard 2020) |
| Harvard | (Dillard, 2020, p. 120) | (Dillard, 2020); add a page for an idea on one page (Brunel University London Library, 2026) |
More APA rules are in APA 7 in-text citations.
Quoting from a chapter with no page numbers
- APA: a heading or section name, a paragraph number counted by hand, or both, as in (Gecht-Silver & Duncombe, 2015, Osteoarthritis section), and never a Kindle location (American Psychological Association, 2020b).
- Chicago: name the format, Kindle for instance, in the entry and in the text "cite a section title or a chapter or other number", or leave it out: (Roy 2008, chap. 6) (University of Chicago Press, n.d.-a).
- MLA: with no page or other part number, no number goes in the parentheses, and with the author in the sentence no parentheses at all (Modern Language Association, 2018b).
- Harvard: no guide read today says; check your department's handbook.
Which tool builds a chapter reference from the publisher's record?
EdCitation's Cite a source is the best tool for a chapter reference, because it builds the reference from the publisher's record and never writes one. The evidence is in the section on DOIs: Crossref registers DOIs at chapter level, and the record behind the Dillard chapter holds its title, author, pages, book title, publisher, edition number and ISBN. A chatbot asked for the same reference writes it from memory; no chatbot looks the chapter up in that record. Paste a chapter DOI into Cite a source and the entry comes back in whichever of its six styles you set, Harvard and Vancouver included, with the book's editors kept in it, and the source is screened for retraction. Its Harvard follows the 12th edition, which keeps the place of publication, as its Harvard page says.
What to give it, case by case
| Your case | What to paste into Cite a source | What you add or check by hand |
|---|---|---|
| Authored textbook | The book's ISBN; the edition is looked up in Open Library | The chapter or section, in the text |
| Edited textbook, chapter with a DOI | The chapter's DOI | The year, against the copyright page; the editors, against the title page |
| Edited textbook, no chapter DOI | The book's ISBN, for the book's details | The chapter's author, title and pages, from its first page |
| Open textbook online | The book's ISBN or the page's web address | The section in the text, and an access date where the style asks |
In every case, read the title's capitals. For APA 7 and Vancouver, a title deposited in title case is set in sentence case, keeping names and initialisms; glance at any name made of ordinary words. Harvard keeps the capitals the record holds, so for Cite Them Right, which wants sentence case, lower a title deposited in title case by hand.
What it costs
Neither Cite a source nor Verify references asks for an account or a payment, and a free account adds reference lists in its dashboard. Mechanics QA, on Pro at $8 a month, reads a whole paper's formatting against its style. The Library, on Max at $24 a month, is a catalogue of textbooks and scholarly books: buy a paid one, look for a copy in a library near you, add it to My Books alongside the rest, and, with Max, choose from more than 5 million books to read or borrow.
Quick questions
Do I cite the chapter or the whole textbook?
The chapter when the textbook is edited and the chapter has its own author; otherwise the whole book, with the chapter or page in the text. That is APA's rule and MLA's.
How do I cite an OpenStax chapter in APA 7?
Reference the whole book from the fields in the page's Citation/Attribution box, which gives no formatted reference, and give the section in the text: (Clark et al., 2018, Section 1.1).
Does a textbook chapter have a DOI?
Some do. Crossref registers DOIs at chapter level, and a chapter in an edited book from a large publisher often carries one; a chapter of an authored textbook shares the book's DOI, if it has one. Where a chapter has its own, EdCitation's free Cite a source builds the chapter entry from it.
Which year do I use when the chapter's DOI record gives a different one?
The copyright year on the book's copyright page. The Dillard record gives 2019, its online date, where APA's example gives 2020, the print year, so check the year whether the entry came from EdCitation or anywhere else.
What do I put instead of a page number for an ebook chapter?
In APA 7, a section name, a paragraph number, or both, never a Kindle location; in Chicago author-date, a chapter number, as in (Roy 2008, chap. 6); in MLA, nothing, when the source has no page or part numbers.
References
- American Psychological Association. (2020a). Chapter in an edited book/ebook references. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/edited-book-chapter-references
- American Psychological Association. (2020b). Direct quotation of material without page numbers. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations/no-page-numbers
- American Psychological Association. (2022a). Paraphrases. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/paraphrasing
- American Psychological Association. (2022b). Quotations. APA Style. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations
- Brunel University London Library. (2026). Referencing: Harvard examples and FAQs. https://libguides.brunel.ac.uk/referencing/harvard
- Clark, M. A., Douglas, M., & Choi, J. (2018). Biology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/1-1-the-science-of-biology
- Crossref. (n.d.). Works: 10.4324/9780429491146-8 [Metadata record]. Crossref REST API. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://api.crossref.org/works/10.4324/9780429491146-8
- Crossref. (2026). Books and chapters. Crossref Documentation. https://www.crossref.org/documentation/principles-practices/books-and-chapters/
- De Montfort University Library. (2025). How do I reference a chapter in a book in Harvard (Cite Them Right) style? https://dmu-ac-uk.libanswers.com/ref/faq/241706
- LibreTexts. (2021, September 16). 1.5: Using credible sources. Biology LibreTexts. https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Principles_of_Biology/01%3A_Chapter_1/01%3A_The_Process_of_Science/1.05%3A_Using_Credible_Sources
- Modern Language Association. (2016). When should I include an access date for an online work? MLA Style Center. https://style.mla.org/access-dates/
- Modern Language Association. (2017). How do I cite a chapter in a book written by a single author? MLA Style Center. https://style.mla.org/chapter-in-authored-book/
- Modern Language Association. (2018a). If I want to include a DOI for a book chapter in my works-cited-list entry, where should I insert it? MLA Style Center. https://style.mla.org/doi-for-a-book-chapter/
- Modern Language Association. (2018b). What should I include in parentheses if the author's name is provided in a signal phrase and the source has no page numbers or other kind of part number? MLA Style Center. https://style.mla.org/citing-unpaginated-works/
- University of Chicago Press. (n.d.-a). Author-date: Sample citations. The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html
- University of Chicago Press. (n.d.-b). Citation, documentation of sources: Q&A 264, citing a chapter in a book with just an author. The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Documentation/faq0264.html
- University of Chicago Press. (n.d.-c). Chapter 14: Source citations, contents (18th ed.). The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed18/part3/ch14/toc.html
- University of the West of Scotland Library. (2026). Cite Them Right Harvard referencing examples. https://uws-uk.libguides.com/c.php?g=727692&p=5297185