How To Cite APA Newspaper Article | Get It Right Every Time

You found a strong reporting piece and now you need to cite it in APA style. This is where a lot of students get tripped up: the parts you include change based on where you read the story (print, a newspaper site, or a database).

This article walks you through the exact pieces APA 7th edition expects, shows clean templates you can copy, and points out the small details that usually cost points.

What APA wants from a newspaper reference

APA references are built from four core parts: who wrote it, when it was published, what the story is called, and where it can be found. With newspapers, the “where” piece can be a website URL, a page number, or a database name.

Start by grabbing the story details while you still have the page open. News pages change, paywalls pop up, and PDFs vanish from course sites. A clean capture now saves a second hunt later.

Parts you’ll use almost every time

• Author: last name, then initials.
• Date: year, month, day.
• Title of the article: sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns capitalized).
• Newspaper name: italicized.

Parts that depend on where you read it

• Print page or section: used for print or PDF scans that show page numbers.
• URL: used for stories you read on a public website.
• Database name: used for library databases when there’s no stable public URL.

Before you format anything, identify your source type

Don’t format first. Label what you’re holding. The same headline can exist as a print scan, a web page, and a database record, and APA treats each one a bit differently.

Print newspaper (paper copy)

If you read it on paper, you’ll cite the newspaper name and the page number(s). No URL. You’ll also keep the date down to the day, since newspapers are dated daily.

Online newspaper page (public site)

If you read it on a newspaper’s site, you’ll cite the newspaper name and add the URL at the end. In APA 7, you usually skip “Retrieved from” unless the page is designed to change over time, like a live results feed.

Library database (ProQuest, Nexis, Factiva, Gale)

If you read the story inside a database, you’ll cite the database name and omit the URL, unless your school asks for the database’s permalink. Many database links are session-based and break for other readers.

Reference list formats you can copy and fill

Below are templates that match APA 7 guidance for newspapers. Use the one that matches how you accessed the article, then swap in your details.

Online newspaper article (public URL)

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

Put the URL as plain text. Don’t add a period after it, since that can make the link look like it includes punctuation.

Print newspaper article (paper copy or scanned PDF with pages)

Template: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name, p. A1.

If there’s a page range, use “pp.” and the range. If the paper uses section letters, keep them (A1, B4).

Newspaper article from a database

Template: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name. Database Name.

Use the database name as it appears in your library. If your instructor prefers a permalink, follow that rule, even if it’s not standard APA.

Citing a newspaper article in APA style with common variations

Real assignments rarely match a perfect template. News stories can have no author, multiple writers, a corporate byline, or a headline with a subtitle. Here’s how to handle the patterns you’ll meet most.

No author listed

Start the reference with the article title. Then add the date in parentheses. Keep the rest the same: italic newspaper name, then page or URL.

Two authors or three or more

With two authors, list both names joined by an ampersand. With three or more, list the first author, then “et al.” is used for in-text citations, while the reference list includes up to 20 authors.

Group author (newsroom or organization)

If the byline is an organization, use the organization name as the author. This happens with editorial boards or staff-written blurbs.

Headline has a subtitle after a colon

Keep the colon, and use sentence case for the full headline. If a proper noun appears in the subtitle, keep its capitalization.

Print article without page numbers

Some class handouts omit pages. If you truly can’t find a page, leave it out. If the item is from a website, use the URL instead of guessing a page.

If you want to double-check your format against an authority, the APA Style newspaper article reference examples page shows the standard structures for print, web, and database records.

In-text citations for newspaper articles

Most instructors grade both the reference entry and the in-text citation. In APA, the in-text part stays short: author and year, plus a page number only when you quote from a source with pages.

Paraphrase

Use (Author, Year). If you name the author in the sentence, the year goes in parentheses right after the name.

Direct quote from print or PDF with pages

Add a page number: (Author, Year, p. A1). If the paper uses section letters, keep them as printed.

Direct quote from an online page with no pages

APA doesn’t require a paragraph number for a short quote from a web page. Some instructors still like a section heading plus paragraph count. If your course has that rule, follow it.

Table of source types and what to include

The easiest way to avoid a messy reference is to match the source type to the right “where” element. Use this table as a checklist while you build your reference list entry.

Where you read it	What to include at the end	Extra detail to watch
Paper newspaper	Page number (p. or pp.)	Section letters like A1, B4
PDF scan with pages	Page number (p. or pp.)	Use the page shown on the scan
Newspaper website	URL	No period after the URL
News app that mirrors the website	URL (if visible and stable)	Share link is often the cleanest
Library database record	Database Name	Skip session-based URLs
Database with a stable permalink	Database Name + permalink (if required)	Follow your instructor’s rule
Press release posted in a newspaper	URL or page number	Use the newspaper as the container
Editorial or opinion piece	URL or page number	Label stays in the title if it’s part of the headline

Step-by-step: build one clean APA reference

Use this quick workflow each time. It keeps you from skipping a detail and then patching the citation later.

Step 1: Copy the byline exactly

Open the full article page. Copy the author name as written. If it’s “Jane Q. Doe,” your reference will start “Doe, J. Q.” If there are multiple writers, keep the order shown.

Step 2: Capture the full date

Newspaper stories often show a publish date and an update date. For APA references, use the publish date shown with the story. If only an update is shown, use that date and move on.

Step 3: Paste the headline, then convert to sentence case

Sentence case trips people up. Only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns get capital letters. That’s it. Keep acronyms as printed.

Step 4: Add the newspaper name in italics

Use the name of the paper as the container title. Don’t italicize the article headline.

Step 5: Finish with the right locator

Print or scanned pages use page numbers. Web stories use the URL. Database records use the database name.

If your class expects strict APA formatting, compare your entry against your course rubric, then match the same punctuation and italics across your whole reference list.

Common mistakes that cost points

Most citation errors aren’t big. They’re tiny things that add up: a missing day, a headline in Title Case, or a URL that ends with a tracking string.

Putting the newspaper name in the wrong spot

The newspaper name sits after the article title, in italics. It acts like the “container” that published the story.

Using the database URL instead of the database name

Database URLs often die. The database name stays readable and traceable. If your instructor wants a permalink, grab the stable link tool inside the database.

Ending the reference with a period after a URL

Leave the period off. If your reference list needs a period at the end of the sentence, rewrite the line so the URL is the last item without extra punctuation.

Forgetting the day in the date

Newspapers are dated daily. Using only the year can make your reference vague. Add month and day when you can.

Mixing up italic text

Italicize the newspaper name, not the headline. Page numbers are not italicized.

Quick fixes table for tricky cases

When a citation looks “almost right” but not quite, it’s usually one of these cases. Use the matching row and adjust your reference line.

Situation	What to do	What to avoid
Author missing	Start with the title in sentence case	Inventing “Staff Writer”
Many authors listed	Reference list can include up to 20 authors	Using “et al.” in the reference entry
Headline begins with a number	Keep the number as shown	Spelling it out unless the paper does
Article is behind a paywall	Use the public URL if it exists	Linking to a login-only session page
Print copy has multiple pages	Use a page range (pp. A1–A2)	Listing each page as separate entries
Newspaper name has “The”	Keep “The” if it’s part of the official name	Dropping it just to shorten the line

Mini examples you can model

These are short, fill-in-the-blanks style models. Swap in your own names, dates, titles, and URLs.

Model: online newspaper story

Lopez, R. (2025, October 3). City council votes on transit plan. The Daily News. https://www.example.com/story

Model: print article

Chen, M. T. (2024, March 12). New clinic opens downtown. The Herald, p. B2.

Model: database record

Singh, A. (2023, July 8). Farmers face rising costs. Global Times. ProQuest.

Final self-check before you submit

Run this short checklist on each reference entry:

• Author formatted as Last, I. I.
• Date includes year, month, and day.
• Headline is in sentence case.
• Newspaper name is italicized.
• Ending matches the source: page, URL, or database name.
• In-text citation matches the author and year in your reference list.