Determine the author of the newspaper article. Usually, an article will list the name of the person who wrote the piece. In both APA and MLA styles, the author's name appears first in the citation. The last name is listed first. For example, "Smith, John." will be the start of your citation. When there is more than one author of a newspaper article, list them. For example: "Smith, John; Doe, Jane." If you cannot find an author of the piece, continue to Step 2.
Note the title of the newspaper article. The second part of the citation lists the name of the article--for example, "NBA Sports Highlights." Both citation styles list the article title second. However, MLA style adds quotations to the newspaper article, while the APA citation style does not.
View the date of the newspaper article. The date of the article should be included. However, the MLA style adds the date to the citation close to the end of the full citation, while the APA style inserts the date before the title of the article.
List the name of the newspaper. Both MLA and APA styles add the name of the newspaper after the title of the article. The MLA style underlines the title of the newspaper, while the APA does not.
Cite the number of the page on which the article is located. This is the final step in creating a newspaper article citation. The APA style lists the page as follows: "pp. C2.". The MLA style is slightly different, omitting "pp." and just adding "C2."
Review your newspaper article citation after you have written it.
The APA citation should have this format: Smith, John. (2008, October 31). NBA Sports Highlights. USA Today, pp. C2.
The MLA style will be similar to this: Smith, John. "NBA Sports Highlights." USA Today(underlined) 31 October 2008: C2.