How to Cite an Online Editorial in APA Style

Citing an online editorial should follow the same format as a newspaper article. Include the title, issue number and page numbers.

When there are multiple authors, list them in alphabetical order. After the last author name, insert a comma and an ampersand (&).

Title of the Editorial

The title of an editorial should include when and where it was published. In APA format, this information should be italicized; alternatively, it can be included within a Reference List entry.

For online newspaper articles, the publication date and time can be included as part of the in-text citation or parenthetical information. Additionally, include both the month and day of publication when applicable.

If the article was written by one individual, their name should be typed in italics (for first word and proper nouns) or sentence-case (second word and proper nouns). Groups of authors should include all last names followed by an ampersand.

Voluming a periodical is usually optional, but it can help readers locate the piece quickly. Make sure the volume number is italicized in your citation; otherwise, provide only issue numbers if each issue starts from page 1.

Citing chapters of edited books using APA style requires listing all editors as they appear on the title page and adding Ed. followed by a period within parentheses. If the book has italics, make sure to add italics to all chapter titles as well.

When referencing the name of a publisher, use an accessible form that is straightforward to comprehend. There is no need to type out the full name of the company, institution, or incorporated entity.

Citing information only available online should not be included in a citation. Likewise, papers published in electronic journals do not need this information included; however, APA recommends providing a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) if the journal lacks a stable URL.

For any online resource that cannot be reached via traditional URLs, provide the DOI if one has been assigned. DOIs are unique documents and serve to offer stable links; many academic journals provide DOIs on their websites; however, some do not. In some cases, a DOI may even be provided by the source itself as part of its publication process, such as on its cover or front matter.

Title of the Journal/Magazine

When citing an online newspaper article using APA style, include the title of the journal or magazine as well as its issue number and page numbers. Furthermore, APA suggests using the digital object identifier (DOI), when available, instead of just using URLs if a source changes its URL.

Periodicals are periodic magazines or journals that come out with regular installments. When citing such a source, include the title in italics as well as issue number and page numbers. You may also need to include publication date, headline and article.

When an article is co-authored by more than one author, use an “&” before their last name to distinguish them. Capitalize only the first word and proper nouns in the title of a periodical, but not key words like “opinion” or “analysis.” Italicize the issue number if each issue begins on a different page.

In APA style, you can cite an online-only newspaper by providing its URL, digital object identifier (DOI), or both. DOIs are unique to each document and provide a secure link to its content on a webpage. You can locate this DOI using either the search function on the publisher’s website or visiting the database’s scholarly library website.

Citations should be double-spaced, though you may want to omit the volume number and issue number from this citation for space efficiency. If an article is available online, include the title of the magazine or journal along with its date in the citation as well.

Print newspapers must be cited the same way a book would. Include the author’s last name, title of article and year of publication. Furthermore, if this same article has been reprinted elsewhere, provide that source’s page numbers and year of publication as well.

If an article is published by the same author and appears on multiple pages, include only those pages that are pertinent to your paper’s topic. After that, separate them with commas for referencing other pages.

Issue Number

According to APA style, references for periodicals – such as journals, magazines and newsletters – include the author’s name, publication year, article title, journal/magazine name, volume and issue numbers with page numbers inclusive, and date of publication. While it is recommended that both these numbers be included in a reference, some journals do not supply them.

Additionally, the citation should also include the URL or DOI (Digital Object Identifier), if available, which is an alphanumeric code that can be used to locate and link to a document online. Many journals provide stable URLs that function like DOIs instead of traditional URLs which may change as documents are accessed.

Journals must adhere to the guidelines outlined in the seventh edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association when paginating issues. If your journal is paginated by issue and begins each one with page 1, include both volume and issue numbers; otherwise, only include volume number without mentioning issue number.

Citing a book in APA style requires you to include the full name of the author, year of publication, and edition statement. Furthermore, if there are multiple editions of a book, give the full edition number followed by its shortened title in italics.

Citing articles published in newspapers requires the basic information about the author, date of publication, article title and newspaper name. If your paper is printed or online only, be sure to include page range or URL information for reference.

The APA style website provides templates and examples for all sources you can use in an APA paper, according to the most up-to-date version of the APA Publication Manual released October 2019.

When citing an online editorial, you must follow all the same procedures as for an article published in a journal or magazine; however, you should include either the URL or DOI (if available) and date of publication instead of page numbers. Unfortunately, many sources don’t provide page numbers so it is easier to include a URL or DOI as part of your reference than searching for a page number manually.

Page Numbers

Page numbers are essential in academic writing, and APA style requires them when you quote directly from an author or paraphrase their ideas. However, they aren’t necessary when citing an entire work like a book or journal article; instead use an alternative locator such as a timestamp, chapter heading or paragraph number.

Page numbering in APA format begins at the top right corner of your paper and continues down each page until it reaches the end. Improper numbering can lead to errors, especially if writing a lengthy paper.

When citing an online article, creating an in-text citation is recommended. This should include the title of the article, date it was published and URL for further reference.

Depending on the source, you may need to include either DOIs or database information in your citation. For instance, if citing a source from EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete, no DOI or database info needs to be included.

Citing an online editorial is simple if you adhere to APA guidelines. First, determine whether the article is from a newspaper or news site. For newspapers, include both author and year as well as page number; on news sites however, don’t include author nor year but do include URL.

Next, type the running head in all-capital letters. Align it to the left margin of the page header, across from the page number.

When citing online articles, make sure to include both the URL and retrieval date if the article comes from a website that updates regularly. On free websites or wikis however, you may omit this step.

When citing online articles, it’s wise to include either the DOI or database information so you can locate the resource quickly in the future. For instance, if an article from an academic research database was cited, using its DOI or database information will enable you to locate that same article again in the future.