How to Cite a Newspaper Article in MLA Format

Citing a newspaper article in a research paper is a simple process.

Citing a newspaper article in MLA (Modern Language Association) format for a bibliography can be a necessary part of writing a credible academic paper. Citing a newspaper article isn't difficult and requires only a few simple steps.

Instructions

1. Cite the article writer's last name, followed by a comma and then his first name. Place a period after his name (Doe, David John.). When the article's writer is not provided, omit this step and begin with Step 2.

2. Cite the title of the article in quotes, with a period before the ending quotation mark ("Obama Says U.S. Is Not at War With Islam.").

3. Underline the title of the newspaper. If your newspaper is local, include the city name and state in brackets ([Redondo Beach, CA]). Do not include a period after the title of the newspaper or city and state citations.

4. Cite the date of publication in "dd, mm, yyyy" format, followed by a colon and abbreviate the month with three letters (24 Dec. 2007:). For online newspaper articles, include the date you accessed the article after the publication date (25 Jan. 2001. 7 Nov. 2001) and include a line break followed by the article's website address in brackets and then a period (<http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-laguna9-2009apr09,0,1717665.story>.).

5. Cite the page number(s) of the article. For multiple page numbers, cite the first page number and the last page number separated by a hyphen, but omit repeated parts of the numbers (A3-4.). If your article is split between two pages, cite the first page followed by a comma and then the second page (A1, C11.). Place a period after the cited page number(s).

Tips & Warnings

• According to Purdue University, "If there is more than one edition available for that date (as in an early and late edition of a newspaper), identify the edition following the date (17 May 1987, late ed.:)."

• Many citations run longer than one line; at every line break, include an indentation.

• According to Long Island University, an example of a proper printed newspaper article citation is as follows:

• Di Rado, Alicia. "Trekking through College: Classes Explore Modern Society Using the World of Star Trek." Los Angeles Times 15 Mar. 1995: A3.

• According to Duke University, an example of a proper online newspaper article citation is as follows:

• Wright, Steven. "Curriculum 2000 Draws Criticism." The Chronicle 25 Jan. 2001. 7 Nov. 2001. <http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/story.php?article_id=21459>.

• For parenthetical citations, include the last name of the author followed by a space and then the page number (Di Rado A3).

• You can use a website to generate an automated bibliography (see Resources).

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: MLA Style
• Duke University Libraries: Article from an Online Newspaper
• Easy Bib: The Free Automatic Bibliography and Citation Maker