Citing an online textbook follows the same basic structure as citing a print book, with one addition: you include a DOI or URL at the end of the entry. The exact format depends on whether your assignment requires APA, MLA, or Chicago style. Here’s how to build the citation in each style, plus how to handle the quirks that come with digital textbooks, like missing page numbers.
APA Style (7th Edition)
APA treats print books and ebooks as essentially the same. You provide the author, year of publication, title, and publisher. For an online textbook, you then add a DOI or URL at the very end. You do not include the platform or device you used to access the book (no mention of Kindle, VitalSource, or any app name), and you do not include the publisher’s city.
The reference list format looks like this:
Last Name, F. M. (Year). Title of textbook (Edition if not the first). Publisher. DOI or URL
A concrete example:
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2020). Abnormal psychology (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
For in-text citations, use the author’s last name and the year in parentheses: (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2020). If you’re weaving the author’s name into your sentence, put only the year in parentheses: Nolen-Hoeksema (2020) argued that…
Which Link to Include
If the textbook has a DOI (a permanent digital identifier that starts with https://doi.org/), always use that. If there’s no DOI but the book has a stable URL that anyone could follow to find it, include that URL instead. If you accessed the textbook through a university library database and there’s no DOI or stable URL, simply end the reference after the publisher name, just as you would for a print book. Do not name the database.
Edited Textbooks
When the textbook has editors rather than authors, place “(Ed.)” after a single editor’s name or “(Eds.)” after the last editor’s name when there are multiple editors. The abbreviation appears only once, after all editors are listed.
MLA Style (9th Edition)
MLA uses a system of “core elements” that you fill in for every source. For an online textbook, the Works Cited entry follows this pattern:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Textbook. Edition, Publisher, Year. Location (DOI or URL).
A concrete example:
Myers, David G. Psychology. 13th ed., Worth Publishers, 2021. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.
Use a DOI instead of a URL whenever one is available. If you can only provide a URL, include it in the same location spot. If your instructor requires it, add “Accessed” followed by the date you last viewed the source at the end of the entry: Accessed 15 June 2025.
MLA in-text citations use the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses: (Myers 42). If the online textbook lacks fixed page numbers, see the section below on handling that problem.
Containers in MLA
MLA treats larger platforms as “containers.” If your online textbook lives inside a larger website or platform (for example, an open-access textbook hosted on a publisher’s site), that platform can serve as a second container. For a standalone textbook that simply happens to be online, you generally do not need to list a container.
Chicago Style (17th Edition)
Chicago offers two systems. Most humanities courses use the notes-bibliography system, where you place a footnote or endnote in the text and a full entry in your bibliography. For an online textbook, include either a URL or the name of the database where you found it. A place of publication is no longer required for book citations.
Bibliography entry:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Textbook. Edition. Publisher, Year. URL or Database Name.
Footnote (first citation):
First Name Last Name, Title of Textbook, edition (Publisher, Year), page or chapter number, URL.
If you’re using a downloadable ebook format, name the format (EPUB, PDF) in your citation. When no fixed page numbers exist, cite a chapter number or section title in the note instead.
Handling Missing Page Numbers
Online textbooks often lack traditional page numbers, which creates a problem for in-text citations. Each style has its own workaround.
In APA, you can substitute any of the following when quoting directly: a section heading (abbreviated if it’s long), a paragraph number that you count manually, or a combination of both. For example: (Nolen-Hoeksema, 2020, Chapter 3, para. 4). Do not use Kindle location numbers. If the digital version displays actual page numbers (many do, especially those based on print editions), use those.
In MLA, you can use chapter numbers, section headings, or paragraph numbers when page numbers aren’t available. The key is giving your reader enough information to find the passage: (Myers, ch. 5).
In Chicago, notes should reference a chapter number or section title when page numbers are unavailable. You can simply write “chap. 7” or name the relevant section in place of a page number.
Open-Access and Platform-Hosted Textbooks
Free online textbooks from open educational resource (OER) publishers are cited the same way as any other online textbook. Treat the organization as the author if no individual author is listed, include the URL, and note the edition if applicable. These textbooks almost always have a stable URL you can include.
Some platforms like VitalSource have built-in citation tools that generate formatted references in APA or MLA for you. These can save time, but always double-check the output against the formatting rules above. Auto-generated citations frequently contain small errors, like missing edition numbers or incorrect capitalization.
Quick-Reference Checklist
- DOI over URL: Whenever a DOI is available, use it instead of a URL in every citation style.
- No platform names in APA: Don’t mention Kindle, VitalSource, Chegg, or any other app or device in your APA reference.
- No database names (usually): In APA, skip the database name entirely. In Chicago, you may include the database name if no URL is available.
- Edition info: Always include the edition number if the textbook is not a first edition. In APA, it goes in parentheses after the title without italics. In MLA, it follows the title with a comma.
- Copyright date: Use the copyright date shown on the book’s copyright page, even if it differs from the date the book appeared on the platform.
- Page number alternatives: Use chapter numbers, section headings, or paragraph numbers when the online version lacks fixed pages.