Do I have to cite subtitles in APA?

Answered By: Erin McDaniel

Last Updated: Aug 02, 2024 Views: 51215

Yes, you have to cite the subtitle. Give the full title of the book, including the subtitle. Capitalize only the first word of the title, and the first word of any subtitle; also capitalize any proper names in the title. Separate title and subtitle with a colon (:). If the book is a volume in a titled series of books, add the series title as a subtitle. Put the title, subtitle, and series information in italics, and end with a period.

For basic rules of APA citation, check out our APA guide linked below.

Links & Files

APA Libguide Opens in new window

Comments (2)

What about two subtitles? Two colons? I have a document with the structure
TITLE
Subtitle
Subtitle
To be more specific, it's:
Reporting Rape in 2013
Summary Reporting System (SRS)
User Manual and Technical Specification

by Karina on Oct 26, 2015
You could list the title as Title: Subtitle: Subtitle. I looked around online, and also saw it listed as: Reporting rape in 2013. Summary reporting system (SRS). User manual and technical specification.

Periods were used instead of colons. However, use whichever format you are most comfortable with!

by Erin McDaniel on Oct 26, 2015