Chicago style newspaper citation is a specific type of reference for citing newspaper articles in academic writing, based on guidelines provided in the Chicago Manual of Style. It is essential for writers to correctly assign and credit ideas and quotes to their original sources to maintain academic integrity. The citation includes information like the author’s name, article title, newspaper name, publication date, and URL or page number (for print versions). Understanding the essence of citing newspapers in Chicago style helps avoid plagiarism.
Chicago Style Newspaper Citation – In a Nutshell
- Chicago style newspaper citation refers to the method of referencing newspaper articles in written work according to the rules of the Chicago Manual of Style.
- Chicago style newspaper citation covers newspaper articles, online newspaper articles, blogs, and magazine articles.
- There are two main approaches: The notes and bibliography method and the author-date method.
- The notes and bibliography approach is preferred in Humanities-based subjects, including English Literature, History, and the Arts.
- The author-date system is more common in Science and Social Sciences.
Definition: Chicago style newspaper citation
A Chicago style newspaper citation refers to a reference to a newspaper article, news article, magazine article, or similar source within a piece of writing. For a reference to be considered a Chicago style newspaper citation, it must be written and formatted according to the rules outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style. The notes and bibliography style is the most common approach and students may cite newspaper articles in footnotes alone, although a citation can also be added to the bibliography if the source is crucial, or cited frequently.
The format for Chicago style newspaper citations using this approach is as shown in the examples below:
Examples
| Format | Example | |
| Chicago Bibliography: | Last name of author, first name of author. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year. URL (if applicable). | McWhorter, John. “English Is a Living Language — Period.” New York Times, February 8, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/opinion/oxford-comma.html |
| Full note: | First and last name of author, “Article Title,” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year, URL (if applicable). | John McWhorter, “English Is a Living Language — Period,” New York Times, February 8, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/opinion/oxford-comma.html |
| Short note: | Last name of author, “Shortened article title.” | McWhorter, “English Is a Living Language.” |
Chicago style newspaper citation: Names and editions
With a Chicago style newspaper citation, the name of the newspaper should be written in italics and the word “The” should be removed from the start of the name, if applicable.
Example
Correct ✓: Wall Street Journal
Incorrect ✘: The Wall Street Journal
In instances where the newspaper or publication shares a name with other publications, it is important to specify either the country, city, or region after the title, using parentheses.
Examples
Daily Chronicle (Illinois)
News Journal (Ohio)
Times (UK)
Some newspapers may also publish different editions, such as an early edition, or a regional edition. This can be referenced at the end of a citation, when relevant.
Example
Doe, John. “Chicago Style Newspaper Citation is Easy.” Times (UK), January 1, 2023, Scottish edition.
Chicago style newspaper citation: Magazine article
Chicago style newspaper citation rules are broadly applicable to magazine articles too. However, there are some notable differences to the way in which magazine articles should be referenced.
- Magazines should always be listed in the bibliography.
- Citations follow the same basic format as other Chicago style newspaper citations.
- Footnote citations can include page numbers.
- Page numbers should not be listed in the bibliography, however.
Examples of correct magazine article citations can be found below:
Examples
| Format | Example | |
| Chicago Bibliography: | Last name of author, first name of author. “Article Title.” Magazine Name, Month Day, Year. URL (if applicable). | Donovan, Hedley. “Life's Last Issue: A message to our readers.” Life, December 29, 1972. |
| Full Note: | First and last name of author, “Article Title,” Magazine Name, Month Day, Year, URL or page number (if applicable). | Hedley Donovan. “Life's Last Issue: A message to our readers,” Life, December 29, 1972, 1. |
| Short Note: | Last name of author, “Shortened article title,” page number. | Donovan, “Life's Last Issue,” 1. |
Chicago author-date style refers to the alternative Chicago style newspaper citation method, which is favoured within areas of academia like Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Psychology. This approach to Chicago style newspaper citation makes use of shorter in-text citations and a reference list containing the full citations.
For newspaper articles, the in-text citation will consist only of the author’s last name and the year of publication, in parentheses. However, a magazine citation may also include a page number.
Chicago author-date style: Print article (specific edition)
| Chicago Author-date Format: | Last name of author, first name of author. Year. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year, Edition. |
| Chicago Reference Entry: | Doe, John. 2023. “Chicago Style Newspaper Citation is Easy.” Times (UK), January 1, 2023, Scottish edition. |
| Chicago Author-date Citation: | (Doe 2023) |
Chicago author-date style: Magazine article
| Chicago Author-date Format: | Last name of author, first name of author. Year. “Article Title.” Magazine Name, Month Day, Year. URL (if applicable) |
| Chicago Reference Entry: | Donovan, Hedley. 1972. “Life's Last Issue: A message to our readers.” Life, December 29, 1972. |
| Chicago Author-date Citation: | (Donovan 1972, 1) |
Chicago author-date style: Online newspaper article
| Chicago Author-date Format: | Last name of author, first name of author. Year. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name, Month Day, Year. URL (if applicable) |
| Chicago Reference Entry: | McWhorter, John. 2022. “English Is a Living Language — Period.” New York Times, February 8, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/opinion/oxford-comma.html |
| Chicago Author-date Citation: | (McWhorter 2022) |
FAQs
With Chicago style newspaper citation, if the author is unknown, a full note should begin with the title of the article, while short notes should use the name of the publication or website instead of the author.
With Chicago style newspaper citation, if a date of publication is not available, the date can be replaced with “Accessed” followed by the date the source was accessed.
The reference list should be sorted into alphabetical order, based on the authors’ last names.
