Cite a news article in MLA 9
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Citation fields
News articles in MLA 9 sit between websites and journal articles. They have a real author and a publication date but no volume or issue. MLA 9 (2021) treats them differently depending on whether the article was online-first or appeared in a print edition.
MLA 9 rules for a news article
- Author is the journalist's byline; if multiple bylines, join with the style's conjunction.
- Date includes day and month for newspapers, not just the year.
- Article title goes in quotes; the newspaper name is italicized.
- Section name (e.g., Opinion, Business) can be included after the date.
- Include the article URL; print-only articles use the page number instead.
- Format the date as Day Mon. Year (e.g., 12 Aug. 2023).
Worked example
MLA 9 · news articleA real news article formatted using the MLA 9 rules above.
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.
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