A book review citation lists the reviewer, date, review title, bracketed description, and source details, formatted to APA, MLA, or Chicago rules.
You might be writing a paper, a thesis chapter, or a blog post that pulls ideas from a published opinion on a title you read. Getting the reference right prevents confusion, helps readers find the same piece, and keeps your paper clean. This guide gives you clear patterns, quick examples, and the small style differences that trip people up.
Citing A Review Of A Book — Core Formats
All three major systems use the same building blocks: the reviewer’s name, the date, the review’s title (or a bracketed description if there’s no title), a bracket like [Review of the book Title, by A. Author], then the source name with volume/issue or section, page range, and a DOI or URL when relevant. The table below compresses those patterns.
| Style | Reference List Pattern | In-Text Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. [Review of the book Book title, by B. B. Author]. Periodical Name, volume(issue), pages. DOI or URL | (Reviewer, Year) or Reviewer (Year) |
| MLA 9 | Reviewer Last, First. “Title of Review.” Review of Book Title, by Author First Last, Periodical, Day Month Year, pages. URL or DOI. | Signal phrase + (Last page) |
| Chicago | Notes/Bibliography: Reviewer First Last, “Review Title,” review of Book Title, by Author First Last, Periodical volume, no. issue (Month Year): pages, DOI/URL. | Footnote/endnote number; shortened note on repeat |
APA Style: Review References That Always Parse
APA uses an author–date system. The reviewer is the author. The square-bracket description identifies the work being evaluated. Use a full date for newspapers and magazines. Add a DOI when you have one; add a stable URL when you do not.
Journal Or Magazine Review
Pattern: Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. [Review of the book Book title: Subtitle, by B. B. Author]. Periodical Name, volume(issue), xx–xx. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Why it works: APA lists author, date, work title, and source. The bracketed part is the “what.” The periodical and volume/issue is the “where.”
Newspaper Review
Pattern: Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. [Review of the book Book title, by B. B. Author]. Newspaper Name, p. A1 or pp. A1–A2. URL
Tip: If the review has no title, use the bracketed description as the title element.
Website Or Blog Review
Pattern: Reviewer, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of post. [Review of the book Book title, by B. B. Author]. Site Name. URL
APA In-Text Citations For Reviews
Use the reviewer’s last name and year in the text or in parentheses. Add a page number when you quote from a paged source. Web-only reviews without pages can use a paragraph number or a section heading.
For official patterns and worked examples, see APA’s reference examples.
MLA Style: Reviews In Works-Cited Lists
MLA centers the “container” that holds the review. That means you cite the periodical as the container and mark the piece with “Review of …”. Use day–month–year dates and include a DOI or a stable URL when the review is online.
Magazine Or Journal Review
Pattern: Last, First. “Title of Review.” Review of Book Title, by Author First Last, Periodical, vol. xx, no. x, Year, pp. xx–xx. DOI or URL.
Newspaper Review
Pattern: Last, First. “Title of Review.” Review of Book Title, by Author First Last, Newspaper, Day Month Year, p. A1 or pp. A1–A2. URL.
MLA In-Text Citations For Reviews
Name the reviewer in your prose, then add a parenthetical page number. If the review is online without pages, omit the number. The works-cited entry points readers to the container and link.
Chicago Style: Notes And Bibliography Flow
Chicago’s notes system places full details in the first note, then short notes for repeats. A matching bibliography entry is usually added. The word “review” appears before the work’s title in both notes and bibliography.
Full Note And Bibliography Entry
Full note: 1. Reviewer First Last, “Review Title,” review of Book Title, by Author First Last, Journal volume, no. issue (Month Year): pages, DOI/URL.
Bibliography: Reviewer Last, First. “Review Title.” Review of Book Title, by Author First Last. Journal volume, no. issue (Year): pages. DOI/URL.
Chicago’s official quick guide shows the layout for notes and bibliography: Notes & Bibliography guide.
Small Differences That Matter
Title Or No Title?
When the review lacks its own title, APA uses the bracketed description as the title element. MLA still adds quotation marks to any supplied description in the title slot. Chicago keeps the descriptive label but doesn’t force quotation marks if none exist. Match the casing and punctuation that your style expects.
Pages, Sections, And E-Locations
APA writes p. or pp. for newspapers but not for journals. MLA always uses “p.” or “pp.” Chicago shows the page range in notes and in the bibliography. Online-only pieces may list an article number or “e” locator; include it where that style expects page data.
DOIs And URLs
APA prefers the DOI, formatted as a URL. If there’s no DOI, add a live URL that resolves to the specific item. MLA accepts DOIs or stable links and leans to DOIs when available. Chicago accepts both and usually places the DOI or URL at the end of the note or entry.
Fast Examples You Can Copy And Adapt
Journal Review With DOI (APA)
Nguyen, Q. (2024). Mapping a life in letters. [Review of the book Collected correspondence, by L. Duarte]. Literary Studies Quarterly, 56(2), 233–236. https://doi.org/10.1080/01234567.2024.1234567
Newspaper Review Online (MLA)
Rivera, Camila. “Grief, Wit, And A City’s Memory.” Review of Third Avenue Stories, by Nikhil Banerjee, The Herald, 12 Jan. 2025, www.theherald.com/arts/books/third-avenue-stories.
Magazine Review In Notes/Bib (Chicago)
Note: 1. Daniel Soto, “An Unquiet Classic,” review of Rain Over Harbor, by Hana Lee, Atlantic Review 77, no. 9 (September 2025): 44–45, https://atlanticreview.org/lee-rain.
Bibliography: Soto, Daniel. “An Unquiet Classic.” Review of Rain Over Harbor, by Hana Lee. Atlantic Review 77, no. 9 (2025): 44–45. https://atlanticreview.org/lee-rain.
Source Elements Checklist
Gather these pieces before you format. Missing items cause most errors.
- Reviewer’s full name as published
- Publication date: year for journals; full date for newspapers or web
- Review title, if any
- What was reviewed: book title and the book author’s name
- Container: journal, magazine, newspaper, or site name
- Volume, issue, and page range for journals or magazines
- Section/page label for newspapers
- DOI or stable URL
Troubleshooting Edge Cases
Review On A Website With No Clear Date
APA uses (n.d.) in the date slot and adds a retrieval date only when content is designed to change over time. MLA uses “n.d.” after the site name. Chicago can place an access date in a note if the page lacks a date.
Unsigned Review
If the piece is unsigned, APA moves the title to the author position. MLA starts with the title in quotation marks. Chicago begins the note with the review title and omits the author in the bibliography entry if none is given.
Database Records
APA omits database names for works from academic research databases and treats them as print equivalents unless a DOI is present. MLA may include the database as a second container. Chicago usually leaves the database out unless a stable locator in that database is needed for access.
Translated Or Edited Volumes
In the bracketed part, keep the book’s title as it appears in the review and add the original author. Translators or editors of the book usually do not appear in the label in APA. MLA and Chicago also center the main creative contributor, not the translator, unless the review itself foregrounds that role.
Multiple Books In One Review
Some periodicals run omnibus pieces. In APA, the bracket can say [Review of the books Title 1 and Title 2, by A. Author and B. Writer]. In MLA and Chicago, keep “Review of” and list each title as the review presents them.
Quick Style Crosswalk
| Element | APA | MLA & Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Who counts as author? | Reviewer | Reviewer |
| Where to put “Review of …” | Inside brackets after title | Directly in the title area |
| Date style | Year or full date | Day Month Year (MLA); Month Year or Year (Chicago) |
| Location | Volume(issue), pages; “p./pp.” for newspapers | “pp.” or page range; note/bibliography layout for Chicago |
| Link preference | DOI > URL | DOI or stable URL |
Common Mistakes And Quick Fixes
Forgetting The Bracketed Label
That small bracket tells the reader the piece is commentary, not the book itself. Leave it out and you risk misattributing claims to the original author.
Mixing The Book Author Into The Author Slot
The reviewer is the author of the review. The book’s author appears only inside the label or after “Review of …”.
Dropping The Page Range
Page numbers are part of the trail. Journals and magazines need them. Newspapers use section letters. Web-only reviews may not have pages, and that’s fine.
Using A Homepage Link
Link to the specific review page. Style guides favor persistent URLs or DOIs over a front page.
Mini Workflow You Can Reuse
- Copy the review’s byline, date, title, and outlet.
- Note volume, issue, page range, or section label.
- Write the label with the book’s title and author.
- Assemble the entry using your target style’s order and punctuation.
- Add a DOI or a stable link.
- Check capitalization rules and italics one last time.
When You Need A Definitive Rule Source
If you want to confirm a tricky case, consult the official examples. APA’s site lists worked citations for many source types, including reviews. Chicago’s quick guide shows the full shape of first notes and bibliography entries. Use these two links while you format: APA’s reference examples and Chicago’s citation quick guide.
Printable Recap
Here’s a compact recap you can copy into your notes or keep near your desk. It keeps the moving parts straight while you draft.
- APA: Reviewer. Date. Review title. [Review of the book Title, by Author]. Source, volume(issue), pages. DOI/URL.
- MLA: Reviewer. “Review title.” Review of Title, by Author, Source, date, pages. URL/DOI.
- Chicago: Note with full details; bibliography with the same pieces in sentence case.