Template:Cite book

This template is used to cite sources in Wikipedia. It is specifically for books. This template replaces the deprecated {{book reference}}.

Usage

All fields must be lowercase. Copy a blank version to use:

Full version	Brief Instructions		Most common fields
{{cite book | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | editor = | others = | title = | origdate = | origyear = | origmonth = | url = | format = | accessdate = | accessyear = | accessmonth = | edition = | date = | year = | month = | publisher = | location = | language = | id = | doi = | pages = | chapter = | chapterurl = | quote = }}	Prerequisites* (no wikilink) last(no wikilink) last last     REQUIRED** † preferred(no wikilink) alt to origdate alt to origdate   url url †preferred(no wikilink)      alt to accessdate      alt to accessdate   † preferred(no wikilink) alt to date alt to date   publisher         (no wikilink)‡ chapter   }}		{{cite book | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | year = | title = | publisher = | location = | id = }}

∗ The field listed below is a prerequisite for the field to the left. For example last is a prerequisite to first meaning first will NOT be displayed even if it has a value unless last also has a value.

∗∗ Wikilinks MUST link to existing article, and can not be used if url is used below.

† This is the preferred field with its alternates listed

‡ If chapterurl is provided then chapter can not have wikilinks.

Fields

Wikilinks

Most fields can be wikilinked (ie. title = [[book article|book title]]), but should generally only be linked to an existing Wikipedia article. Any wikilinked field must not contain any brackets apart from normal round brackets () — don't use <>[]{}.

Description of fields

Syntax (for the technical-minded)

Nested fields either rely on their parent fields, or replace them:

• parent
  • child — may be used with parent (and is ignored if parent is not used)
  • OR: child2 — may be used instead of parent (and is ignored if parent is used)

Description

• last: Surname of author. Don't wikilink (use authorlink instead).
  • first: First name(s) of author, including title(s) (eg. Firstname Middlename or Firstname M. or Dr. Firstname M., Snr.). Don't wikilink (use authorlink instead).
    • The `last' and `first' fields are poorly named for the case of an author whose surname is usually written first (e.g. as in Chinese). They also have the problem of only communicating which is the surname, not communicating where the surname is usually written. Consider deprecating first,last fields, and reinstating author field, using the notation "Smith, John" or "Hu Ke Jie" as appropriate (i.e. always writing surname first, and using comma or not depending on whether the name is usually written surname last or first).
  • authorlink: Title of Wikipedia article about author. Article should already exist. Must not be wikilinked itself. Do not use this on its own, but along with "author" or "first" and "last".
  • coauthors: Full name of additional author or authors, surname last, separated by ", " (eg. Joe Bloggs, John F. Kennedy, H. R. Dent).
    • Someone please confirm that surname is to go last even for people whose name is usually written surname first. Consider rethinking this field, e.g. using Bloggs, Joe and Kennedy, John F. and Dent, H. R. and Hu Ke Jie.
  • OR: author: Full name of author, preferably surname first.
• editor: Name of the editor/editors. No text is added, so labels such as "(ed.)" have to be supplied by the user.
• others: For uses such as "illustrated by Smith" or "trans. Smith".
• title: Title of book. This is the only required parameter. Can be wikilinked only to an existing Wikipedia article.
• url: URL of an online book. Cannot be used if you wikilinked title.
  • format: Format, i.e. PDF. HTTP implied if not specified.
  • accessdate: Full date when item was accessed, in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, eg. 2006-02-17. Required when url field is used. Must not be wikilinked.
    • OR: accessyear: Year when item was accessed, and accessmonth: Month when item was accessed. If you also have the day, use accessdate instead. Must not be wikilinked.
• edition: When the book has more than one edition. eg: "2nd edition".
• origdate: Full date of publication of original edition, in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, eg. 2004-06-27. Must not be wikilinked.
  • OR: origyear: Year of publication of original edition, and origmonth: Month of publication of original edition. If you also have the day, use date instead. Must not be wikilinked.
• date: Full date of publication, in ISO 8601 YYYY-MM-DD format, eg. 2006-02-17. Must not be wikilinked.
  • OR: year: Year of publication, and month: Name of the month of publication. If you also have the day, use date instead. Must not be wikilinked.
• publisher: Publisher should not include corporate designation such is "Ltd" or "Inc".
  • location: Place of publication.
• language: The language the book is written in, if it is not English.
• id: Identifier such as ISBN 1-111-22222-9 or {{LCC|Z253.U69}}. Remember, you must specify the kind of identifier, not just give a number.
• doi: digital object identifier. See also {{doi}}
• pages: 5–7: first page and optional last page. This is for listing the pages relevant to the citation, not the total number of pages in the book.
• chapter: The chapter of the book, written in full. Punctuation other than quotes should be included in the value passed to the parameter, eg. chapter = Meet Dick and Jane. produces "Meet Dick and Jane." ahead of title.
  • chapterurl: URL of an individual chapter of online book. Should be at the same site as url, if any.
• quote: Relevant quote from the book.

Examples

Just a title

* {{cite book | title=Mysterious book }}

• Mysterious book.

Year and title

* {{cite book | title=Mysterious book | year=1901 }}

• (1901) Mysterious book.

Basic usage

* {{cite book | first=Joe | last=Bloggs | authorlink=Joe Bloggs | year=1974 | title=Book of Bloggs }}

• Bloggs, Joe (1974). Book of Bloggs.

Basic usage with url

* {{cite book | last=Bloggs | first=Joe | authorlink=Joe Bloggs | year=1974 | title=Book of Bloggs | edition=1st Edition | url=http://en.wikipedia.org/ | accessdate=2006-02-17 }}

• Bloggs, Joe (1974). Book of Bloggs, 1st Edition. Retrieved on 2006-02-17.

Three authors, title with a piped wikilink, edition

* {{cite book | last=Bloggs | first=Joe | authorlink=Joe Bloggs | coauthors=John Smith, Jim Smythe | title=[[A Thousand Acres|1000 Acres]] | edition=2nd Edition }}

• Bloggs, Joe; John Smith, Jim Smythe. 1000 Acres, 2nd Edition.

Date without day, wikilinked title and publisher, id

* {{cite book | last=Cordell | first=Bruce R. | coauthors=Jeff Grubb, David Noonan | year=2001 | month=September | title=[[Manual of the Planes]] | publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] | id=ISBN 0-7869-1850-8 }}

• Cordell, Bruce R.; Jeff Grubb, David Noonan (September 2001). Manual of the Planes. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.

Date of first edition, other language, illustrator

* {{cite book | last=Bloggs | first=Joe | origyear=1463 | year=1974 | title=Book of Bloggs | edition=1st Edition | others=illustrated by Smith | language=German | url=http://en.wikipedia.org/ | accessdate=2006-02-17 }}

• Bloggs, Joe [1463] (1974). Book of Bloggs, illustrated by Smith, 1st Edition (in German). Retrieved on 2006-02-17.

Using a doi

*{{cite book | last=Mumford | first=David | authorlink=David Mumford | year=1999 | title=The Red Book of Varieties and Schemes: Includes the Michigan Lectures (1974) on Curves and Their Jacobians | edition=2nd ed. | publisher=[[Springer-Verlag]] | doi=10.1007/b62130 | id=ISBN 354063293X }}

• Mumford, David (1999). The Red Book of Varieties and Schemes: Includes the Michigan Lectures (1974) on Curves and Their Jacobians, 2nd ed., Springer-Verlag. DOI:10.1007/b62130. ISBN 354063293X.

Testing

See Template:cite book/regression tests.

Note

Note the extra full-stop when the last author ends with an initial, and there is no date:

• Invisible, M.. Mysterious book.

We don't know of a practical solution to this — unless there is a way to test the characters of a field?

Citation styles

Established citation styles for coauthors:

MLA style

Last, First and First Last. "If there are more than three authors, you may list only the first author followed by the phrase et al."

APA style

Last, F. & Last, F.

Chicago Manual of Style

Last, First, and First Last.

Turabian

same as Chicago Reference List, above.

Harvard

Last, F., Last, F. & Last, F.

See also

• Wikipedia:Cite sources: Style guide
• Wikipedia:Template messages/Sources of articles/Generic citations: Related templates
• Wikipedia:WikiProject Wikicite
• Template:Cite news
• Template:Cite book