How to Cite a Textbook
Updated June 2026
A textbook is cited like any other book: author, year, title, publisher. The one thing to watch is the edition — textbooks are revised often, and you must cite the specific edition you used, because page numbers and content shift between editions.
Paste the textbook's ISBN into the generator and the citation is built from the book's registry record; here's the manual version and the variations you'll hit.
One textbook, three styles
Same facts, different arrangement — exactly as for any book. The How to Cite a Book guide covers the per-style mechanics in full.
Martin, R. C. (2008). Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Prentice Hall.
Martin, Robert C. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Prentice Hall, 2008.
Martin, Robert C. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship. Prentice Hall, 2008.
The edition is the part that matters
Textbooks go through editions, and the edition belongs in the citation: APA puts it in parentheses after the title — Title (3rd ed.). Publisher. — and the year is the copyright year of that edition (on the copyright page), not the original. Always cite the edition physically in front of you; a quote on page 412 of the 3rd edition may be on page 380 of the 4th.
Edited textbooks and single chapters
Many textbooks are edited collections with a different author per chapter. If you used one chapter, cite the chapter's author (not the editors) and the chapter's page range — see How to Cite a Chapter in a Book. If the whole textbook has one set of authors throughout, cite it as a normal book and let the in-text page number point to the part you used.
E-textbooks and platforms
Textbooks accessed through VitalSource, Pearson, RedShelf, or a library platform are cited like print in current styles — the format is irrelevant. Avoid platform "location" numbers; use the printed page number, or chapter/section if the e-text has no stable pages.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- Is a textbook cited differently from a normal book?
- No — it follows the standard book format. The only thing to be careful about is citing the correct edition and its copyright year, since textbooks are revised often.
- Which year do I use for a textbook?
- The copyright year of your specific edition, from the copyright page — not the original publication year or the printing year.
- How do I cite one chapter of a textbook?
- If chapters have different authors (an edited textbook), cite the chapter author, the chapter title, the editors, the book, and the chapter's page range. See How to Cite a Chapter in a Book.
- How do I cite an online or e-textbook?
- Like print — modern styles treat e-books the same as physical ones. Use printed page numbers for quotes; avoid platform location numbers.