Chapter
The reference points to one specific chapter, not necessarily the whole book.
Video 11 of 16 · Foundations of Referencing
What is a book chapter reference?
Point to the exact chapter you used.
A book chapter reference is used when you cite one chapter from an edited book. It helps your reader find the chapter, the chapter author and the book it appears in.
Identify the chapter author
Name the edited book
Give the page range
Watch
Book chapter references, explained simply
Use this video to understand how chapter references differ from whole-book references.
Watch the video first, then use the sections below to reinforce the main ideas.
Author
The chapter author is usually the person or people you cite in your writing.
Editor
The editor helps identify the wider book that contains the chapter.
In this lesson
Learn the essentials
Book chapter references are especially important for edited books where different chapters may have different authors.
Use it for a chapter
If you used one chapter from an edited book, your reference should guide the reader to that chapter.
Include both author and editor
The chapter author wrote the part you used; the editor is connected to the overall book.
Give enough location detail
Chapter title, book title, page range and publisher help the reader find the exact section.
How it works
A chapter reference points inside the book
It works like a set of directions: who wrote the chapter, what it is called, where it appears and how to find it.
✍️
Chapter author
The person responsible for the chapter you actually used.
📄
Chapter title
The name of the specific chapter being referenced.
📘
Edited book
The book title and editor show where the chapter appears.
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Page range
The page range helps the reader locate the exact chapter quickly.
Simple example
One chapter inside a wider edited book
The in-text citation usually names the chapter author. The full reference then gives the chapter and book details.
Reflective practice can help students connect experience with professional learning (Brown, 2023).
Brown, A. (2023). Reflective practice in healthcare education. In J. Smith (ed.) Learning in professional practice (pp. 45–62). Example Press.
The citation points to the chapter author; the full reference shows the edited book and page range.
Quick checks
What to look for
Who wrote the chapter?
The chapter author is normally the name used in the in-text citation.
Which book contains it?
The book title and editor show the wider collection the chapter came from.
Where is the chapter?
The page range helps the reader find the exact part of the book you used.
Before you submit
Three practical checks
Use these checks when deciding whether you need a chapter reference rather than a whole-book reference.
Is it an edited book?
If different chapters have different authors, you probably need to reference the chapter you used.
Have you separated authors and editors?
Make sure the chapter author and book editor are not accidentally treated as the same role.
Can the reader find the chapter?
Include the chapter title, book title, page range and publication details required by your style.
Transcript
Read the video transcript
Use the transcript if you prefer to read the explanation or revisit the key points after watching.
Show transcript
A book chapter reference is used when you refer to one chapter from a book, rather than the whole book.
This is common in edited books, where different chapters may be written by different authors.
The chapter author is usually the person you cite in your writing.
The book editor is included in the full reference because they are responsible for the overall book.
A book chapter reference may include the chapter author, year, chapter title, book editor, book title, page range, publisher, and sometimes a DOI or web link.
This matters because your reader needs to find the exact chapter you used, not just the book it came from.
A clear book chapter reference points the reader to the right part of the right book.
Using Ref-Check
How this connects to Ref-Check
Ref-Check helps users identify whether the details in a reference are clear enough to point readers to the specific source used, including chapters within edited books.
Check that the route is clear
A chapter reference should lead the reader to the exact chapter, not just somewhere near the right book.