SCC Research Guides: APA Guide: Citing a Magazine or Newspaper Article

Magazine or Newspaper Article (APA)

See tabs below for APA guidelines on how to cite magazine or newspaper articles according to where they were found (in a library database or a website or print).

Basic Format - Citing a Magazine/Newspaper Article (APA)

Format: Author(s). (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Magazine/Newspaper in italics, Volume number in italics(issue number), page numbers of article. DOI/URL

*Note: If using a print or database article use the DOI (if no DOI, skip). If using a non-database article (website) with no DOI, use the URL instead.

General Rules for Citing a Magazine/Newspaper Article in APA

Title:

In citations for the article title, capitalize only proper nouns and the first word of the article title and subtitle.

For the magazine/newspaper title, capitalize all the significant words in the title and italicize it. Note: APA considers periodical titles are proper nouns.

Note: If you mention an article title in your paper, it should be in quotation marks and all major words should be capitalized.

Date:

If no date is given, use (n.d.).

DOI versus URL:

Always list the DOI if given. DOI is preferred rather than a URL.

If a DOI is not given, but the source can be found in a library database, then there is no need to include a URL (simply cite the entry the same way you would a print entry). However, if a DOI is not given, and the source is not in a library database - rather found on the internet - then include a URL (to help people find it).

URLs should be as specific as possible (i.e. take the reader directly to the page you used). So use the full URL (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/us/politics/william-barr-house-judiciary-hearing.html) rather than the home page (https://www.nytimes.com).

Present DOI’s and URL’s as hyperlinks beginning with http:// or https:// (Links can be ‘live’ if your writing is going to be viewed electronically or online).

Formatting:

Double space entries. If an entry runs more than one line, use a hanging indent which indents any additional lines beyond the first (there is a button in Microsoft Word and other programs to do this; do not use the tab button or the space bar).

Acceptable abbreviations can be found on pp. 306-7 of the APA manual.

If what you are citing is not listed in APA manual, choose the example in the manual most like your source.

Article with DOI

Print Example: Bergeson, S. (2019, January 4). Really cool neutral plasmas. Science, 363(6422), 33-34. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.aau7988

Library Database Example: Stalter, R. M., Pecha, M., Dov, L., Miller, D., Ghazal, Z., Wortham, J., Althomsons, S., Deutsch-Feldman, M., Stewart, R., Felix, D., Hsu, S., & Strick, L. B. (2023). Tuberculosis outbreak in a state prison system -- Washington, 2021-2022. MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 72(12), 309–312. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7212a3

Website Example: Bergeson, S. (2019, January 4). Really cool neutral plasmas. Science, 363(6422), 33-34. http://www.science.com/2019/1/4/bergeson

What is a DOI?

DOI stands for Digital Object Identifier, and is a unique code assigned to academic articles/books to help you locate them. It's sort of like an article's social security number. A DOI may look like a link (https://doi.org/10.1109/5.771073) or they may just have the DOI itself (10.1109/5.771073). In your citation, format the DOI as a link.

Always include the DOI if it is given, but not every source will have one. If a source has a DOI, it takes the place of a URL.

Article with No DOI

An electronic article with no DOI given, is cited differently depending on where you found the article - a library database or from an outside website.

Print Example: 10 Million Orphans: For the children who have lost their parents to AIDS, grief is only the beginning of their troubles. The disease's lasting victims. (2000, January 17). Newsweek, 135(3), 42.

Library Database Example: Baker, P. (2015, March 25). Human rights groups press Obama on India. New York Times, A12.

Website Example: Lewin, A. M. (2012, June 23). Meditating practices growing. Psychology Today. http://psychologytoday.com/2020-3-4/mindfullness

How to Cite a Magazine or Newspaper Article in APA
This handout will break down how to cite a magazine or newspaper article in APA format.

APA Citing a Magazine or Newspaper Article 2022
This video from the SCC Library will walk you through how to cite a magazine/newspaper article in APA format.