How to Cite a Newspaper Article in Harvard Referencing

This guide explains how to format a newspaper article citation in Harvard Referencing. 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 Harvard Referencing:

Template

Author, A.A. (Year) 'Title of article', Newspaper Name, Day Month, p./pp. page range or Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

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, G. (2023) 'New Alzheimer's drug shows promise in clinical trial', The New York Times, 12 September. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/health/alzheimers-drug-trial.html (Accessed: 28 March 2026).

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Identify the author
List the journalist's surname and initial(s). If no author, begin with the article title in single quotation marks.
2
Add the year
Place the year of publication in parentheses.
3
Write the article title
Enclose the article title in single quotation marks. Use sentence case.
4
Add the newspaper name and date
Italicise the newspaper name. Follow with a comma and the day and month of publication.
5
Include page numbers or URL
For print articles, add 'p.' or 'pp.' and the page number(s). For online articles, add 'Available at:' the URL and '(Accessed: Day Month Year).'

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Italicising the article title instead of the newspaper name.
Not enclosing the article title in single quotation marks.
Omitting the day and month of publication.
Forgetting the access date for online newspaper articles.
Including both page numbers and a URL (use one or the other).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I include the full date for newspaper articles in Harvard?

Yes. Include the day and month after the newspaper name (e.g., 12 September). The year appears in parentheses after the author.

Should I keep 'The' in the newspaper name?

Yes. Harvard style retains 'The' when it is part of the official newspaper name (e.g., The New York Times, The Guardian).

How do I cite an online newspaper article in Harvard?

Use the same format but replace page numbers with 'Available at:' followed by the URL and an access date in parentheses.

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

Identify the author

List the journalist's surname and initial(s). If no author, begin with the article title in single quotation marks.

Add the year

Place the year of publication in parentheses.

Write the article title

Enclose the article title in single quotation marks. Use sentence case.

Add the newspaper name and date

Italicise the newspaper name. Follow with a comma and the day and month of publication.

Include page numbers or URL

For print articles, add 'p.' or 'pp.' and the page number(s). For online articles, add 'Available at:' the URL and '(Accessed: Day Month Year).'