How to Cite a Newspaper Article in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date)

This guide explains how to format a newspaper article citation in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date). Follow the format template below, refer to the real example, and use the step-by-step instructions to build your citation correctly.

Format Template

The general pattern for citing a newspaper article in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date):

Template

Author Last, First M. Year. "Title of Article." Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year. URL.

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

In-text citation

(Kolata 2023)

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Reference list entry

Kolata, Gina. 2023. "New Alzheimer's Drug Shows Promise in Clinical Trial." New York Times, September 12, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/health/alzheimers-drug-trial.html.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Format the author name
List the author as Last Name, First Name. If no author is identified, begin with the article title.
2
Add the year
Place the year immediately after the author, followed by a period.
3
Write the article title
Place the article title in quotation marks with headline-style capitalization.
4
Add the newspaper name and date
Italicize the newspaper name. Drop the initial "The" (write New York Times, not The New York Times). Follow with a comma and the full date in Month Day, Year format.
5
Include the URL
For online articles, provide the full URL. End with a period.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Omitting newspaper articles from the reference list (in Author-Date, all cited sources must appear in the reference list, unlike Notes-Bibliography).
Not placing the article title in quotation marks.
Including the initial article "The" in the newspaper name (Chicago drops it).
Placing the year at the end instead of immediately after the author.
Forgetting to include the URL for articles accessed online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do newspaper articles go in the reference list in Chicago Author-Date?

Yes. Unlike Notes-Bibliography (where newspaper articles are often cited only in footnotes), Author-Date style requires all cited works to appear in the reference list so they can be matched to in-text citations.

Do I drop "The" from newspaper names in Chicago Author-Date?

Yes. Chicago style drops the initial article "The" from newspaper names in both systems: New York Times, not The New York Times.

How do I cite a newspaper article with no author?

Begin the reference list entry with the article title. In the in-text citation, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks: ("New Alzheimer's Drug" 2023).

Information You Will Need

Before creating your citation, gather the following information from your newspaper article:

Author(s)
Date of publication
Title of article
Newspaper name
Page number(s) (print)
URL (online)

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Step-by-Step Guide

Format the author name

List the author as Last Name, First Name. If no author is identified, begin with the article title.

Add the year

Place the year immediately after the author, followed by a period.

Write the article title

Place the article title in quotation marks with headline-style capitalization.

Add the newspaper name and date

Italicize the newspaper name. Drop the initial "The" (write New York Times, not The New York Times). Follow with a comma and the full date in Month Day, Year format.

Include the URL

For online articles, provide the full URL. End with a period.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Omitting newspaper articles from the reference list (in Author-Date, all cited sources must appear in the reference list, unlike Notes-Bibliography).

Not placing the article title in quotation marks.

Including the initial article "The" in the newspaper name (Chicago drops it).

Placing the year at the end instead of immediately after the author.

Forgetting to include the URL for articles accessed online.