Where to Find Citation Information

Citation Information in Books

In physical books, the citation information can be found in the copyright page, which is usually in the first few pages of a book. Citation information can also be found on the title page of a book.

Click on the purple exclamation points (!) to see where you can find the information you will need for a citation in the copyright page of a print book. Click the full screen option on the right side of the image to make the image larger.

Print Book Example

Title of Book: The Norton Anthology of Western Literature

The title of the book can be found on the title page, normally at the top of the page in a large font.

Edition: Eighth Edition

The edition number can be found on the title page, usually under the title of the book. Keep in mind that not every book will have an edition number.

Editor: Sarah Lawall is the General Editor for the book.

The editor name can be found on the title page of the book. Keep in mind that some books may not have an editor listed, some will have an author's name instead. Since The Norton Anthology of Western Literature is a collection of works written by other authors, there will only be an editor listed for the whole book. You may notice on the copyright page of the book, there are multiple types of editors listed. You only need to include the editor who is listed on the title page for your citation.

Volume Number: Vol. 1: The Ancient World through the Renaissance

The volume number will be found on the title page of the book. Keep in mind that not every book will have a volume number.

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company is the publisher of the book.

The publisher name can usually be found on the title page or in the copyright page for the book.

Publication Date: 2006

The publication date can be found on the copyright page for the book. Keep in mind, for a book like this one, with multiple editions, there may be multiple years listed. In this case, pick the most recent year.

eBook Example 

Depending on the database you use to find your eBook, where you find your citation information may look a little different. In some databases, the eBook will include the copyright page (like the print book example above), but in other databases, you will be taken into a record page for the eBook, which is where you can also find the citation information. The example below shows a record page for an eBook.

Click on the purple exclamation points (!) to see where you can find the information you will need for a citation in the record page of an eBook. Click the full screen option on the right side of the image to make the image larger.

Database: Gale eBooks

The name of the database will usually be at the very top of the page.

Title of Book: The College Blue Book 

The title of the eBook can usually be found at the top of the page, often in a large font.

Editor: The editor of this eBook is Bohdan Romaniuk.

The name of the editor can be found under About This Publication. eBooks will usually have an About section on the record page before you go into the text of the book. The About section will have the citation information you need to properly cite the eBook. Keep in mind that some books may not have an editor listed, some will have an author's name instead. 

Volume: vol. 6: Distance Learning Programs

The volume number can be found under the About this Publication section. Keep in mind that not every eBook will have a volume number listed.

Publisher: Macmillan Reference USA

The publisher can be found under the About this Publication section, on the line marked Imprint.

Publication Year: 2019

The publication year can be found under the About this Publication section.

URL: Click "Get Link" to find the URL.