New York Times APA Citation Guide: Perfect Formatting Every Time

APA style provides clear rules for citing The New York Times in academic and professional writing. These guidelines help readers locate sources quickly and give credit to journalists and editors.

Use this guide to format newspaper citations, in‑text references, and reference list entries correctly for papers, reports, and research projects.

APA Citation Basics for Print and Online Newspapers

APA follows a standard structure for newspaper citations that includes the author, date, title, newspaper name, and URL when available.

For The New York Times, capitalize the official title in italics and use the format YYYY, Month DD for the publication date to align with APA style.

Author and Publication Date in Text Citations

Narrative and Parenthetical Citations

When you name the author in a sentence, include the year in parentheses right after the name. For parenthetical citations, place the author and year inside parentheses before the period.

Reference List Entry for a Full Article

List the author last name, first initial. (Year, Month DD). Title of article. Name of Newspaper in italics, URL. Use sentence case for the article title and capitalize the newspaper name.

Specific Article Types and Editorial Content

Letters to the Editor and Op‑Eds

For letters and editorials, include the author or submitter, year, month, and title. Label the type of contribution in square brackets and provide the newspaper name and URL.

Images, Multimedia, and Data Features

For photo essays, interactive features, or data visualizations, cite the creator or organization as author, include the year and title, note the format in square brackets], and list the URL under the newspaper name.

In‑Text Citation Rules and Examples

In narrative citations, integrate the author name and year naturally into your sentence. For parenthetical citations, place a comma between the author and year inside the parentheses.

Use page numbers only when quoting directly or when your instructor requests them, since online articles often use paragraph numbers or section identifiers instead.

Key APA Citation Takeaways for The New York Times

• Author, year, article title, newspaper name, and URL form the core elements.
• Use italics for the newspaper name and sentence case for the article title.
• Label special formats such as editorials, letters, and multimedia features clearly.
• Include page numbers only for direct quotes when they are available or requested.
• Verify the author and publication date to ensure accuracy in your reference list.