Ever tried to cite a newspaper article and ended up staring at your style guide for twenty minutes?

Newspaper citations have a way of tripping up even experienced researchers. Print vs. online, with or without an author, multiple editions… every detail changes the format. Whether you are writing a history paper, a journalism thesis, or a political science report, getting the newspaper citation right matters—and it is surprisingly easy to get wrong.

Below is the complete breakdown for citing newspaper articles in APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago style (both Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date).

Why Newspaper Citations Require Extra Attention

Unlike journal articles or books, newspapers present unique formatting challenges. They rarely have DOIs. Online versions sometimes omit page numbers entirely. Multiple editions of the same date can make it hard to pinpoint which version you consulted.

The good news? Once you know the structure for each style, newspaper citations follow predictable patterns. Here is what differs across APA, MLA, and Chicago:

• Date placement: APA puts the date after the author, Chicago puts it after the newspaper name, and MLA puts it near the end.
• Page numbers: APA uses p. or pp., MLA omits the prefix, Chicago uses a comma.
• Online articles: APA requires a URL, MLA requires a URL (no access date), Chicago prefers a URL.
• Newspaper name formatting: APA uses italics, MLA uses italics, Chicago uses italics but with specific comma rules.

Citing a Newspaper Article in APA 7th Edition

APA 7th edition treats newspaper articles similarly to journals, with a few key differences. The newspaper name is italicized, page numbers use p. or pp., and online articles include the URL but no access date or retrieval statement (unless the source might change).

APA Print Newspaper Article

Format: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name, Volume(Issue), pp. Page numbers.

Example:

Schwartz, N. (2026, March 15). Global chip shortage eases as new fabs come online. The Wall Street Journal, pp. A1, A12.

APA Online Newspaper Article

Format: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name. URL

Example:

Bui, L. (2026, April 2). How AI is reshaping community college advising. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/ai-reshaping-advising

APA Newspaper Article With No Author

When there is no author, move the article title to the author position. Alphabetize by the first significant word of the title.

Format: Title of article. (Year, Month Day). Newspaper Name. URL

Example:

New study challenges sleep guidelines for adolescents. (2026, January 12). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jan/12/sleep-guidelines-adolescents

Citing a Newspaper Article in MLA 9th Edition

MLA 9th edition keeps newspaper citations clean and consistent. The key difference from APA: MLA places the date near the end of the citation, not right after the author. MLA also uses the abbreviation n. pag. for articles without page numbers instead of omitting the field.

MLA Print Newspaper Article

Format: Author Last, First. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Name, Day Month Year, pp. Page numbers.

Example:

Schwartz, Nelson. “Global Chip Shortage Eases as New Fabs Come Online.” The Wall Street Journal, 15 Mar. 2026, pp. A1, A12.

MLA Online Newspaper Article

Format: Author Last, First. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Name, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

MLA 9th edition now recommends including an access date for online sources, especially when the publication date is ambiguous.

Example:

Bui, Lyn. “How AI Is Reshaping Community College Advising.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2 Apr. 2026, www.chronicle.com/article/ai-reshaping-advising. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

MLA Newspaper Article From a Database

For articles found through library databases (EBSCO, ProQuest, LexisNexis), include the database name in italics instead of the URL. This applies to in-text citations as well, so consistency matters across your entire works cited page.

Format: Author Last, First. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Name, Day Month Year, pp. Page numbers. Database Name.

Example:

Huang, Vivian. “Tuition Freeze Debate Heats Up in State Legislature.” Los Angeles Times, 10 Jun. 2026, pp. B1–B3. ProQuest Newsstream.

Citing a Newspaper Article in Chicago Style

Chicago style offers two systems: Notes-Bibliography (common in history and humanities) and Author-Date (common in sciences and social sciences). Both systems handle newspaper citations slightly differently. For a deeper look at Chicago rules, see our complete Chicago formatting guide.

Chicago Notes-Bibliography (Footnote Format)

First footnote:

Nelson Schwartz, “Global Chip Shortage Eases as New Fabs Come Online,” Wall Street Journal, March 15, 2026, A1.

Shortened footnote:

Schwartz, “Global Chip Shortage Eases.”

Bibliography entry:

Schwartz, Nelson. “Global Chip Shortage Eases as New Fabs Come Online.” Wall Street Journal, March 15, 2026, A1.

Chicago Notes-Bibliography (Online Article)

First footnote:

Lyn Bui, “How AI Is Reshaping Community College Advising,” Chronicle of Higher Education, April 2, 2026, https://www.chronicle.com/article/ai-reshaping-advising.

Bibliography entry:

Bui, Lyn. “How AI Is Reshaping Community College Advising.” Chronicle of Higher Education, April 2, 2026. https://www.chronicle.com/article/ai-reshaping-advising.

Chicago Author-Date (Reference List)

Format: Author Last, First. Year. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Name, Month Day.

Chicago Author-Date typically omits page numbers for newspaper articles in the reference list (they go in the in-text citation).

Example:

Schwartz, Nelson. 2026. “Global Chip Shortage Eases as New Fabs Come Online.” Wall Street Journal, March 15.

Quick Reference Table: Newspaper Citations at a Glance

Element	APA 7th	MLA 9th	Chicago NB	Chicago AD
Author format	Last, First initial.	Last, First.	Last, First.	Last, First.
Date position	After author	Near end	Near end	After author
Article title	Sentence case	Title case, quotes	Title case, quotes	Title case, quotes
Newspaper name	Italic, title case	Italic, title case	Italic, title case	Italic, title case
Page numbers	p. / pp.	pp. prefix	Comma, no prefix	In-text only
Online URL	Required	Required + access date	Optional	Optional
Database	URL of database	Database name, italic	URL or database	URL or database

Common Newspaper Citation Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the rules above, a few mistakes crop up regularly. Watch out for these:

• Confusing the newspaper name with the publisher. The New York Times is the newspaper name—do not add “The New York Times Company” as the publisher.
• Forgetting that online-only newspapers follow the same rules. Articles from Politico, BuzzFeed News, or The Intercept use the same citation format as traditional newspapers.
• Omitting the edition for print newspapers with multiple editions. If your library holds multiple editions of the same date, note the edition (e.g., “Late Edition”) after the date.
• Using the website home page URL instead of the article URL. Always link directly to the article, not the newspaper’s front page.
• Forgetting to check if a newspaper article has a DOI. Rare but increasing—if a DOI exists, APA requires it over a URL.

Simplify Newspaper Citations with Formatly

Manually formatting newspaper citations across three different style guides is exactly the kind of tedious work that eats into your writing time. One APA mistake on page numbers, one MLA comma out of place, one Chicago footnote format wrong—and suddenly you are hunting through style manuals instead of finishing your paper.

Formatly handles all of this automatically. Upload your document, select APA, MLA, or Chicago, and every newspaper citation—print, online, or database—is formatted perfectly in about thirty seconds. No more double-checking comma placement or wondering whether you used the right date format.

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