How you cite an article depends on where it appeared. A journal article, a newspaper story and a blog post each need different details. Work out which kind you have below, then follow its guide.

Which kind of article is it?

• It is from an academic journal, with a volume number, and often an issue number and a DOI: Journal Article.
• It is from a newspaper, such as The Guardian, in print or on the paper’s own website: Newspaper Article.
• It is from a magazine, such as Scientific American or The New Yorker, often dated by month or week: Magazine Article.
• It is a post on a blog, such as a researcher’s or a company’s blog: Blog Post.
• It is an entry in an encyclopedia, in print or online, such as Britannica or Wikipedia: Encyclopedia Entry.
• It is a research paper outside a journal: Preprint if posted to a server such as arXiv, Conference Paper if published in a conference’s proceedings.
• It reviews another work, wherever it appeared: Book Review for a book, Review for a film, TV show, album or product.
• It is a page on a website, and none of the kinds above fits it: Website.

Three APA Rules Worth Knowing

• In APA, an article you read online is the same kind of source as one in print, just as an ebook is a book.
• In APA, a story from BBC News or another news site with no newspaper behind it is cited as a web page.
• In APA, give a journal article’s DOI when it has one, even if you read it in print, and leave out the URL.