How to Cite Articles
- Article in a Book
- Article in a Journal
- Article in a Magazine
- Article in a Newspaper
- Article or Book with Two or Three Authors
- Article or Book with Four or More Authors
- Multiple Sources by the Same Author
Article in a Book
MLA:
Bialostosky, Don H. “Liberal Education, Writing, and the Dialogic Self.” Contending with Words: Composition and Rhetoric in a Postmodern Age. Eds. Patricia Harkin and John Schilb. New York: MLA, 1991. 11-22. Print.
[author of article, by last name.] [“title of article.”] [title of book.] [“Eds.” book editor(s) by first name.] [city of publication: publisher, year.] [full page numbers for article.] [medium.]
APA:
Bialostosky, D. H. (1991). Liberal education, writing, and the dialogic self. In P. Harkin & J. Schilb (Eds.), Contending with words: composition and rhetoric in a postmodern age (pp. 11-22). New York, NY: MLA.
[author last name, initial.] [(year).] [title of article, no quotation marks.] [In editor(s) of book (“Eds.”),] [title of book] [(“pp.” full page numbers for article).] [city of publication, state using the two letter postal abbrievation without periods: publisher.]
Chicago:
7. Bialostosky, “Liberal Education,” 17.
[fn. #.] [author last name, “shortened title,” page quoted.]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
Note: In the Bibliography, Chicago style adds “In” before the book’s title.
As discussed in Books vs. Articles, an anthology is a collection of articles by different authors; most anthologies list on the title page the name of an editor who selected the articles (some anthologies have multiple editors). If your essay uses material from one of the articles, you should list the information by the author of the article. The title and editor of the anthology come later.
Multiple Articles from a Collection
Note: If you cite more than one article from the same collection, you should list the collection itself as a separate item. For each article, list by the article’s author and title, then give the editor’s name and the first and last page number of the article. Extending the example above, if you were citing two different articles from Contending with Words, you would give the information as follows in your Works Cited. (Example below in MLA style; adjust as needed for other styles.)
Bialostosky, Don H. “Liberal Education, Writing, and the Dialogic Self.” Harkin and Schilb 11-22. Print.
[article author.] [“article title.”] [last name of editor(s) and full page numbers for article.] [medium.]
Clifford, John. “The Subject in Discourse.” Harkin and Schilb 38-51. Print.
[article author.] [“article title.”] [last name of editor(s) and full page numbers for article.] [medium.]
Harkin, Patricia and John Schilb, ed. Contending with Words: Composition and Rhetoric in a Postmodern Age. New York: MLA, 1991. Print.
[editor(s), “eds.”] [collection title.] [city of publication: publisher, year.] [medium.]
Article in a Journal
MLA:
Masri, Heather A. “Carnival Laughter in The Pardoner’s Tale.” Medieval Perspectives X (1995): 148-156. Print.
[author of article, by last name.] [“title of article.”] [title of journal.] [volume number] [(year):] [full page numbers for article.] [medium.]
APA:
Masri, H. A. (1995). Carnival laughter in the pardoner’s tale. Medieval Perspectives X, 148-156.
[author, by last name, initial.] [(year).] [title of article, no quotation marks.] [title of journal] [volume number,] [full page numbers for article.]
Chicago:
8. Masri, “Carnival Laughter,” 151.
[fn. #.] [author last name, “shortened title,” page quoted.]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
Articles can appear in many sources, including books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and websites. Knowing which type you’re using matters both for how you cite the information and for how you use the source to develop your argument.
In the context of research writing, the word “journal” indicates a publication that comes out on a regular schedule (often monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually) with a common publisher or editorial board. Magazines come out on similar schedules, but differ in several key ways from journals. One way to distinguish a journal from a magazine is that journals don’t usually accept color or photographic advertisements.
Many journals are supervised by experts in a given field; some are published by universities or other non-profit organizations that specialize in the topic under discussion. When developing your research, you need to know whether you’re using a scholarly journal or a popular magazine because these two kinds of sources convey very different levels of expertise, depending on the topic. See the discussion of Scholarly vs. Popular Sources for more information. When compiling a Works Cited of list of References, the distinction between journals and magazines matters because there are different conventions for how each should be listed.
The listing for an article in a journal begins with the name of the article’s author and the title of the article. (In APA style, the publication year appears between the author and title.) These are followed by the title of the journal and the volume number. (Most journals keep a running count of their previous publications.) The final two pieces of information are the publication year in parentheses (for MLA & Chicago), and the inclusive page numbers of the article.
Note: Many scholarly journals publish more than one issue per year. By convention, these journals often assign what’s called a “Volume” number to all the issues in a given year: Science Fiction Studies, for instance, published four issues in 2005, but refers to these issues, as a group, as Volume 37. You always include the volume number when listing an article from a scholarly journal; note in the example above that the article comes from Medieval Studies Volume X. But whether or not you also include the “Issue” number depends on how the journal numbers its pages. Some scholarly journals number the first page of every issue with a “1.” This system is referred to as pagination by issue. In other journals, the first issue of the year starts with page “1,” but then the numbers on the second issue pick up where the first issue left off. (So if the last page of issue 1 is “253,” the first page of issue 2 is numbered “254.” This continues with every issue that year, starting again with page “1” in the first issue of the next year.) This system is referred to as continuous pagination. For journals with pagination by issue, you must include both the Volume number and the Issue number in your listing; for journals with continuous pagination, you only need to include the Volume number.
Article in a Magazine
MLA:
Considine, J. D. “Radical Shriek.” Guitar World Dec. 1999: 62+. Print.
[author of article, by last name.] [“article title.”] [magazine title] [issue date:] [first page number “+”.] [medium.]
APA:
Considine, J. D. (1999, December). Radical shriek. Guitar World, 62-68, 210-214.
[author, by last name, initial.] [(issue date).] [article title, no quotation marks] [magazine title,] [full page numbers for article.]
Chicago:
9. Considine, “Radical Shriek,” 212.
[fn. #.] [author last name, “title,” page quoted.]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
Articles can appear in many sources, including books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and websites. Knowing which type you’re using matters both for how you cite the information and for how you use the source to develop your argument.
In the context of research writing, the word “magazine” indicates a publication that comes out on a regular schedule (usually weekly or monthly, but sometimes quarterly) with a common publisher or editorial board. Journals come out on similar schedules, but differ in several key ways from magazines. One way to distinguish a magazine from a journal is that most magazines accept color advertisements and are printed on glossy paper.
When developing your research, you need to know whether you’re using a scholarly journal or a popular magazine because these two kinds of sources convey different levels of expertise, depending on the topic. See the discussion of Scholarly vs. Popular Sources for more information. When compiling a Works Cited or list of References, the distinction between journals and magazines matters because there are different conventions for how each should be listed.
The listing for an article in a magazine begins with the name of the article’s author and the title of the article. (In APA style, the publication year appears between the author and title.) These are followed by the title of the magazine. Give next the date of publication (exact date if it’s monthly or biweekly; month and year if it’s monthly) and the page numbers, if they run consecutively. If the article skips pages and is continued later in the magazine, MLA style calls for just the first page number and a plus sign; APA style requires listing all the page numbers.
Article in a Newspaper
MLA:
Sullivan, Ronald. “Jury Quickly Acquits Man Charged in Brush with Officer.” New York Times 27 Apr. 1991: A28. Print.
[author of article, by last name.] [“article title.”] [newspaper title] [date:] [page number.] [medium.]
APA:
Sullivan, R. (1991, April 27). Jury quickly acquits man charged in brush with officer. New York Times, p. A28.
[author, by last name, initial.] [(date in parentheses).] [article title, no quotation marks.] [newspaper title,] [“p.” page number.]
Chicago:
10. Sullivan, “Jury Quickly Acquits,” A28.
[fn. #.] [author last name, “shortened title,” page quoted.]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
In the context of research writing, the word “newspaper” indicates a publication that comes out on a regular schedule (usually daily or weekly) with a common publisher or editorial board. One way to distinguish a newspaper from a magazine or a journal is that most newspapers are printed on newsprint, a rougher and less stiff kind of paper than that used for magazines.
In popular understanding, newspapers convey an impression of reliability. When compared to glossy magazines, many of which carry celebrity photographs on their covers, newspapers seem more serious and factual. But the fairness and reliability of publications produced on newsprint varies considerably. These differences don’t affect how you compile a Works Cited or list of References, but they make a big difference in how you use the sources when developing your argument. See the discussion of Scholarly vs. Popular Sources for more information.
The listing for an article in a newspaper begins with the name of the article’s author and the title of the article. (In APA style, the publication year appears between the author and title.) These are followed by the title of the newspaper. In MLA style, the date of publication comes next. Then come the page numbers, if they run consecutively. If the article skips pages and is continued later in the magazine, MLA style calls for just the first page number and a plus sign; APA style requires listing all the page numbers.
Some papers publish more than one edition each day, adding changes for late news and sports scores; in that case, list the edition after the date (first, early, late, etc.). Also note whether the paper is divided into sections, in which case you should include the section in front of the page numbers. In the example above, the article began on page 28 of section A.
Note: Some stories in magazines and newspapers are printed without identifying an author. In that case, list by the title of the article, and make sure to include 1-2 key words from the title in your essay so that readers can find the bibliographical information they need to retrieve your source.
Article or Book with Two or Three Authors
MLA:
Faulkner, Wendy, and Erik Arnold. Smothered by Invention. London: Pluto, 1985. Print.
[first author by last name, second author by first name, linked by “and”.] [city of publication: publisher, year. medium.]
APA:
Faulkner, W., & Arnold, E. (1985). Smothered by invention. London, England: Pluto.
[both authors by last name, initial, linked by ampersand.] [(year).] [title.] [city of publication, country: publisher.]
Note: APA style lists the city and state (using the two letter postal abbreviation without periods) for U.S. publishers and the city and full country name for publishers outside the United States.
Chicago:
11. Faulkner and Arnold, Smothered by Invention, 41.
[fn. #.] [authors’ last names, shortened title, page quoted.]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
List the authors’ names in the order they appear on the book’s title page, not in alphabetical order. (After the authors’ names, follow the other instructions on this website for the type of book or article you’re citing.)
Note: MLA style lists the second author by first name, and employs the full word “and” instead of the ampersand (&) used in APA style. Chicago style uses last names only for the footnote, with “and,” and follows MLA instructions for the Bibliography. See More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.
Also note: When there are four or more authors, MLA style uses a different format to list them. (See Article or Book with Four or More Authors.)
Article or Book with Four or More Authors
MLA:
Belenky, Mary, et al. Women’s Ways of Knowing. New York: Basic, 1986. Print.
[first author by last name, “et al.”] [title.] [city of publication: publisher, year. medium.]
APA:
Belenky, M., Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N., & Tarule, J. (1986). Women’s ways of knowing. New York, NY: Basic.
[all authors by last name, initial.] [(year).] [title.] [city of publication, state using the two letter postal abbreviation without periods: publisher.]
Chicago:
12. Belenky et al., Women’s Ways of Knowing, 202.
[fn. #.] [first author last name “et al.”, shortenedtitle, page quoted.]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
When a book or article has four or more authors, MLA style includes only the name of the first author listed on the title page, followed by “et al.” (which means “and others”). After the authors’ names, follow the other instructions on this site for the type of book or article you’re citing.
Note: APA style does not abbreviate the list of authors in the References unless there are seven or more.
Also note: Chicago style abbreviates the list of authors in the footnote but gives all author names in the Bibliography unless there are ten or more.
In the example above, Women’s Ways of Knowing was written by Mary Belenky, Blythe Clinchy, Nancy Goldberger, and Jill Tarule, but the listing in an MLA Works Cited gives only Belenky.
Multiple Sources by the Same Author
MLA:
Bartholomae, David. “Inventing the University.” When a Writer Can’t Write: Research on Writer’s Block and other Writing Problems. Ed. Mike Rose. New York: Guilford, 1986. 134-166. Print.
[author by last name.]
—. “Writing With Teachers: A Conversation with Peter Elbow.” College Composition and Communication 46.1 (1995): 62-71.
[three hypens to replace author’s name.]
APA:
Bartholomae, D. (1986). Inventing the university. In M. Rose (Ed.), When a writer can’t write: Research on writer’s block and other writing problems (pp. 134-166). New York, NY: Guilford.
[author by last name, initial.]
Bartholomae, D. (1995). “Writing with teachers: A conversation with Peter Elbow.” College composition and communication 46 (1), 62-71.
[author’s last name, initial. List the items by date, starting with the earliest.]
Chicago:
13. Bartholomae, “Inventing the University,” 145.
[fn. #.] [author last name, “shortened title,” page quoted.]
14. Bartholomae, “Writing With Teachers,” 68.
[fn. #.] [author last name, “shortened title,” page quoted.]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
If you cite two works by the same author, MLA style asks that you list them in alphabetical order by the title, and include the author’s name only for the first source. For the other sources, include three hyphens (as above) to indicate that the work is by the same author. (After the authors’ names, follow the instructions on this site for the type of book or article you’re citing.)
In APA style, you list all books in the same format, but you order them in chronological order, starting with the earliest. (In cases where an author has two or more texts published in the same year, add a letter after the year to distinguish between them. For instance, if you used two Bartholomae texts from the same year, you’d refer to them as (1986a) and (1986b).
In Chicago style, footnotes to two works by the same author use the standard format. In the Bibliography, follow MLA guidelines. See More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.
Note: If you cite one source with Bartholomae as the sole author, and one for which he has a co-author, you write out both authors’ names in the second listing. (Example below in MLA style; adjust as needed for other styles.)
Bartholomae, David. “Inventing the University.” When a Writer Can’t Write: Research on Writer’s Block and other Writing Problems. Ed. Mike Rose. New York: Guilford, 1986. 134-166. Print.
[single author’s name.]
Bartholomae, David and Anthony Petrosky, eds. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford, 1993. Print.
[both authors’ names.]
