How to Cite Workbooks in APA Format

Workbooks are educational resources containing exercises and examples students can use to learn and practice material. They can complement a textbook or be used as an independent study tool. Citing a workbook in American Psychological Association style requires basic information about the book's author and publisher. Cite workbooks both in your text and on your reference page, per APA style.

Citing a Workbook on Your Reference List

A source cited in APA format is noted on a reference list -- a separate page after the body of your text. To include a workbook on your reference list, note its author, date of publication, title and publisher information. APA arranges this information as follows:

Author's Last Name, First Initial(s). (Year of Publication). Title of workbook: Include subtitles if necessary. Publisher's location: Publisher's name.

For example:

Bourne, J. (2006). Exercises in espionage. Washington, DC: Investigative Press.

Workbook Editions

Many workbooks are updated and reprinted over time. Check your workbook's edition information to make sure you're citing the correct item on your reference list. If it's an edition other than the first, this information is included in parentheses after the book title in your citation.

For example:

Harder, P.O. (1980). Harmonic materials in tonal music: A programmed course (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.

In-Text References for Workbooks

APA style requires that you also note your sources whenever you reference them in your paper, whether it's a quote from the workbook or paraphrasing information found in the workbook. An in-text citation is placed in parentheses after the material you reference and includes the author's last name, the year the workbook was published and the page number on which the information appears.

For example:

(Bourne, 2006, p. 98) (Harder, 1980, pp. 47-48)

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