How to Cite a Newspaper Article in MLA 9th Edition

Format Template

The general pattern for citing a newspaper article in MLA 9th Edition:

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your Works Cited:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Identify the author

   List the author in Last Name, First Name format. If no author, begin with the article title.

2. 2

   Write the article title

   Place the title in quotation marks using title case.

3. 3

   Add the newspaper name

   Italicize the newspaper name. Remove any initial article (e.g., use New York Times, not The New York Times) -- though many scholars retain "The" when it is part of the official name.

4. 4

   Include the date

   Write the date in Day Month Year format. Abbreviate months longer than four letters (Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.).

5. 5

   Add page numbers or URL

   For print articles, use "p." or "pp." and the page numbers. For online articles, use the URL without "https://".

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Italicizing the article title instead of the newspaper name.
• Not abbreviating months longer than four letters (e.g., Sept. not September).
• Using the full URL protocol (MLA omits https://).
• Including both page numbers and URL (use one or the other).
• Forgetting to place the article title in quotation marks.

Frequently Asked Questions

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)