How to cite a news article (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard)
News citations need dates more than most sources. Articles can be updated, syndicated, moved between sections, or published online before print. The citation has to identify the byline, headline, publication, exact date, and URL or page number so the reader can tell which version you used.
When to use this source type
Use this source type for reporting, analysis, opinion, and feature articles from newspapers and newsrooms such as BBC News, The New York Times, The Guardian, Reuters, AP, or local newspapers. Online news articles usually need a full date and URL. Print articles usually need section or page information.
Do not use a plain website citation when the source is a news article with a headline, byline, and publication date. Do not use a journal article citation unless the piece appears in an academic journal. If an article has no named reporter, start with the organization or title, depending on the style.
Quick reference table
The same source facts appear in each style, but they move around. Check the author role, date detail, title formatting, container, locator, and the one style-specific rule before you paste a citation into your reference list.
| Style | Author | Date | Title | Container | URL or locator | Style note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Reporter surname and initials. | Full date in parentheses. | Headline in sentence case. | Newspaper or news site italicized. | URL for online article. | Print pages only for print copy. |
| MLA 9 | Reporter full name, first inverted. | Date as day abbreviated month year. | Headline in quotation marks. | Publication title italicized. | URL or page range. | Access date if useful. |
| Chicago | Reporter name in reference order. | Year after author. | Headline in quotation marks. | Publication title and full date. | URL at end for online copy. | Often cited in notes only. |
| Harvard | Reporter surname and initials. | Year in parentheses. | Headline in single quotation marks. | Publication title and date. | Available at URL. | Accessed date for online articles. |
APA 7 walkthrough
APA 7 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this news article? For a news article, use the reporter byline, not the news organization, when a reporter is named. The date element uses year, month, and day because news changes quickly. The title element keeps the headline in sentence case without quotation marks. The source element is the newspaper or news site title in italics. Finally, the locator element is the article URL for online reading or the page number for print. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
If the article was updated, cite the version date shown on the article page. A homepage link is not enough because news homepages change constantly. In text, use (Lewis, 2024). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Lewis, H. (2024, August 3). How a New York neighbourhood became the home of British comedy. *BBC News*. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/comedy-uk
MLA 9 walkthrough
MLA 9 starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this news article? For a news article, starts with the reporter and uses the publication only when no byline is available. The date element uses day, abbreviated month, and year. The title element puts the headline in quotation marks and title case. The source element italicizes the newspaper or news site. Finally, the locator element adds the URL or print page details. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
MLA's access date is useful for news because articles may be corrected after publication. Keep the original publication date if that is the date attached to the article. In text, use (Lewis). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Lewis, Helen "How a New York neighbourhood became the home of British comedy." *BBC News*, 3 Aug. 2024, www.bbc.com/culture/article/comedy-uk. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Chicago walkthrough
Chicago starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this news article? For a news article, uses the reporter in reference-list order. The date element places the year after the author and repeats the full date with the publication. The title element puts the headline in quotation marks. The source element names the publication and issue date. Finally, the locator element uses a URL for online articles or page numbers in notes for print. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
Chicago often allows newspapers in notes only. Add a reference-list entry when the article is a major source or when your instructor asks for one. In text, use (Lewis 2024). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Lewis, Helen. 2024. "How a New York neighbourhood became the home of British comedy." BBC News. accessed January 15, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/comedy-uk.
Harvard walkthrough
Harvard starts with the same basic question: who is responsible for this news article? For a news article, uses the reporter surname and initials when available. The date element puts the year after the author and the full publication date later. The title element uses single quotation marks for the headline. The source element italicizes the publication name. Finally, the locator element uses Available at, URL, and Accessed date. Work through those fields in order and the punctuation becomes much easier to control.
For UK assignments, Harvard news entries usually need the day and month. Do not reduce a news citation to the year alone. In text, use (Lewis, 2024). If you quote directly, add the page, paragraph, timestamp, or legal pin cite required by the style. If your source is online, prefer a stable URL or DOI over a search-result link, and remove tracking parameters before you submit the reference.
Lewis, Helen (2024) How a New York neighbourhood became the home of British comedy. [Online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/comedy-uk (accessed January 15, 2025).
Common mistakes for this source type
Most errors come from forcing a news article into the wrong template. Before submitting, check these details against the source itself, not against a database preview or a copied citation.
- Using the news outlet as author when a reporter byline is present.
- Leaving out the day and month.
- Citing the live homepage instead of the article URL.
- Treating a newspaper column as a journal article.
- Ignoring a correction or update date when it changes the version you used.