You’re probably used to citing regular books, but what about an audiobook? All of a sudden, there are no page numbers to consider.
And you have both an author and a narrator.
And the audiobook could come in a variety of different formats.
Who knew a simple change from paper to audio could generate so many new “how to cite” questions! Hopefully, we can answer some of them for you.
What Information Do I Need?
The information needed to properly cite an audiobook varies depending on the works cited format that you’re required to use (which your tutor can advise you on) and the information that you deem to be relevant. The book citation basics, such as author, title, publication date, and publisher, should be included, but you can make a judgment call on additional details like the name of the narrator and the format of the audiobook.
Your citation may include the following pieces of information:
1. Author
2. Title
3. Narrator or other contributors
4. Publisher
5. Place published
6. Date published
7. Medium of publication i.e. audiobook
8. Format of publication i.e. cassette
Let’s take a look at some examples of audiobook citations and in-text citations for three of the most popular citation styles, MLA, APA, and Chicago.
MLA Format Example
Full citation:
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Audible, 2017, www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Handmaids-Tale-Special-Edition-Audiobook/B06XFW9YZ5.
If relevant, you can also include the narrator and format as follows:
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Narrated by Claire Danes et al., Audible, 2017, www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Handmaids-Tale-Special-Edition-Audiobook/B06XFW9YZ5.
In-text citation:
This should include the author’s surname and, if relevant, the time/time range of the clip you wish to refer to.
(Atwood 01:47:12-29)
APA Format Example
Full citation:
Atwood, M. (2017). The Handmaid’s Tale [Audiobook]. Retrieved from https://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Handmaids-Tale-Special-Edition-Audiobook/B06XFW9YZ5
In-text citation:
(Atwood 2017)
Chicago Manual of Style Format Example
Footnote/endnote entry
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale (Newark: Audible, 2017)
Bibliography entry
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. Read by Claire Danes. Newark: Audible, 2017.
In-text citation (author-date style)
(Atwood 2017)
The citation tool at Cite This For Me makes creating full and in-text citations easy—even if you need to cite something that isn’t quite as straightforward as a regular off-the-shelf book. Use it to help you create clear citations and avoid getting earache from your tutor!