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How to Cite a Newspaper in MLA | Format & Examples

Published on January 14, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on March 5, 2024.

To cite a newspaper article in MLA style , list the author , title , name of the newspaper, date of publication, and URL (for online articles) or page number (for print articles). Use the interactive example below to explore the format.

You can also use Scribbr’s free MLA Citation Generator to effortlessly create MLA citations for newspaper articles.

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Table of contents

Page numbers in newspaper citations, citing a newspaper from a database, citing local newspapers, frequently asked questions about mla citations.

In your Works Cited entry, always include page numbers when available. Use “p.” for a single page or “pp.” for multiple pages. Page numbers in newspapers are often written with letters, e.g. “D3”; make sure to include the letters if present.

Use an en dash for a range of consecutive pages (e.g. “pp. 4–6”). For articles that appear on non-consecutive pages (e.g. starting on the first page but continued on the sixth), MLA recommends just writing the first page number followed by a plus sign.

In an in-text citation, only add a page number if the article extends across multiple pages. If the article is entirely on one page, the page number is already specified in the Works Cited, so you just write the author’s last name in your in-text citation.

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To cite a newspaper article you accessed through a database, just include the usual information for a print newspaper, followed by the name of the database in italics.

Note that a shortened version of the title is used in the in-text citation, since no author is listed for the article in this case.

When citing a local newspaper (one that is not published nationally or internationally), it’s sometimes necessary to clarify the publication you mean by including the city name in square brackets after the name of the newspaper. You don’t need to do this if the city is already part of the newspaper name.

• Dallas Observer [Dallas]
• Dallas Observer
• The Gazette
• The Gazette [Montreal]

In an MLA style Works Cited entry for a newspaper , you can cite a local newspaper in the same way as you would a national one, except that you may have to add the name of the city in square brackets to clarify what newspaper you mean, e.g. The Gazette [Montreal].

Do not add the city name in brackets if it’s already part of the newspaper’s name, e.g. Dallas Observer .

When an article (e.g. in a newspaper ) appears on non-consecutive pages (e.g. starting on page 1 and continuing on page 6), you should use “pp.” in your Works Cited entry, since it’s on multiple pages, but MLA recommends just listing the first page followed by a plus sign, e.g. pp. 1+.

The title of an article is not italicized in MLA style , but placed in quotation marks. This applies to articles from journals , newspapers , websites , or any other publication. Use italics for the title of the source where the article was published. For example:

Use the same formatting in the Works Cited entry and when referring to the article in the text itself.

If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title . Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation .

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

• Rajaram  argues that representations of migration are shaped by “cultural, political, and ideological interests.”
• The homepage of The Correspondent describes it as “a movement for radically different news.”

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Caulfield, J. (2024, March 05). How to Cite a Newspaper in MLA | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 2, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/newspaper-citation/

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MLA Style (9th Edition) Citation Guide: Magazine/Newspaper Articles

• Introduction to MLA Style
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Biblical Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Videos/DVDs/TV Shows
• How to Cite: Other
• 9th Edition Updates
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

A note on magazine/newspaper citations, magazine/newspaper article from a website, magazine/newspaper article from nexis uni, magazine/newspaper article in print, how do i know if it's a newspaper.

Not sure whether your article is from a newspaper? Look for these characteristics:

• Main purpose is to provide readers with a brief account of current events locally, nationally or internationally.
• Can be published daily, semiweekly or weekly.
• Written for the general public, readers don't need any previous subject knowledge.
• Little, if any, information about other sources is provided.

Articles may also come from  journals  or magazines.

Note: For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

If there is no known author, start the citation with the title of the article instead.

Access Date

Date of access is optional in MLA 8th/9th edition; it is recommended for pages that may change frequently or that do not have a copyright/publication date.

In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows: 

January = Jan. February = Feb. March = Mar. April = Apr. May = May June = June July = July August = Aug. September = Sept. October = Oct. November = Nov. December = Dec.

Spell out months fully in the body of your paper. 

Online newspapers and magazines sometimes include a “permalink,” which is a shortened, stable version of a URL. Look for a “share” or “cite this” button to see if a source includes a permalink. If you can find a permalink, use that instead of a URL.

Here are some common features you should try to find before citing electronic sources in MLA style. Not every Web page will provide all of the following information. However, collect as much of the following information as possible both for your citations and for your research notes:

• Author and/or editor names (if available); last names first.
• "Article name in quotation marks."
• Title of the website, project, or book in italics.
• Any version numbers available, including editions (ed.), revisions, posting dates, volumes (vol.), or issue numbers (no.).
• Publisher information, including the publisher name and publishing date.
• Take note of any page numbers (p. or pp.) or paragraph numbers (par. or pars.).
• “permalink,” which is a shortened, stable version of a URL. Look for a “share” or “cite this” button to see if a source includes a permalink. If you can find a permalink, use that instead of a URL.
• Date you accessed the material (Date Accessed)—While not required, it is highly recommended, especially when dealing with pages that change frequently or do not have a visible copyright date.
• Remember to cite containers after your regular citation. Examples of containers are collections of short stories or poems, a television series, or even a website. A container is anything that is a part of a larger body of works.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any."  Title of Website , Date of Publication, URL. Access date.

Note:  If the author's name is not listed, begin the citation with the title of the article.

Date of access is now optional in MLA 8th edition. If no publication date is included, we recommend including the date you last accessed the site.

Works Cited List Example:

Zimmerman, Eilene. "The Many Delicate Issues of Spirituality in the Office." New York Times , 15 Aug. 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/08/15/jobs/the-many-delicate-issues-of-spirituality-in-the-office.html.  Accessed 7 June 2016.

Note : This entry has no page numbers, so this information is left out of the citation.

In-Text Citation Example:

(Author's Last Name)

(Zimmerman)

Note: This entry has no page numbers, so this information is left out of the citation.

Note : If there is no author listed, the in-text citation would include the first word or words of the title of the article in quotation marks.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any."  Title of Newspaper , Date of Publication, p. Page Number. Database Name , URL. 

Note:  If the author's name is not listed, begin the citation with the title of the article. Date of access is now optional in MLA 8th edition.

Ruhe, Pierre. “Pair of Recitals Show Musicians’ Contrasting Styles.” The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 5 Feb. 2001, p. 5D. Nexis Uni, advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:4292-6G90-0026-G40Y-00000-00&context=1516831.

(Author's Last Name Page Number)

(Ruhe 5D)

Cite a newspaper article as you would a magazine article, but note the different pagination in most newspapers. If there is more than one edition available for that date (as in an early and late edition of a newspaper), identify the edition after the newspaper title.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any."  Name of Newspaper , Date of Publication, p. Page number. 

Note:  If the author's name is not listed, begin the citation with the title of the article.

Kershner, Isabel. "Ancient Grocery Lists May Shed Light on When the Bible Was First Written." New York Times , 2016 April 12, p. A8.

(Author's Last Name Page Number)

(Kershner A8)

Note : If an article is only one page long, you do not need to provide the page number in the in-text citation. 

Note : If there is no author listed, the in-text citation would include the first word or words of the title of the article in quotation marks, e.g. ("Talks").

If the newspaper is a less well-known or local publication, include the city name in brackets after the title of the newspaper.

Behre, Robert. "Presidential Hopefuls Get Final Crack at Core of S.C. Democrats."  Post and Courier  [Charleston, SC], 29 Apr. 2007, p. A11.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to Cite a Newspaper Article in APA

How to Cite a Newspaper Article in APA

Newspapers can be an excellent source of information, as they are published daily and can illustrate emerging events in specific communities. This guide covers how to cite a newspaper according to APA 7.

Newspaper: A daily or weekly publication that contains news; often featuring articles on political events, crime, business, art, entertainment, society, and sports.

Guide Overview

This guide includes the following sections:

How to cite a newspaper article in print

How to cite a newspaper article found online, how to cite a newspaper article with two authors, how to cite a newspaper article with three or more authors, what you need, troubleshooting, in-text citation structures:.

(Author last name, Year published)

Author last name (Year published)

In-text citation examples

(Bowman, 1990)

Bowman (1990)

View Screenshot

Note:  If the article is printed on discontinuous pages, list all of the page numbers/ranges and separate them with a comma. (e.g., pp. C2, C4, C7-9.)

In-text citation structure:

In-text citation examples:.

(Kaplan, 2013)

Kaplan (2013)

When you use a bibliography tool like EasyBib to help you with your citations, make sure you are citing a newspaper article – not a website!

(Hermann & Brice-Saddler, 2022)

Hermann and Brice-Saddler (2022)

(Dixon et al., 2022)

Dixon et al. (2022)

Updated November 3, 2020.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

To cite a newspaper article in APA format, you should have the following information:

• (Year, Month day).
• Article title (in sentence case).
• Newspaper Name.

Solution #1: What to include in the citation information

• You do not need to include retrieval information (e.g., date of access) in APA citations for electronic resources.
• If you found a newspaper article through an online database (e.g., EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete), you do not need to include that information in the citation, either.
• If a URL runs across multiple lines of text in the citation, break the URL off before punctuation (e.g., periods, forward slashes) – except https://.

Solution #2: Online newspaper article vs. Online news site article

If you’re citing an online article, first determine if you are citing an article from a newspaper OR an article from a news site. APA style has a slightly different format for each.

• YES –> Cite it as a newspaper article.
• NO –> Cite it as a web page or a news site article .
• NO –> Cite it as a web page or news site article .

The rest of this guide gives reference structures and examples for newspaper articles.

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To cite a newspaper in APA style, you need to have basic information including the author name, article title, newspaper title, date of publication, and page numbers. The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of a newspaper and examples are given below:

In-text citation template and example:

Author Surname (Publication Year, Page Number)

Canton (2021, p. A1)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, Publication Year, Page Number)

(Canton, 2021, p. A1)

Reference list entry template and example:

Surname, F. M. (Date of publication). Title of the article. Title of the Newspaper , Page numbers.

Canton. N. (2021, August 5). Covid-19: India to be removed from UK ‘Red’ travel list on August 8. The Times of India , A1.

Give the exact date of publication of the news in Year, Month Day format. The newspaper title is italicized. The title of the articles is set in sentence case; however, capitalize the first word after a colon.

To cite an online newspaper in APA style, you need to have basic information including the author name, article title, newspaper title, date of publication, and URL. The templates for in-text citations and a reference list entry of an online newspaper and examples are given below:

Author Surname (Year)

Belluck (2021)

(Author Surname, Year)

(Belluck, 2021)

Surname, F. M. (Date of publication). Title of the article. Title of the Newspaper . URL

Belluck, P. (2021, August 8). ‘This is really scary’: Kids struggle with long covid. The New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/08/health/long-covid-kids.html?searchResultPosition=3

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How to cite a newspaper in a bibliography using MLA

The most basic entry for a newspaper article consists of the author’s name(s), the article title, the new publication’s name, the publication date, and page number(s). When available, also include the new publication’s season, a volume number, or issue number. Remember, don’t capitalize seasons in the date field when using MLA (winter 2020 not Winter 2020).

Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name , Publication Date, pp. #-#.

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, pp. 4-6.

Reverse the first author’s name, placing a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). Do not abbreviate the name and write it exactly as it appears on the article title page. Titles and affiliations associated with the author should generally be omitted. A suffix, such as a roman numeral or Jr./Sr. should appear after the author’s given name, preceded by a comma.

For a news article written by two authors, list them in the order they appear on the article title page. Reverse only the first author’s name and write the other names in normal order. Separate author names with a comma and place the word “and” before the second author’s name.

Smith, John, and Jane Doe. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, pp. 4-6.

For news articles with three or more authors, only include the first author, followed by a comma and the abbreviation “et al.”

Smith, John, et al. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, pp. 4-6.

Place the full article title in double quotation marks and use headline-style capitalization. Unless there is internal punctuation included in the article title, place a period after the title and within the quotations. Next, state the name of the magazine in italics. Separate any additional fields such as date or page(s) with commas. End the citation entry with a period.

Omit any introductory articles (e.g., A, An, The) from the newspaper name unless they are part of the official news publication’s title ( The New York Times ). If the publication city is not present in the newspaper name, place the city, without italics, in square brackets after the newspaper name (unless the newspaper is a well-known national newspaper).

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Star-Ledger [Newark], 2 Feb. 2009, pp. 4-6.

The date of the newspaper article should be written in the international format (i.e., day-month-year). Except for May, June, and July, abbreviate month names (using the first four letters for September and the first three letters for all other months), followed by a period. News publication dates vary and may be a complete date, a period spanning two months, a season, or just a month and year. Give whatever date information is available. Again, remember not to capitalize the seasons when using MLA.

Include the page numbers on which the article appears, followed by a period. Cite all inclusive page numbers—if the article spans pages that are not consecutive, cite only the first page, followed by a plus sign.

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, pp. 16+.

If no page numbers are available, for instance, in an online publication, omit the page number(s) field.

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009.

Next, if necessary, cite the location details for the source container of the newspaper article (e.g., database name and URL, website name and DOI). Italicize the container name if it is a database or website title containing the smaller work, the newspaper article, and only if the website name doesn’t repeat the news publication name. Remember, MLA prefers not to duplicate information. For information found online, include a DOI or URL.

If the article was published online, you may choose to include the web address of the page, but MLA prefers you include that online location, in order of preference, by using the DOI, permalink, or URL. MLA recommends using the DOI when it’s available because they are more reliable locators than URLs. DOIs are also more concise. When wondering whether to include a URL in your works-cited list or bibliography, follow the guidelines of your instructor, school, or publisher.

According to MLA’s 9th edition updated in 2021, you may usually leave out http:// or https:// from URLs unless you want to hyperlink them or unless instructed otherwise. When in doubt, ask your instructor. If a DOI is available, use that instead of the URL. For DOIs, use http:// or https:// before the DOI: https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxx.xxxx.xxxx. Use a period after the DOI.

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, www.pittsburghpostgazette.com/feb/2009/steelers-win-super-bowl-XLIII.

Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” The New York Times , 21 Jan. 2009, https://doi.org/12.3456/012.2009.1112.

Smith, John. “Obama Inaugurated as President.” The Atlantic , 21 Jan. 2009, LexisNexis , www.lexisnexisdatabase.com/theatlantic/archives/obama-inaugurated-as-president.

If an edition of the newspaper is listed on the masthead, place a comma after the publication, and include the edition with the abbreviation “ed.” after the publication date.

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, early ed., pp. 4-6.

If the newspaper paginates each section separately, indicate the section where the article was found. If the section consists of a single letter, add the section letter to the beginning of the page numbers. Otherwise, separate the section name from the page numbers by placing a comma after the date (or edition, if available), including the abbreviation “sec.” and the section name, followed by a comma and the page number(s).

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, p. A7.

Smith, John. “Steelers Win Super Bowl XLIII.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 2 Feb. 2009, Sports sec., pp. 4-6.

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As per Section 5.84 of the MLA Handbook , 9 th edition, if a periodical (newspaper, journal, or magazine) has different pagination throughout, then you may mention the section title along with the the page number in your location element.

Last Name, First Name. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name , Day Month Year, Section name, p. #.

Hoppkins, Mandy. “The Madness of Love.” The Monday Love Letter, 3 Jan 2022, Arts sec., pp. 3-4.

There are no major differences between the works-cited entry of a print newspaper and an online newspaper in MLA style. A print newspaper is represented more like a print journal article. This means page numbers are included. An online newspaper includes the URL in place of a page number.

Below are examples of a print newspaper and online newspaper in MLA style.

Author’s Surname, First Name. “Title of the Newspaper Article.” Name of the Newspaper , Date, pp. #–#.

Author’s Surname, First Name. “Title of the Newspaper Article.” Name of the Newspaper , Date, URL.

Atkinson, Brooks. “Abstract Drama; Beckett’s ‘Endgame’ is Staged with Ingenuity at Cherry Lane.” New York Times , 16 Feb. 1958, pp. 7–9.  

Bounds, A. “Levelling Up Bias in Favour of Tory Seats.” Financial Times , 31 Mar., 2021, www.ft.com/content/d485da2a-5778-45ae-9fa8-ca024bc8bbcf?fbclid=IwAR1Zng7heRN0RTxXckLgJ9x8kI0ItxVypb92rZ32IpRuq7sOSrb6qzFCLLU .

• The newspaper name is given in italics.
• Abbreviate the month in the date field (except May, June, and July).
• If URL is given, include it after the newspaper date.
• Do not include “https:” before the URL.

APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Newspaper Article

• General Style Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two Authors or Editors
• Three to Five Authors or Editors
• Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• Article in a Reference Book
• Edition other than the First
• Translation
• Government Publication
• Journal Article with 1 Author
• Journal Article with 2 Authors
• Journal Article with 3–20 Authors
• Journal Article 21 or more Authors
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Basic Web Page
• Web page from a University site
• Web Page with No Author
• Entry in a Reference Work
• Government Document
• Film and Television
• Youtube Video
• Audio Podcast
• Electronic Image
• Twitter/Instagram
• Lecture/PPT
• Conferences
• Secondary Sources
• Citation Support
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Formatting Your Paper

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

What is a DOI? A DOI ( digital object identifier ) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

NOTE: It is regarded as the most important part of the citation because it will accurately direct users to the specific article.

Think of it as a "digital fingerprint" or an article's DNA!

The rules for DOIs have been updated in the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. They should be included as URLs, rather than just the alphanumeric string.

Correct:  

• http://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

Incorrect:     

• doi: 10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• Retrieved from http://doi:10.1186/1471-2288-12-114
• FREE DOI Look-up (Cross-Ref)
• DOI System: FAQ
• Looking up a DOI
• DOI Flowchart

Newspaper Article (pp. 200-201)

General Format

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase): 

(Author Surname, Year)

In-Text Citation (Quotation):

(Author Surname, Year, page number)

References:

Author Surname, First Initial. Second Initial. (Year, Month Day). Article title: Subtitle. Newspaper Title, page range. URL [if viewed online]

In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):

(Wallace, 2007)

(Wallace, 2007, p. A8)

Wallace, K. (2007, December 4). Passport applicant finds massive privacy breach. The Globe and Mail , pp. A1, A8.

(Severson & Martin, 2009)

In-Text Citation (Quotation:

Severson, K. &, Martin, A. (2009, March 3). It's organic, but does that mean it's safer? The New York Times . http://www.nytimes.com

Subject Guide

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MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Newspaper Articles

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• When Information Is Missing
• Works in Another Language / Translations
• Works Quoted in Another Source
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• MLA Citation FAQs
• Newspaper Articles from a Library Database
• Newspaper Articles from a Website
• Newspaper Articles in Print

For more help, see Tips for Citing Newspaper Articles below, and explainers on  how to tell the difference between Journals , Magazines , and Newspapers .

How Can I Tell If It's a Newspaper?

Not sure whether your article is from a newspaper? Look for these characteristics:

• Main purpose is to provide readers with a brief account of current events locally, nationally or internationally.
• Can be published daily, semiweekly or weekly.
• Articles are usually written by journalists who may or may not have subject expertise.
• Written for the general public, readers don't need any previous subject knowledge.
• Little, if any, information about other sources is provided.

Articles may also come from  journals   or  magazines .

How Can I Tell If It's a Magazine?

Not sure whether your article is from a magazine? Look for these characteristics:

Popular magazines:

• Main purpose is to entertain, sell products or promote a viewpoint.
• Appeal to the general public.
• Often have many photos and illustrations, as well as many advertisements.
• Author may or may not have subject expertise.
• Name and credentials of authors often NOT provided.
• Articles tend to be short –less than 5 pages
• Unlikely to have a bibliography or references list

Trade magazines:

• Main purpose is to update and inform readers on current trends in a specific industry or trade.
• Audience is members of a specific industry or trade or professors and students in that trade or industry
• May have photos and numerous advertisements , but still assume that readers understand specific jargon of the profession.
• Usually published by an association.
• Authors are professionals working in the specific industry or trade.

Articles may also come from  journals  or  newspapers .

How Can I Tell if it's a Journal?

Photo from Flickr under Creative Commons license, created by the.Firebottle

Not sure whether your article is from a journal? Look for these characteristics:

• Main purpose is often to report results of original search
• Articles usually have a very specific subject focus
• May see sections such as abtract , discussion, results, and conclusion
• Author of the article is an expert or specialist in the field and often their credentials are listed
• Article is intended for students, scientists, researchers and/or professionals instead of the general public
• Usually includes a References list at the end

Articles may also come from magazines or newspapers .

Tips for Citing Newspaper Articles

For all content found on the Web, you must list the date you first viewed the resource. This comes last in a citation.

An author can be a person but can also be an organization, or company. These are called group or corporate authors.

If the name of the city in which the newspaper is published is not evident from the title of the newspaper then provide the city in square brackets after the title of the newspaper.

E.g., When citing the Toronto Star, it is evident that the newspaper is published in Toronto. However, if citing The Gazette, it is not evident from the title that it is published in Montreal, so include [Montreal] after writing The Gazette.

The name of the database will usually apear at the top of the search screen. Note that Elsevier, Gale and EBSCOhost are NOT database names, they are database providers. The name of the database will appear separately.

If you have used the function to search multiple databases at once and therefore do not know the individual database name, enter the name of the database provider (e.g. ProQuest) as the database.

The format of all dates is: Date Month (shortened) Year. E.g. 5 Sept. 2012.

If no date is listed, write n.d.

If no page number is listed, write n. pag. in the Works Cited list.

If the entire article is only one page, do not include a page number in the in-text citation.

If the article appears on non-consecutive pages (e.g., the article starts on page 5 then continues on page 12), write the first page number and a plus (+) sign. E.g., 5+

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as: in, of, or an.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).

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MLA Citation Guide (9th Edition): Newspaper Articles

• What Kind of Source Is This?
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On This Page: Newspapers

Newspaper article from a library database, newspaper article from a library database - newspapers with volumes and issues, newspaper article from a website, newspaper article in print, citing two authors, citing three or more authors, abbreviating months.

In your works cited list, abbreviate months as follows: 

January = Jan. February = Feb. March = Mar. April = Apr. May = May June = June July = July August = Aug. September = Sept. October = Oct. November = Nov. December = Dec.

Spell out months fully in the body of your paper. 

How Can I Tell if it's a Newspaper?

Photo from Flickr, created by user NS Newsflash. Available under a Creative Commons license.

Not sure whether your article is from a newspaper? Look for these characteristics:

• Main purpose is to provide readers with a brief account of current events locally, nationally or internationally.
• Can be published daily, semiweekly or weekly.
• Articles are usually written by journalists who may or may not have subject expertise.
• Written for the general public, readers don't need any previous subject knowledge.
• Little, if any, information about other sources is provided.

Articles may also come from journals or magazines .

Note : For your Works Cited list, all citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Name of Newspaper [city of newspaper if local paper with city name not in name], Date of Publication, p. Page Number if given. Name of Database.  

 Note: If the author's name is not listed, begin the citation with the title of the article.

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Name of Newspaper [City of newspaper if local paper with city name not in name of newspaper], vol. Volume Number, no. Issues Number, Date of Publication, p. Page Number if given. Name of Database.  

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Title of Website,  Date of Publication, URL. Accessed Day Month Year site was visited .

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article: Subtitle if Any." Name of Newspaper, Date of Publication, p. Page Number. 

If there are two authors, cite the the authors as follows (list authors in the order they are given on the page, not alphabetically):

Last Name, First Name of First Author, and First Name Last Name of Second Author.

Example: Smith, James, and Sarah Johnston.

If there are three or more authors, cite only the name of the first author listed with their Last Name, First Name Middle Name followed by a comma et al.

Example: Smith, James, et al.

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