Citing a Newspaper Article in Chicago Style | Format & Examples
In Chicago notes and bibliography style, it’s recommended to just cite newspaper articles in footnotes and omit them from the bibliography. Only list an article in the bibliography if it’s essential to your argument, if you cite it frequently, or if your university requires you to.
No page numbers are used in notes or bibliography entries for newspaper articles. Add a URL if you consulted the article online. Make sure to pay attention to the punctuation (e.g., commas and quotation marks) in your notes and citations.
| Chicago bibliography | Author last name, First name. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year. URL.
Gibbons-Neff, Thomas, and Mujib Mashal. “U.S. Is Quietly Reducing Its Troop Force in Afghanistan.” New York Times, October 21, 2019. https://nyti.ms/31xXNQb. |
|---|---|
| Full note | Author first name Last name, “Article Title,” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year, URL.
1. Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Mujib Mashal, “U.S. Is Quietly Reducing Its Troop Force in Afghanistan,” New York Times, October 21, 2019, https://nyti.ms/31xXNQb. |
| Short note | Author last name, “Shortened Article Title.”
2. Gibbons-Neff and Mashal, “U.S. Reducing Troop Force.” |
In author-date style, you should always include any newspaper articles you cite in your reference list.
Newspaper names and editions
When writing the name of a newspaper, use italics and omit any initial “The”:
- The New York Times
- New York Times
When a newspaper shares a name with other publications and could be confused with them, add the name of the city (or country, for a foreign national newspaper) where it is published. This appears in parentheses, in plain text, after the newspaper name.
- Gazette (Montreal)
- Times (UK)
Different editions of a newspaper may exist (e.g. “early edition,” “final edition,” “Midwest edition”); they can be listed where relevant:
Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. “Robert Giroux, Editor, Publisher and Nurturer of Literary Giants, Is Dead at 94.” New York Times, September 6, 2008, New York edition.
Citing a magazine article
Magazine articles are cited in a very similar format to newspaper articles, but with a couple of key differences.
First, magazine articles must appear in the bibliography.
Second, page numbers (when available) may be used in footnote citations of magazines. However, do not include a page range in the bibliography entry, since magazine articles are often interrupted by other material (e.g., advertisements).
| Chicago bibliography | Author last name, First name. “Article Title.” Magazine Name, Month Day, Year. URL.
Lepore, Jill. “The Man Who Broke the Music Business.” New Yorker, April 27, 2015. |
|---|---|
| Full note | Author first name Last name, “Article Title,” Magazine Name, Month Day, Year, URL.
1. Jill Lepore, “The Man Who Broke the Music Business,” New Yorker, April 27, 2015, 59. |
| Short note | Author last name, “Shortened Article Title,” Page number(s).
2. Lepore, “Music Business,” 60. |
Citing articles in author-date style
In author-date style, your in-text citations consist of the author’s last name and the year of publication. A page number may be included for a magazine article.
In the corresponding reference list entry, the year appears twice: straight after the author’s name, and then again as part of the full date towards the end.
Author-date newspaper citation examples
| Chicago author-date format | Author last name, First name. Year. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year. URL. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | Gibbons-Neff, Thomas, and Mujib Mashal. 2019. “U.S. Is Quietly Reducing Its Troop Force in Afghanistan.” New York Times, October 21, 2019. https://nyti.ms/31xXNQb. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (Gibbons-Neff and Mashal 2019) |
| Chicago author-date format | Author last name, First name. Year. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year, Edition. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher. 2008. “Robert Giroux, Editor, Publisher and Nurturer of Literary Giants, Is Dead at 94.” New York Times, September 6, 2008, New York edition. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (Lehmann-Haupt 2008) |
| Chicago author-date format | Author last name, First name. Year. “Article Title.” Magazine Name, Month Day, Year. URL. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | Lepore, Jill. 2015. “The Man Who Broke the Music Business.” New Yorker, April 27, 2015. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (Lepore 2015, 59) |
Frequently asked questions about Chicago style citations
- Should I use short notes or full notes for my Chicago citations?
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In Chicago notes and bibliography style, the usual standard is to use a full note for the first citation of each source, and short notes for any subsequent citations of the same source.
However, your institution’s guidelines may differ from the standard rule. In some fields, you’re required to use a full note every time, whereas in some other fields you can use short notes every time, as long as all sources are listed in your bibliography. If you’re not sure, check with your instructor.
- How do I cite a source with no date in Chicago style?
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When an online source does not list a publication date, replace it with an access date in your Chicago footnotes and your bibliography:
Example: Chicago bibliography entry with access date Scribbr. “How to Write a Research Paper.” Accessed June 9, 2020. https://www.scribbr.com/category/research-paper/.If you are using author-date in-text citations, or if the source was not accessed online, replace the date with “n.d.”
Example: Chicago author-date citation with no date (Scribbr, n.d.)To automatically generate accurate Chicago references, you can use Scribbr’s free Chicago reference generator.
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2022, December 05). Citing a Newspaper Article in Chicago Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/newspapers-magazines/
