Citing books
A book citation is generally the most straightforward of all citations. It usually has the following elements:
(Click on the citation element links on the left of the page to reveal more details and examples.)
Author
An author may be a person or orginisation, such as a government department, company or university.
Author names are usually the first element of a citation, and are often inverted, last-name first then Initials of the first-name. Commas are generally used to separate each author included in a citation.
Example: " Festinger L., Riecken H. W., & Schachter S. (1956) When prophecy fails. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press"
Title
The Title of the work, including the sub-title.
Some referencing styles underline titles, others italicise.
Example: "Festinger L., Riecken H. W., & Schachter S. (1956) When prophecy fails. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press"
Date of Publication
The year the item was published.
The date of publication is often included after the author's name in round brackets. If no date is given the abbreviation "n.d." is sometimes used.
Example: "Festinger L., Riecken H. W., & Schachter S. (1956)When prophecy fails. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press"
Place of Publication
The city and something the state or country, in which the item was published.
Example: "Festinger L., Riecken H. W., & Schachter S. (1956) When prophecy fails. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press"
Publisher
The person or company taking responsibility for the issue of an item.
generally, referencing styles require that you list the publisher's name in as brief format as possible - ommiting details such as "Co." or "Inc."
Example: "Festinger L., Riecken H. W., & Schachter S. (1956) When prophecy fails. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press"
