How to Cite Articles Without Authors

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posted on 10 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Articles with listed authors typically are considered the most credible and reliable. However, you may occasionally want to use an article without an author as a source in your research paper. Even if the article doesn't have an author, you still have to create a citation for it just as you would any other source. Your format may vary depending on whether you use the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), or Chicago citation method.

Steps

MLA

Start your Works Cited entry with the title of the article. Since there is no author, skip that portion of your citation and go straight to the title. Enclose the title in double quotation marks. Type it in title case, capitalizing the first word and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and other words with 4 or more letters. Place a period at the end of the title, inside the closing quotation marks. Example: "Business: Global Warming's Boom Town; Tourism in Greenland."

Provide the title of the publication in italics. Type a space after the closing quotation marks, then add the title of the magazine or newspaper that published the article. If you found the article on a website, use the title of the website. Place a comma after the name of the publication. Example: "Business: Global Warming's Boom Town; Tourism in Greenland." The Economist,

List the publication date and pages for the article. Type the date in day-month-year format, followed by a comma and a space. If the source is non-paginated, type a period after the date. If the source is paginated, type the abbreviation "p." or "pp." followed by the page or page range where the article can be found. Example: "Business: Global Warming's Boom Town; Tourism in Greenland." The Economist, 26 May 2007, p. 82. Add a URL after the date if the article can be found online. If an online source isn't dated, simply leave that portion of the citation out and add the direct URL immediately after the name of the publication. If the source is not paginated, simply place a period after the publication date. There's no need to include an abbreviation or otherwise indicate that the source is not paginated. MLA Works Cited Format "Title in Title Case." Name of Publication, Day Month Year, p. xx.

Use a shortened version of the title for in-text citations. Any time you paraphrase or quote from the source, include a parenthetical at the end of the sentence, inside the closing punctuation. Since the first element in your Works Cited entry is the title, pick out a keyword or two and use that in your parenthetical. Put the shortened title in quotation marks. If the source is paginated, include the page number where the passage you paraphrased or quoted can be found. Example: Despite the costs of climate change to the country, tourism in parts of Greenland is booming ("Global Warming's Boom Town" 82).

APA

List the title of the article in sentence case. Since there is no author, the title of the article is the first element in your APA reference list. Use sentence case, capitalizing only the first word and any proper nouns in the title. Place a period at the end of the title. Example: How Globe and Mail reporters traced the rise of fentanyl.

Provide the date of publication. Type the date of publication in parentheses. List the year first, followed by the month and day if available. Place a comma after the year before adding a more specific date. Place a period after the closing parentheses. Example: How Globe and Mail reporters trace the rise of fentanyl. (2016, April 8).

Add the title of the publication where the article appears. After the date, type the title of the publication or website in italics. Use title case, capitalizing the first word and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and other words with more than 4 letters. Place a period after the title of the publication. Example: How Globe and Mail reporters traced the rise of fentanyl. (2016, April 8). Globe and Mail. For print publications include the volume and issue number (if applicable) after the title of the publication. The volume number is italicized, but the issue number is not. For example: Manna for Motown: Detroit's bankruptcy. (2013, October 5). The Economist, 49

Include a retrieval statement for online articles. Articles without authors are most common online. If you accessed the article on a website, type the words "Retrieved from" followed by a direct URL or permalink for the article. Do not place a period as closing punctuation at the end of the URL. Example: How Globe and Mail reporters traced the rise of fentanyl. (2016, April 8). Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/investigations/how-globe-and-mail-reporters-traced-the-rise-of-fentanyl/article29569921 APA Reference List Format Title in sentence case. (Year, Month Day). Name of Publication. Retrieved from URL.

Use a shortened version of the title for in-text citations. Type a shortened version of the title (typically the first 2 or 3 words) in quotation marks. Add a comma inside the closing quotation marks, then provide the year of publication. For direct quotes, type a comma after the year and provide the page number (or paragraph number for non-paginated sources). Place a period outside the closing parentheses. For example, you might write: "Illegal use of fentanyl has been linked to hundreds of deaths in Canada ("How Globe and Mail," 2016)." You can also cite the article using a signal phrase and include the entire title in the body of your paper. For example, you might write: In the article "How Globe and Mail Reporters Traced the Rise of Fentanyl" (2016) it was reported that "illicit fentanyl was linked to 272 deaths" (para. 1) in Alberta.

Chicago

Start your bibliography entry with the title of the article. Type the title of the article in title case, capitalizing the first word and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adverbs. Enclose the title of the article in double quotations. Place a period at the end of the title, inside the closing quotation marks. Example: "English Language Arts Standards."

Provide the publication, date, and page range. Type the name of the publication in italics, followed by a comma and a space. Then type the date in month-day-year format, including as specific a date as is available. Place a comma after the date, then type the page number or page range where the article appears. Place a period after the page number. If the source is non-paginated, place a period after the date of publication. Example: "English Language Arts Standards." Common Core Standards Initiative, 2017.

Copy the URL for online articles. If you found the article online, include a direct URL or permalink for the article at the end of your bibliography entry. Chicago style does not specifically require a date of access. However, include one if your instructor or supervisor wants it. Place a period at the end. Example: "English Language Arts Standards." Common Core Standards Initiative, 2017. http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/. Chicago Bibliography Format "Title in Title Case." Name of Publication, Month Day, Year. URL.

Adjust your formatting for in-text footnotes. Place a superscripted number at the end of any sentence where you paraphrase or quote the source. The footnote includes the same information as the bibliography entry. However, elements of the citation are separated with commas rather than periods. The only period in a Chicago-style footnote comes at the end. Example: "English Language Arts Standards," Common Core Standards Initiative, 2017, http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/.