How do I cite an article I found in a database?

Include the same information as a regular journal article. For online access, add the DOI or a stable URL. In MLA, you may also include the database name.

Should I include the article’s full date?

Yes, for magazines, newspapers, and blogs. For scholarly journal articles, the year is usually enough unless your style guide says otherwise.

How to Cite an Article | APA, MLA, Harvard & Chicago Examples

Q: What if an article has no author?

Use the article title in place of the author’s name. In in-text citations, use a shortened version of the title. Styles like MLA and APA allow this substitution.

Types of Articles You Might Need to Cite

Articles can appear in many formats, and each type has slightly different citation requirements. Before you begin, identify what kind of article you're working with:

Academic journal articles – peer-reviewed, scholarly content usually with volume, issue, and DOI information.
Magazine articles – published in weekly or monthly periodicals, often with bylines and specific publication dates.
Newspaper articles – typically dated daily or weekly, often lacking volume/issue data.
Online-only articles – web-based content that might not appear in print (e.g. blog posts, digital editorials).
Articles within another source – a reprinted or quoted article found in a book, anthology, or database.

Once you've identified the type, you can choose the correct citation structure for your referencing style.

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How to Cite a Journal Article in APA Style (7th Edition)

APA style uses the author–date system. Journal article citations should include the volume, issue, page range, and a DOI if available.

📌 Format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal , Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxx

📖 Example (Print or Online with DOI):

In-text citation: (Lee & Martinez, 2021)
Reference list:
Lee, A., & Martinez, R. (2021). Mapping empathy in digital learning environments. Journal of Educational Psychology , 42(3), 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1234/jep.2021.035

📄 Example (No DOI):

Reference list:
Turner, M. (2020). The history of science communication. Science and Society , 15(1), 12–20.

Use sentence case for article titles and title case/italics for journal names. If there’s no DOI, omit the link unless the article was retrieved from an open-access source.

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How to Cite an Article in MLA Style (9th Edition)

MLA uses author–page in-text citations and includes full details in the Works Cited entry. Include volume, issue, publication date, and a stable URL or database name for online sources.

📌 Format (Journal Article):

Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal , vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. xx–xx. DOI or URL.

📖 Example (Online Journal Article):

In-text citation: (Lee and Martinez 215)
Works Cited:
Lee, Anna, and Rafael Martinez. “Mapping Empathy in Digital Learning Environments.” Journal of Educational Psychology , vol. 42, no. 3, 2021, pp. 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1234/jep.2021.035.

📰 Example (Magazine Article):

In-text citation: (Walker)
Works Cited:
Walker, Megan. “The Future of Online Learning.” EdTech Monthly , Apr. 2023, pp. 14–17.

Use title case and quotation marks for article titles. Italicise the journal or magazine name. If the article is from a database, you may include the name of the database instead of a direct URL.

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How to Cite an Article in Harvard Style

Harvard referencing requires the author's surname and year in-text, with full details in the reference list. Journal articles typically include the volume, issue, and page range. For online sources, add the URL and access date.

📌 Format (Journal Article):

Author(s) (Year) ‘Title of article’, Title of Journal , volume(issue), pp. xx–xx. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

📖 Example (Print or Online with Access Date):

In-text citation: (Lee and Martinez, 2021)
Reference list:
Lee, A. and Martinez, R. (2021) ‘Mapping empathy in digital learning environments’, Journal of Educational Psychology , 42(3), pp. 212–228. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1234/jep.2021.035 (Accessed: 24 May 2025).

📰 Example (Newspaper Article from Website):

In-text citation: (The Guardian, 2023)
Reference list:
The Guardian (2023) ‘Teachers call for more digital tools in schools’, The Guardian , 15 May. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/digital-tools-education (Accessed: 24 May 2025).

Use sentence case for article titles and italicise the name of the journal or publication. Always include the access date for online articles.

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How to Cite an Article in Chicago Style

Chicago style offers two systems: Notes and Bibliography (used in humanities) and Author–Date (used in sciences). Both require the article title in quotation marks and the journal name in italics.

📘 Notes and Bibliography

Footnote format:
1. Author First Last, “Title of Article,” Journal Name volume, no. issue (Year): page range, DOI or URL.

Example Footnote:
1. Anna Lee and Rafael Martinez, “Mapping Empathy in Digital Learning Environments,” Journal of Educational Psychology 42, no. 3 (2021): 212–228, https://doi.org/10.1234/jep.2021.035.

Bibliography entry:
Lee, Anna, and Rafael Martinez. “Mapping Empathy in Digital Learning Environments.” Journal of Educational Psychology 42, no. 3 (2021): 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1234/jep.2021.035.

📗 Author–Date System

In-text citation: (Lee and Martinez 2021, 214)

Reference list:
Lee, Anna, and Rafael Martinez. 2021. “Mapping Empathy in Digital Learning Environments.” Journal of Educational Psychology 42 (3): 212–228. https://doi.org/10.1234/jep.2021.035.

Use quotation marks for article titles and italics for journal names. Include volume, issue, page range, and a DOI or URL for online articles.

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Citing Articles in Magazines, Newspapers, and Blogs

These sources are less formal than peer-reviewed journals and often lack volume/issue numbers. Focus on the author, publication date, article title, publication name, and URL (if online).

📰 APA Example (Online Newspaper):

In-text citation: (Walker, 2023)
Reference list:
Walker, M. (2023, May 14). The future of digital classrooms . The Guardian . https://www.theguardian.com/digital-classrooms

🗞️ MLA Example (Magazine Article):

In-text citation: (Nguyen)
Works Cited:
Nguyen, Lisa. “Virtual Learning: Pros and Pitfalls.” EdTech Monthly , Apr. 2023, pp. 18–21.

📓 Harvard Example (Blog Post):

In-text citation: (Smith, 2022)
Reference list:
Smith, J. (2022) ‘5 tips for surviving exam season’, Student Blog , 4 May. Available at: https://studentblog.com/exam-survival (Accessed: 24 May 2025).

✏️ Chicago Example (Blog):

Footnote: 1. Jamie Reynolds, “Why EdTech Is Failing Rural Schools,” EdTech Blog , March 9, 2023, https://edtech.blog/rural-schools.
Bibliography:
Reynolds, Jamie. “Why EdTech Is Failing Rural Schools.” EdTech Blog . March 9, 2023. https://edtech.blog/rural-schools.

If a magazine or blog article doesn’t include page numbers, that’s fine—omit them. Be sure to verify the date and author when citing less formal sources.

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FAQs About Citing Articles

Use the article title in place of the author’s name. For in-text citations, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks or italics depending on the style.

Most citation styles treat database articles like any other journal article. Include the DOI or stable URL if possible. In MLA, you may include the database name (e.g., JSTOR) if no DOI is available.

For journal articles, include the year only. For newspapers, magazines, and blogs, include the full date (day, month, year) as it appears in the article.