How to cite an introduction in a book in APA

APA book introduction citation

To cite an introduction in a book in a reference entry in APA style 6th edition include the following elements:

  1. Author(s) of the introduction: Give the last name and initials (e. g. Watson, J. D.) of up to seven authors with the last name preceded by an ampersand (&). For eight or more authors include the first six names followed by an ellipsis (…) and add the last author's name.
  2. Year of publication: Give the year in brackets followed by a full stop.
  3. Title of the introduction: Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalized.
  4. Editor(s) or Author of the book: Give the name of the author or editor of the book. If it is an editor, write the name (e.g. J. Smith), followed by (Ed.) or (Eds.) respectively. If not available, omit this part.
  5. Title of the book: Book titles are italicized. Only the first letter of the first word and proper nouns are capitalised.
  6. Page numbers: Give the full page range.
  7. Place of publication: List the city and the US state using the two-letter abbreviation. Spell out country names if outside of the UK or the USA.
  8. Publisher: Give the name of the publisher but omit terms, such as Publishers, Co., and Inc. Retain the words Books and Press.

Here is the basic format for a reference list entry of an introduction in a book in APA style 6th edition:

Author(s) of the introduction. (Year of publication). Title of the introduction. In Editor(s) or Author of the book, Title of the book (pp. Page numbers). Place of publication: Publisher.

APA reference list examples

Take a look at our reference list examples that demonstrate the APA style guidelines for an introduction in a book citation in action:

Examples

The introduction to a book by one author

Lewis, J.S. (1996). Introduction. In Rain of iron and ice (pp. 1-9). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

The introduction to the special edition of a book by one author

Gaarder, J. (2015). Introduction to the twentieth anniversary edition of Sophie's world. In Sophie's world (pp. xi-xvi). London UK: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

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