Do newspaper citations use volume and issue numbers?

No — that's for journals. Newspapers use the full publication date (year, month, day) instead.

How do I cite an online news article with no page number?

Skip the page and end with the URL. Online articles don't have stable print pages, so the date and URL do the locating.

What about an article with no named author?

Move the headline into the author position; cite a shortened headline in quotes in-text: ("Headline Words," 2024).

Is The New York Times italicized?

Yes — the newspaper name is the container and is italicized in every style. The article headline is in quotes (MLA/Chicago) or plain (APA).

How to Cite a Newspaper Article

Updated September 2026

A newspaper article cites like a periodical: author, full date, headline, newspaper name, then either a page number (print) or a URL (online). The newspaper title is the italicized container; the article headline is not.

The format

APA: Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Headline of article. Newspaper Name. https://url MLA: Author Last, First. “Headline of Article.” Newspaper Name, Day Mon. Year, URL.

Online newspaper — APA 7

Klein, E. (2024, March 18). What the data really says about screens and sleep. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/opinion/screens-sleep.html

In-text(Klein, 2024)

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Citation style

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020). The 7th dropped the publisher location and the "Retrieved from" prefix that the 6th required.

Newspapers use a full date

Unlike journals (which use volume/issue), newspapers are dated to the day. APA: (2024, March 18). MLA: 18 Mar. 2024. That full date is what distinguishes a newspaper citation from a journal-article citation — get it from the article's byline area.

Print vs. online

Online — end with the article URL; no page numbers. Most citations today are this.
Print — add the page (APA: p. A12; MLA: p. A12). Include the section letter if the paper uses one.
Database (ProQuest, etc.) — cite the article normally; the DOI or stable URL is enough, the database name usually isn't needed.
Opinion/editorial — cite like any article; the section ("Opinion") isn't part of the citation.

In-text citations

APA: (Klein, 2024). MLA: (Klein) — or (Klein A12) for print with a page. No author (wire stories, briefs)? Use a short headline in quotes.

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Frequently asked questions

Do newspaper citations use volume and issue numbers?: No — that's for journals. Newspapers use the full publication date (year, month, day) instead.
How do I cite an online news article with no page number?: Skip the page and end with the URL. Online articles don't have stable print pages, so the date and URL do the locating.
What about an article with no named author?: Move the headline into the author position; cite a shortened headline in quotes in-text: ("Headline Words," 2024).
Is The New York Times italicized?: Yes — the newspaper name is the container and is italicized in every style. The article headline is in quotes (MLA/Chicago) or plain (APA).

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