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eBooks: Citing eBooks

eBooks

Citing eBooks

Proper citation is important for all scholarly work. Style guides, or style manuals, provide detailed information about how to use a particular citation style for various media formats.

This guide provides you with basic citation information for eBooks but does not include all the rules and formats of the citation style; the printed style guides have more rules and examples. For more information on citation, visit York University Library's Citing Your Work Guide or visit SPARK for a tutorial on citing your sources.

APA Style

From the OWL at Purdue: 

Electronic or Kindle Books

It is not necessary to note that you have used an eBook or audiobook when the content is the same as a physical book. However, you should distinguish between the eBook or audiobook and the print version if the content is different or abridged, or if you would like to cite the narrator of an audiobook.

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. URL

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book [eBook edition]. Publisher. URL

Lastname, F. M. (Year). Title of book (N. Narrator, Narr.) [Audiobook]. Publisher. URL (if applicable)

Check the APA Style website (Book/Ebook References) for more info and examples.

MLA Style

From the OWL at Purdue: 

How do I cite e-books or Kindle books?

An e-book is considered a version, so it should be listed after the title of the book, before the publication information. If you know the type of e-book you used (such as Kindle or Ebook library), be sure to specify that. Avoid using device-specific numbering systems, since they will vary among different devices. If the book has chapters, sections, or other stable numbering systems, it is permissible to identify parts of the text that way.

Theile, Verena and Linda Tredennick, editors. New Formalism and Literary Theory. Kindle ed., Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

How do I cite a book that I accessed online?

Cite the book just like you would if it were in print. Then add the name of the database or website you used to access the online book, and add a URL or other location indicator at the end of the citation.

Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Macmillan, 1865. eBook edition (Project Gutenberg). https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11.

Check the MLA Handbook (Appendix 2: Works-Cited-List Entries by Publication Format) for more info. and examples under:

  • Books: Published in an E-Book Version
  • Books: Published on a Website