Nature Publishing Group - Books

Free Nature Book Citation Generator

Generate accurate book citations in Nature style. Cite single-author books, multi-author works, edited volumes, and book chapters for scientific manuscripts.

Search papers or paste DOI

How to cite a book in Nature

Search for the book

Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, title, or author name to find the exact source record.

Check the Nature formatting fields

Verify author, year, title, container, and publication details before copying the final citation.

Copy the formatted result

Get the complete Nature citation plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format.

Nature Book Citation Format

Basic Book:

#. Author(s). Title (Publisher, Year).

Book Chapter:

#. Author. in Title (eds. Editor(s)) Pages (Publisher, Year).

Nature Book Citation Examples

Single Author Book

1. Williams, A.B. Molecular Biology of the Cell (Garland Science, 2023).

In-text: 1

Multi-Author Book

2. Smith, J.D. & Johnson, M.R. Principles of Biochemistry (W.H. Freeman, 2024).

In-text: 2

Edited Volume

3. Chen, L. & Davis, M. (eds.) Handbook of Genomics (Academic Press, 2024).

In-text: 3

Book Chapter

4. Garcia, R. in Handbook of Genomics (eds. Chen, L. & Davis, M.) 112-145 (Academic Press, 2024).

In-text: 4

Book with Edition

5. Thompson, K. Organic Chemistry 3rd edn (Oxford University Press, 2023).

In-text: 5

Examples formatted in Nature style

Handling Special Cases

Whole Book vs Chapter

Cite a whole book when the complete work supports your claim. Cite the chapter when a named chapter author or edited-volume chapter is the source actually used.

Garcia, R. in Handbook of Genomics (eds. Chen, L. & Davis, M.) 112-145 (Academic Press, 2024).

Publisher Location

Nature style does not typically require the city of publication for books.

Molecular Biology of the Cell (Garland Science, 2023).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a book in Nature format?

Nature book citations use the format: Author(s). Title (Publisher, Year). Example: 1. Smith, J.D. Molecular Biology of the Cell (Garland Science, 2023). The title is italicized, and the publisher and year are in parentheses.

How do I cite a book with multiple authors in Nature style?

List all authors if 5 or fewer, using & before the last author. For 6 or more authors, list the first 5 followed by "et al." Example: 1. Smith, J.D. & Johnson, M.R. Title (Publisher, Year).

How do I cite a book chapter in Nature format?

Book chapter citations use: Author. in Title (eds. Editor(s)) Pages (Publisher, Year). Example: 1. Garcia, R. in Handbook of Genomics (eds. Chen, L. & Davis, M.) 112-145 (Academic Press, 2024). The "in" is lowercase.

How do I cite an edited volume in Nature style?

For an edited volume as a whole: Editor(s) (eds.). Title (Publisher, Year). Example: 1. Chen, L. & Davis, M. (eds.) Handbook of Genomics (Academic Press, 2024). Use "ed." for a single editor and "eds." for multiple editors.

Should I include the city of publication in Nature book citations?

Nature style does not typically require the city of publication. Include only the publisher name and year in parentheses: (Publisher, Year). This differs from styles that require the city.

How do I format author names for Nature book references?

Use the format: Last Name, Initials. with no spaces between initials. Example: Smith, J.D. Use & (not "and") to connect the last two authors. Initials have periods after each letter.