When conducting research, it is essential to cite sources properly to give credit where it is due. That enhances the quality of your work by ensuring that it is plagiarism free.

Most importantly, it is among the requirements every academic paper must meet to be deemed complete.

man reading a newspaper with cup of coffee and laptop on table in front of him

That said, newspaper articles are one of the most relied-upon information providers. It is, therefore, essential for every writer to know how to cite a newspaper article in APA format properly.

In this article, we will go over the basics and provide tips for doing so effectively. Before that, let us look at the meaning of the American Psychological Association format.

What is Meant by American Psychological Association Style?

American Psychological Association is a popular referencing technique used in research.

It provides guidelines for formatting reference lists, in-text citations, other aspects, and citation styles of academic writing. Some of the areas it is popular in include social sciences, such as psychology & sociology, and education in general.

As for its elements, the most important ones are the title of the article, when it was published, and who wrote it, among others.

If you are carrying out any type of research, you will need a reliable internet provider to ensure nothing comes between you and your studies. If your current internet is below par, then look into getting a fiber internet provider for ultimate reliability.

newspaper laying underneath a white computer keyboard

Hacks for Citing a Newspaper in APA style

Citing a newspaper article can seem overwhelming, especially if you are doing it for the first time.

It is an essential component of academic research, and you should try to master it. But don’t worry if you cannot learn fast and there’s an assignment to be completed.

In this case, we recommend you resort to Paperell, an essay and APA paper writing service, until you get the hang of it. The tool will also come in handy if you are occupied elsewhere and can’t find ample time to complete your assignment. 

That said, let us delve into the guidelines for how to cite a newspaper article. The first thing we look at is how to reference the different articles you can come across. We also give solutions to some of the mind-boggling situations you might encounter. 

Determine the Type of Newspaper

Before anything else, determine what you are dealing with. There are newspaper articles available in print and online, and the citing methodology differs in each case.

Let us see how.

  • Print Papers

These are those that get distributed in hard copy. The issue is daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the publication. Here is an illustration of how to cite a newspaper article in hardcopy using the American Psychological Association technique:

Author, A. A. (Date ). Topic. Publication name, folio number.

The writer comes first, with the third name preceding the first and second name initials. The date, topic, brand, & page number come next.

An APA citation for a New York Times article titled New Year, New Beginnings would, therefore, look like this:

Smith, J. D. (2022, January 1). New Year, New Beginnings. The New York Times, pp. A1-A2.
  • Online Papers

Online newspaper articles are the opposite of the former. They are available via the internet. Because of a less-complicated publishing process, they get updated frequently, and readers can access them from anywhere, provided they have an internet-enabled device.

Here’s how to cite a newspaper in APA citation if it’s available online:

Author, A. A. (Date). Topic. Domain name. URL

The only thing differentiating the online newspaper article in APA style from the one above is that the URL replaces the page number.

A citation for a Washington Post online newspaper article titled How to Stick to Your New Year Resolutions would, therefore, look like this:

Jones, R. (2022, January 1). How to Stick to Your New Year Resolutions. The Washington Post. URL

What to Do if There is No Pagination

Take your time with writing, pay attention to some points. As illustrated in our previous APA writing examples, the page number is the fifth and final element of an APA citation. It is preceded by the title and separated by a comma.

If the article is not paginated, use the abbreviation N. pag. (no pagination) as demonstrated below:

Author, A. A. (Date ). Article title. Topic, Page numbers. N. pag.

What to Do When the Author is Unknown

Sometimes, the author of the article you want to cite will be unknown. In this case, the date is preceded by the title, having omitted the author(s) section altogether.

Write the brand of the publication and page number next to finalize.

Article title. (Year, Month, Day). Publication brand, Folio number.

You want to come up with a citation for a Wall Street article titled Global Warming Sparks Debate.

The reference should be as follows:

Global Warming Sparks Debate. (2022, January 1). The Wall Street Journal, p. A4.

What to Do When There is No Title

As well as coming across an unpaginated article, you could also come across an untitled one. It could be a simple write-up such as an email or an excerpt from a book or journal.

If it’s the case, describe it briefly and enclose the description you come up with in square brackets (e.g., [Editorial]).

Remember, we do not italicize the article titles. We only italicize the titles of longer works, such as journals and books. Also, do not capitalize small words, such as “a” and “an”, unless they are the first word in the title.

What to Do if there are Multiple Authors

If a paper has more than one author, list their names one after the other in the order they appear on the byline, separating each by a comma.

The date, title, brand, and page numbers then follow, as shown below:

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year, Month, Day). Article title. Publication name, Page numbers

If there are more than two authors, you can list the name of the first one, followed by et al. Here is a demonstration:

Lee, K. A., et al.

No or Incomplete Date Scenario

The year of publication is the second element of a citation in the American Psychological Association method. It is usually enclosed in parentheses.

If the article is not dated when citing a newspaper in APA citation, use the abbreviation n.d. (no date).

What to Do if There is a Digital Object Identifier

A DOI, short for Digital Object Identifier, is a unique alphanumeric code assigned to scholarly articles and other published works to provide them with a persistent link.

It is another element to consider when figuring out how to cite a newspaper in the American Psychological Association format. DOIs, when present, should be included as https://doi.org/doi.

For example, if the DOI is 10.1234/56789, the citation should include it as https://doi.org/10.1234/56789.

Conclusion

The guidelines in this manual will help ensure that your APA citations are accurate, complete, and consistent.

Some key things to keep in mind include using proper formatting for in-text citations & the final bibliography and using the correct punctuation & capitalization.

Speaking of in-text citations, always proofread your work to ensure it is written correctly.

Also, remember to keep up to date with the latest changes to how to cite a newspaper article in APA style guidelines and make the necessary adjustments.