How to Cite a Newspaper Article

Whether you're writing a paper for a school assignment or creating a presentation, you may want to use a newspaper article as a source. Generally, newspaper articles are cited differently than books or articles in scholarly journals. The format of the citation varies slightly among Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), and Chicago citation styles. Your citation also may differ if you're citing the article from the newspaper's website, rather than from the print version.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

MLA

  1. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 1
    1
    Start with the name of the author. If there is a by-line for the article you want to cite, your bibliographic citation should begin with the author's last name. Place a comma after the last name, then add the author's first name. End this portion of your citation with a period.
    • Example: Kent, Clark.
    • If there's no author, skip to the next element in the citation.
  2. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 2
    2
    Type the title of the article in quotation marks. After the name of the author, provide the full title of the article along with any subtitle. Separate the title and the subtitle (if any) with a semicolon. Use title-case, capitalizing nouns and verbs. Place a period after the end of the title, inside the quotation marks.
    • Example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away."
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 3
    3
    Provide the name of the newspaper in italics. After the name of the article, identify the newspaper in which the article appeared. Even if you found the article online, use the name of the newspaper itself, not the name of the website. If the city isn't included in the name of the newspaper, include it in square brackets after the name of the newspaper. Place a comma after this part of your citation.
    • If you include the city in brackets, it isn't italicized.
    • Example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away." The Daily Planet [Metropolis],
  4. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 4
    4
    Include the date the article was published and the page number. After the name of the newspaper, type the date the article was published using day-month-year format. Place a comma, then type the page number on which the article appears. If there's no page number, place a period after the date.
    • Example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away." The Daily Planet [Metropolis], 17 July 2017, p. A1.
    • If the article appears online without a page number, simply place a period after the date of publication.
  5. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 5
    5
    List the database or website for online articles. If you found the article on an online newspaper database, italicize the name of the database. If you found the article on the newspaper's website, provide a direct permalink to the article without the "http://" part of the URL. End your citation with a period.
    • Database example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away." The Daily Planet [Metropolis], 17 July 2017, p. A1. DC News.
    • URL example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away." The Daily Planet [Metropolis], 17 July 2017, p. A1. www.dailyplanet.com/superman_spurns_gotham.
  6. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 6
    6
    Use the author's name and page number for in-text citations. Generally, MLA uses parenthetical citations within the text of your paper or presentation to refer your reader to the full citation in your Works Cited page.
    • Example: (Kent, A1)
    • If there's no author listed, place the first word or words of the title in quotation marks for your parenthetical. If there's no page number, simply leave that part out.
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

APA

  1. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 7
    1
    Start with the author's last name and first initial. If the newspaper article has more than one author, list them in the order they appear in the by-line, separated by commas. Type an "and" before the last author's name. The period after the initial also constitutes the closing period at the end of this section.[1]
    • Example: Clark, K.
    • If the article has no author, start your bibliographic entry with the title of the article in sentence-case. Capitalize only the initial word and any proper nouns.
  2. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 8
    2
    Place the publication date in parentheses after the author's name. Put the year the article was published first, then type a comma. Provide the name of the month in unabbreviated form followed by the day. Close the parentheses and place a period immediately after.[2]
    • Example: Clark, K. (2017, July 17).
    • For articles with no author, put the date in parentheses after the title of the article.
  3. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 9
    3
    Provide the title of the article using sentence-case. After the date, type the title of the article along with any subtitle. Only capitalize the first word and any proper nouns. Place a period at the end, or other punctuation as necessary.[3]
    • Example: Clark, K. (2017, July 17). Villains take over Gotham; Superman stays away.
  4. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 10
    4
    Type the name of the newspaper in italics with the page number. For print newspapers, include the section and page number after the name of the newspaper. The page number is not italicized. Place a period after the page number. If there is no page number, such as if you found the article online, place a period after the name of the newspaper.[4]
    • Example: Clark, K. (2017, July 17). Villains take over Gotham; Superman stays away. The Daily Planet, p. A1.
  5. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 11
    5
    Add the website URL or database, if applicable. Starting with the words "Retrieved from," let your readers know where you found the article. APA style only requires a URL for the newspaper itself, not a direct permalink to the article itself.[5]
    • Database example: Villains take over Gotham; Superman stays away. The Daily Planet, p. A1. Retrieved from Collected DC News.
    • URL example: Villains take over Gotham; Superman stays away. The Daily Planet, p. A1. Retrieved from http://www.dailyplanet.com
  6. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 12
    6
    Use the author's last name and the year for in-text citations. In addition to a bibliography, APA style calls for parenthetical citations within your text whenever you either paraphrase or quote a source. If quoting directly, include the page number if possible.[6]
    • Paraphrase example: (Kent, 2017)
    • Direct quote example: (Kent, 2017, p. A1)
    7. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Chicago

  1. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 13
    1
    Start your bibliography entry with the name of the author. If an author is listed for the article, type their last name first, followed by a comma and their first name. Place a period after the author's name.
    • Example: Kent, Clark.
    • If no author is listed, start with the name of the newspaper in italics, followed by a comma. For example: The Daily Planet,
  2. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 14
    2
    Provide the title of the article in quotation marks. Using title-case, capitalize all nouns and verbs in the title. Include any sub-title by placing a colon after the title and then typing the sub-title. Place a period or other punctuation mark at the end of the title, inside the quotation marks.[7]
    • Example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away."
  3. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 15
    3
    Include the name of the newspaper in italics. The name of the newspaper that published the article follows immediately after the title. Place a period at the end of the name of the newspaper.[8]
    • Example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away." The Daily Planet.
  4. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 16
    4
    List the date the article was published. Start with the full name of the month, then the day followed by a comma. End with the year the article was published, then place a period after the year. Just provide the year if the month and day aren't given. For online articles, include the date the article was most recently updated, if applicable.[9]
    • Example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away." The Daily Planet. July 17, 2017.
  5. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 17
    5
    Copy the URL and date of access for online newspapers. If you accessed the article online, include a full permalink for the article. After the link, open parentheses and type the word "accessed" followed by the month, day, and year you accessed the article. Place a period after the closing parentheses.[10]
    • Example: Kent, Clark. "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away." The Daily Planet. July 17, 2017. www.dailyplanet.com/superman_spurns_gotham (accessed July 19, 2017).
  6. Image titled Cite a Newspaper Article Step 18
    6
    Reverse the order of the author's name and use commas for footnotes. Chicago Style normally requires you to place a footnote in your text when you paraphrase or directly quote a source. The format is similar to the bibliographic format, except you type the author's name with their first name first. You also place commas rather than periods between the elements of the citation.[11]
    • Example: Clark Kent, "Villains Take Over Gotham; Superman Stays Away," The Daily Planet, July 17, 2017. www.dailyplanet.com/superman_spurns_gotham (accessed July 19, 2017).
    • After citing the article in a footnote once in your paper, use a shortened form in subsequent footnotes. The shortened form is the author's last name followed by a shortened version of the title in quotation marks. For example: Kent, "Villains Take Over."
    7. Advertisement

Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do you cite a newspaper article in APA in text?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    Start your cite with the author's last name and their first initial followed by a period. Then, add the publication date in parenthesis after the name, followed by another period. After the publication date, add the title of the article along with any subtitle. Only capitalize the first word and any proper nouns. Place a period at the end. Write the name of the newspaper in italics and the page number with a period after it. To finish the citation, add the website URL. APA style only requires a URL for the newspaper itself, not a direct permalink to the article itself.
  • Question
    How do you do an in text citation for an article in APA?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    This is actually much more simple than you may think. Once you've properly formatted your full citation for your works cited or reference page, you can use a super short in-text citation. Simply use the author's last name and the year for your citation. APA style calls for parenthetical citations within your text whenever you either paraphrase or quote a source. If quoting directly, include the page number if possible. So for instance, your cite could look like: (Smith, 2017).
  • Question
    How do you MLA cite an article?
    Drew Hawkins1
    Drew Hawkins1
    Community Answer
    The Modern Language Association, or MLA, has a specific way for citing newspaper articles in a document. If there is a by-line for the article you want to cite, start by writing the author's last name, a comma, and then their first name. Follow the first name with a period. Then write the full title of the article along with any subtitle, followed by a period. After the name of the article, identify the newspaper in which the article appeared in italics, and then add a period. After the name of the newspaper, type the date the article was published using day-month-year format, and follow it with a period. Finish the cite by including where you found it. If you found the article on an online newspaper database, italicize the name of the database. If you found the article on the newspaper's website, provide a direct permalink to the article without the beginning part of the URL. End the citation with a period.
Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Cite an Article
How to
Cite an Article
Cite a Wikipedia Article in MLA Format
How to
Cite a Wikipedia Article in MLA Format
Cite Sources in MLA Format
How to
Cite Sources in MLA Format
Cite a Web Site in APA With No Author, Date, or Page Number
How to
Cite a Web Site in APA With No Author, Date, or Page Number
Cite the WHO in APA
How to
Cite the WHO in APA
Cite the CDC in APA
How to
Cite the CDC in APA
Cite a Website
How to
Cite a Website
Quote and Cite a Poem in an Essay Using MLA Format
How to
Quote and Cite a Poem in an Essay Using MLA Format
Quote and Cite a Play in an Essay Using MLA Format
How to
Quote and Cite a Play in an Essay Using MLA Format
Add a Footnote to Microsoft Word
How to
Add a Footnote to Microsoft Word
Cite a Quote
How to
Cite a Quote
Cite Page Numbers in APA
How to
Cite Page Numbers in APA
Cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
How to
Cite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Cite a Research Paper
How to
Cite a Research Paper
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ http://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/newspapers
  2. ↑ http://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/newspapers
  3. ↑ http://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/newspapers
  4. ↑ http://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/newspapers
  5. ↑ http://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/newspapers
  6. ↑ http://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/newspapers
  7. ↑ http://libguides.wvu.edu/c.php?g=418946&p=2855023
  8. ↑ http://libguides.wvu.edu/c.php?g=418946&p=2855023
  9. ↑ http://libguides.wvu.edu/c.php?g=418946&p=2855023
  1. ↑ http://libguides.wvu.edu/c.php?g=418946&p=2855023
  2. ↑ http://libguides.wvu.edu/c.php?g=418946&p=2855023

About This Article

Jennifer Mueller, JD
Co-authored by:
Jennifer Mueller, JD
Doctor of Law, Indiana University
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is a wikiHow Content Creator. She specializes in reviewing, fact-checking, and evaluating wikiHow's content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. Jennifer holds a JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 92,125 times.
12 votes - 72%
Co-authors: 19
Updated: January 31, 2023
Views: 92,125
Categories: Citation | Newspapers
Article SummaryX

To cite a newspaper article in MLA format, start by writing the author’s last and first name, separated by a comma. Next, add the title of the article, ending with a period, and put the entire title in quotation marks. Then, include the name of the newspaper in italics and place a comma after it. If the city isn’t part of the newspaper’s name, put it in brackets before the comma. After the comma, write the date of publication and the page number. Additionally, for articles found online, provide a link to the article, starting with “http://“ and ending with a period. To learn how to cite a newspaper article in other formats, such as APA style or Chicago style, read on!

Did this summary help you?
Advertisement