How to Cite a Newspaper Article in Harvard Style

Newspaper articles provide contemporary perspectives and primary source material for research. Harvard style accommodates both print and online newspaper citations with clear formatting. This guide covers newspaper article citations across various formats.

Print Newspaper Format

In-Text Citation

(Author Year)
(Rodriguez 2024)

Reference List Format

Author, A. (Year) 'Article headline', Newspaper Name, day Month, p. page number.

Example:

Thompson, E. (2024) 'Climate summit reaches historic agreement', The Guardian, 15 March, p. A1.

Newspaper Articles with Author

In-text:

(Thompson 2024)

Reference list:

Thompson, E. (2024) 'Climate summit reaches historic agreement', The Guardian, 15 March, p. A1.

Newspaper Articles Without Author

Start with article title:

'Article headline' (Year) Newspaper Name, day Month, p. page.

Example:

'Supreme court rules on healthcare access' (2024) The Washington Post, 10 March, p. A1.

Online Newspaper Articles

Include URL instead of page number:

Author, A. (Year) 'Article headline', Newspaper Name, day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: date).

Example:

Park, S. (2024) 'Tech companies report record profits', Business Daily, 14 March. Available at: https://www.businessdaily.com/tech-profits (Accessed: 16 March 2026).

Multiple Authors

Two authors:

Thompson, E. and Williams, R. (2024) 'Article headline', Newspaper Name, 15 March, p. A4.

Three or more:

Thompson, E. et al. (2024) 'Article headline', Newspaper Name, 15 March, p. A4.

Editorials and Opinion Pieces

Author, A. (Year) 'Opinion: article title', Newspaper Name, day Month, p. page.

Example:

Johnson, A. (2024) 'Opinion: why education reform matters', The New York Times, 14 March, p. A15.

Letters to the Editor

Author, A. (Year) Letter to the Editor, Newspaper Name, day Month, p. page.

Wire Service Articles

Wire Service (Year) 'Article headline', Newspaper Name, day Month, p. page.

Example:

Associated Press (2024) 'Breaking news on natural disasters', News Service, 12 March, p. 1.

Archived Newspaper Articles

For historical articles from archives:

Author, A. (Year) 'Article headline', Newspaper Name, day Month, p. page. Available at: URL/database (Accessed: date).

Key Points

• Use publication date (day, month, year)
• Include page number for print articles (p. or pp.)
• Include URL for online articles
• Single quotation marks around article titles
• Italicize newspaper name
• Alphabetize by author in reference list
• If no author, alphabetize by article title

Step-by-Step Process

1. Identify author (if signed) or use title
2. Note exact article headline
3. Find newspaper name (official title)
4. Record publication date (day, month, year)
5. Note page number (print) or URL (online)
6. Include access date if URL is included
7. Format according to print/online
8. Alphabetize in reference list

Common Mistakes

1. Using incorrect newspaper title
2. Omitting publication date
3. Missing page numbers for print articles
4. Using shortened URLs
5. Inconsistent date formatting
6. Not italicizing newspaper name
7. Forgetting quotation marks around headlines

Practice Examples

Example 1: Print Newspaper

In-text: (Adams 2024)

Reference: Adams, J. (2024) 'New research shows climate impacts', Environmental News Today, 14 March, p. A3.

Example 2: Online Newspaper

Reference: Chen, M. (2024) 'Markets rally on economic data', Financial Times, 15 March. Available at: https://www.ft.com/markets-rally (Accessed: 16 March 2026).

Example 3: Unsigned Article

Reference: 'Supreme court decision affects healthcare access' (2024) The Washington Post, 10 March, p. A1.

Mastering Newspaper Citations

Newspaper articles document contemporary events and provide valuable primary source material. Correctly citing them enables readers to access timely information while demonstrating your engagement with current events. With these Harvard guidelines, your newspaper citations meet academic standards.

Use our citation generator to verify newspaper citations and explore guides for other source types.