What is a newspaper?

A newspaper is published daily or weekly (periodically) in print and online and contains:

• Breaking news
• Investigative reports
• Photographs
• Videos

It may also contain:

How do I know it's a newspaper?

Is this word in the periodical title?

Does the title sometimes include a place?

• The Times of India
• Guangzhou Daily
• St. Petersburg Times
• Copenhagen Post

How does a newspaper article differ from a magazine?

• Headline has a compressed main idea written in a subject-verb-object format with a present-tense, active verb
• Neutral tone
• Focuses on daily reporting rather than weekly or monthly summary and analysis
• Online articles contain time stamp
• Story is written as an inverted pyramid with essential facts (who, what, where, when and why) in the lead sentences

What if I'm not sure it's a newspaper?

Search the publication's name

• Does the Google search snippet describe it as a newspaper?
• Is it listed in a newspaper directory?
• IPL2 Newspapers

Does the database include newspapers?

Did I limit my search to newspapers?

Tip: Search on popular (not scholarly) keywords:

• frog fungus not Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
• slow heart rate not bradycardia

What clues to a newspaper are in a database citation?

• Unsigned
• Catchy article title
• Newspaper name
• Month, day and year
• Database exclusively for newspapers

How do I evaluate a reporter's authority?

A journalist may be unnamed or have minimal credentials:

• Member of the editorial staff
• Free-lance journalist
• Citizen journalist

Click on the author's byline or search on the name to identify expertise like:

• A reporting specialization
• A long-form publication (e.g., a book or report) on the subject
• First-hand knowledge of people and events
• Prior relevant work experience

How do I fact-check an article?

Follow the trail of evidence to see who the writer links to, quotes or references:

• Has the journalist represented the original source accurately?
• Is data presented fully or "cherry picked" to suppress contradictory evidence?
• Are the journalist's sources credible and relevant? (Tip: If the sources are unnamed, e-mail the reporter.)
• How strong is the evidence? If there is a study or poll, is the sample size large enough to represent the population accurately?

Corroborate: Compare information from different media (e.g., magazines, reports, journals, blogs) to gather diverse viewpoints.

How do I evaluate the article's credibility?

• Does the article describe an issue in neutral language?
• Are multiple views fully and fairly represented?
• Do the conclusions follow logically from the analysis?

How does this source fit?

• Does it add another dimension to the topic?
• Does this make sense, given what I already know?

How do I cite a newspaper article?

Gather elements for your citation from the online or print newspaper.

• Author(s)
• Title
• Section
• Pages
• Newspaper name
• City of publication
• Month, day, year of publication
• Edition