How to Cite a Chapter in a Book
Updated June 2026
You cite a chapter (rather than the whole book) when the book is an edited collection — different authors wrote different chapters. The citation credits the chapter's author first, then places it “In” the book and its editors, with the chapter's page range.
If one author wrote the whole book, you don't need this — cite the book and let the in-text page number point to the chapter. Here's the edited-book case, where it matters.
The format
APA: Author, A. A. (Year). Chapter title in sentence case. In E. Editor (Ed.), Book title (pp. xx–xx). Publisher. MLA: Author. “Chapter Title.” Book Title, edited by Editor, Publisher, Year, pp. xx–xx. Chicago: Author. “Chapter Title.” In Book Title, edited by Editor, xx–xx. City: Publisher, Year.
The shape is the same idea in every style: chapter author → chapter title → In the book and its editor(s) → the page range of the chapter.
The in-text rule that catches people
Cite the chapter's author, never the book's editor. If Alvarez wrote the chapter in a book edited by Born, the in-text citation is (Alvarez, 2013) — Born appears only in the reference entry, after “In.” This is the single most common edited-book mistake.
Martin, R. C. (2008). Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Prentice Hall.
Chapter vs. whole book
- Edited book, different authors per chapter → cite the chapter (this guide).
- Single-author book, you used one chapter → cite the whole book; the in-text page number points to the chapter.
- Reference work entry (encyclopedia, handbook) → treated like a chapter, with the entry as the “chapter.”
- Anthology piece (a story or poem in a collection) → same chapter pattern, with the piece as the “chapter.”
Page ranges and editors
Always include the chapter's full page range in the reference entry (the specific page you quote goes in the in-text citation). For multiple editors, use (Eds.) in APA and “edited by” phrasing in MLA/Chicago. For the official patterns, see APA's reference examples and the Chicago Manual of Style; the whole-book mechanics are in How to Cite a Book.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- Do I cite the chapter author or the book editor?
- The chapter author leads the citation, both in text and at the start of the reference entry. The editor appears only after 'In' in the reference entry. Citing the editor as if they wrote the chapter is the most common error.
- When do I cite a chapter instead of the whole book?
- When the book is an edited collection with different authors per chapter. If one author wrote the whole book, cite the book and use the in-text page number for the chapter.
- What page numbers go in the citation?
- The chapter's full page range goes in the reference entry (e.g., pp. 45–67). The specific page you quote goes in the in-text citation.
- How do I cite an encyclopedia or handbook entry?
- Like a chapter — the entry is the 'chapter,' the reference work is the 'book,' with its editors and the entry's page range.