From news report to reference
AMA Newspaper Citation: Print and Online Examples
Match your reference to the newspaper version you read, with verified health news examples and a field comparison for print and online sources.
An AMA newspaper citation identifies the reporter, article title, newspaper, and publication date. A print reference adds the paper's section or page when available; an online reference adds your access date and the article URL. We checked the AMA Manual of Style's newspaper examples against university guides and an accessible newspaper report. Check which version you read before copying its details. A printed page, an archive scan, and a scrolling news webpage can carry different dates and headlines.
Choose the print or online version you used
Start with the copy that supports your sentence. For a physical newspaper, use its printed headline and issue date. For the publisher's webpage, use the byline, title, and publication date shown there. A report published online one evening may appear in the next morning's paper under a shorter headline.
A library scan can preserve the original printed page. Retain that page label when citing the scanned issue, and follow your course's instructions for documenting online archive access. A browser's Print button creates a separate layout. Its page count does not establish where the report appeared in the newspaper.
Keep the source type specific. A newspaper story about a clinical trial remains a news reference. If your sentence relies on the trial's findings, read and cite the research paper itself. An agency press release uses another reference structure, even when a newspaper links to it.
Find the date, edition, section, and page
Record the full publication date in month-day-year order. For a printed issue, check the masthead or archive record. Online, keep any separately labeled update date in your notes, especially when it changed the passage you used. Your access date records when you consulted the webpage.
Check whether your printed copy is a morning, late, regional, or other named edition. Editions can differ. Preserve the edition label in your notes and include it when your assignment requires it. The basic AMA news examples focus on the publication date and available section or page information.
Copy the printed locator exactly. C1 identifies section C, page 1. Keep the letter attached to the number rather than reducing it to page 1. A website category such as Health does not establish a printed section. For an unpaginated webpage, leave the page field empty.
The table compares the information to collect for each version. A field can stay blank when the source does not supply it.
| Field | Print issue or page scan | Publisher's news webpage |
|---|---|---|
| Author and title | Use the printed byline and headline. | Use the webpage's byline and title. |
| Publication date | Date of the newspaper issue. | Date the report was published online. |
| Edition | Record a named edition if shown. | Do not infer a print edition from website navigation. |
| Section and page | Keep the printed locator, such as C1. | Include only supplied pagination; otherwise omit. |
| Access date | Usually omitted for a physical copy. | Date you consulted the article. |
| URL | Usually omitted for a physical copy. | Direct article link or a stable archive link. |
Compare a print reference with an online reference
The AMA newspaper citation example below comes from section 3.13.1 of the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition. Its print record gives Lisa Schencker's headline, the Chicago Tribune issue date, and C1. That locator follows the date after a colon. The newspaper name is italicized and written in full.
For a checked online example, Jon Tevlin's Star Tribune report displays his byline and January 23, 2016 publication date. The accessible webpage supplies no printed page number. The manual adds Minneapolis to the newspaper name for clarity; the reference below follows that usage.
These examples use different reports. Keep C1 with the verified print record; the online report needs its own URL and access date. When you find both versions of one story, check their headlines and dates separately. Include a print locator in the online reference only if that version supplies it.
Print newspaper template
Author AA. Article title. Newspaper Name. Month Day, Year:Page locator.
Use the section and page as printed when available. Follow local instructions for a named edition.
Print health-news example from the AMA manual
Schencker L. Peanut allergy relief? Chicago Tribune. September 22, 2019:C1.
The manual supplies C1. This example is verified against its citation record, not a newly inspected newspaper issue.
Online newspaper AMA citation template
Author AA. Article title. Newspaper Name. Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
Add section or page information only when the version you consulted supplies it.
Checked online health-news example
Tevlin J. Minneapolis street doctor dispenses care with a dose of dignity. Minneapolis Star Tribune. January 23, 2016. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-street-doctor-dispenses-care-with-a-dose-of-dignity/366313741/
Replace the access date with your own. No paper page or edition has been inferred from this webpage.
Build and check a newspaper citation
To cite a newspaper article in AMA with the generator, choose Newspaper and enter the verified details manually. The form collects authors, article title, newspaper name, publication date, section, pages, access date, and URL. It has no separate edition field.
For Tevlin's online report, enter Jon Tevlin in the author fields, copy the title, and use January 23, 2016 as Publication date. Leave Section and Pages empty. Add the direct article URL and your actual access date, then compare the preview with the example above.
- Keep authors in their byline order and check the surname followed by initials in the preview.
- Use sentence case for the article title while retaining proper names. Keep a headline's final question mark without adding another period. Check the full newspaper name and its italics after export.
- For a print entry with C1, put C1 in Pages and leave Section empty to avoid repeating the section letter. Omit URL and Access date for a physical copy.
- For an online entry, check that the access date precedes the URL and that the URL opens the exact report.
- Copy or export the reference. Add a verified edition label manually if required, and compare the finished entry with your course or journal instructions.