How to Cite The Wall Street Journal in MLA 9 Format

How to cite articles from The Wall Street Journal in MLA 9 format

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What an MLA 9 citation for The Wall Street Journal looks like

In MLA 9, a The Wall Street Journal article is usually cited as a work found in a “container,” meaning the article appears inside a larger publication. The article is the short work, so it goes in quotation marks. The newspaper title is the container, so it is italicized.

A standard Works Cited entry for a Wall Street Journal article follows this pattern:

Author Last Name, First Name Middle. "Title of Article." The Wall Street Journal, Day Month Year, URL.

If you used the print version and have page information, MLA allows page numbers, but with newspapers that are read online, the URL and date are often the most useful details.

Core elements you need (and the order MLA expects)

1) Author (if there is one)

MLA starts with the author because Works Cited entries are alphabetized by the first element. This is why the first author’s name is inverted.

Required rules you gave, applied to The Wall Street Journal:
- Use full first names, not initials.
Example: use “Katherine Bindley,” not “K. Bindley.”
- Invert the first author only:
Bindley, Katherine.
- Two authors: invert the first author, then write the second author in normal order, with and.
Bindley, Katherine, and John Smith.
- Three or more authors: list only the first author (inverted), then add et al.
Bindley, Katherine, et al.
- No author: begin with the article title in quotation marks.

These rules matter because they create consistency. Consistency helps readers locate sources quickly, and it keeps your Works Cited list easy to scan and alphabetize.

2) Title of the article (in quotation marks)

Because a newspaper article is a short work within a larger publication, MLA places it in quotation marks.

Format:
- Capitalize major words (MLA title case).
- End the title with a period inside the quotation marks.

Example:
- "Markets Rally After Fed Announcement."

This rule matters because quotation marks signal that the item is part of a larger container, not a standalone book or website.

3) Newspaper name (italicized)

The newspaper title is the container, so it is italicized:

  • The Wall Street Journal,

This rule matters because italics show the larger source that hosts the article. It also helps readers immediately recognize the publication.

4) Publication date

For newspapers, MLA commonly uses:
- Day Month Year (no commas), for example, 5 Oct. 2024.

If the article only provides month and year, use those. If it provides only a year, use the year. Use what you can verify.

This rule matters because news changes quickly. Dates help readers understand the context and find the correct version of a story.

5) URL (for online articles)

For most Wall Street Journal articles accessed online, include the URL. MLA 9 does not require “https://” but it is acceptable to include it. Use a stable link when possible.

Example:
- www.wsj.com/articles/...

This rule matters because online newspaper content can be updated, moved, or paywalled. A URL gives your reader a direct path to the source.

Works Cited examples (with explanations)

Example 1, One author, online article

Works Cited entry:

Sindreu, Jon. "Why Inflation Is Cooling Faster Than Expected." The Wall Street Journal, 12 Dec. 2024, www.wsj.com/articles/why-inflation-is-cooling-faster-than-expected-123456789.

Why it is formatted this way:
- Sindreu, Jon is inverted because it is the first element and supports alphabetizing.
- The article title is in quotation marks because it is a short work.
- The Wall Street Journal is italicized as the container.
- The date uses Day Month Year.
- The URL is included because the article was read online.

Tip: If the page lists a middle name, include it, for example, “Sindreu, Jon Michael.” Your rule requires full first names, and including the middle name is acceptable when available.

Example 2, Two authors (follow your “and” rule)

Works Cited entry:

Grind, Kirsten, and Katherine Dougherty. "Banks Tighten Lending as Economic Risks Rise." The Wall Street Journal, 3 Mar. 2025, www.wsj.com/articles/banks-tighten-lending-as-economic-risks-rise-123456780.

Why it is formatted this way:
- The first author is inverted: Grind, Kirsten
- The second author is not inverted: and Katherine Dougherty
- MLA uses and between two authors, not an ampersand.
- The rest follows the same container pattern.

Common pitfall: Inverting both authors is a frequent mistake. Do not write “Dougherty, Katherine” as the second author in a two author entry.

Example 3, No author listed (start with the title)

Works Cited entry:

"Oil Prices Fall as Demand Forecast Shifts." The Wall Street Journal, 18 Sept. 2024, www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-fall-as-demand-forecast-shifts-123456781.

Why it is formatted this way:
- With no author, MLA begins with the title.
- The article title still uses quotation marks.
- The newspaper title stays italicized.
- The entry is alphabetized by the first meaningful word in the title. Ignore “A,” “An,” and “The” when alphabetizing, but do not delete them from the title itself if they appear.

Practical tip: If a corporate author is clearly credited (for example, “The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board”), you can treat that as the author. If there is truly no author shown, start with the title.

In-text citations for The Wall Street Journal

In MLA, in-text citations usually include the author’s last name and a page number. For online newspaper articles, page numbers are often unavailable, so you typically cite the author only.

Examples:
- One author: (Sindreu)
- Two authors: (Grind and Dougherty)
- No author: use a shortened title in quotation marks: ("Oil Prices Fall")

This matters because in-text citations must point clearly to the correct Works Cited entry.

Practical tips and common pitfalls (especially for WSJ)

Use the article page, not a search results page

Cite the specific article URL, not a Google result, newsletter link, or a generic topic page. Readers need a direct route to the source.

Do not italicize the article title

A common error is flipping the formatting. Remember:
- Article title: “in quotes”
- Newspaper title: italicized

Keep punctuation consistent

MLA uses commas and periods in specific places:
- Period after the author.
- Period inside the quotation marks after the article title.
- Commas after the newspaper title and date.

Watch for paywalls and access issues

A paywall does not change the citation format. Still cite the article normally. If your instructor requires an access date, MLA allows it, but it is not required for most stable sources. Follow your course guidelines.

Three or more authors, use your required “et al.” rule

If a Wall Street Journal article lists many reporters, follow your rule:
- First author inverted with full first name, then et al.
Example format:
- Last, First, et al. "Title." The Wall Street Journal, Day Month Year, URL.

Why these rules matter

MLA formatting is not just about appearance. It serves three practical goals:
1) Crediting authors clearly, using full first names supports clarity and respects identity.
2) Helping readers find sources, consistent order and punctuation make entries easy to scan.
3) Supporting verification, dates and URLs help readers locate the exact article you used, especially when news develops quickly.

If you want, share one Wall Street Journal link you are using, and I can format the exact MLA 9 Works Cited entry and matching in-text citation using your author name rules.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Common Errors for The Wall Street Journal Citations

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Before submitting your The Wall Street Journal citation, verify:

  • Author names MUST use full first names, not initials. In MLA 9, the emphasis is on full names to provide clarity and respect for the author's identity. The first author's name is inverted (Last, First Middle), while subsequent authors in two-author works use normal order (First Last).
  • First author name MUST be inverted (Last, First Middle). This applies to all source types and is the standard opening format for MLA citations. The inversion facilitates alphabetical ordering in the Works Cited list.
  • For TWO authors: use 'and' between names (second name NOT inverted). The word 'and' is preferred in MLA for its formality and readability.
  • For THREE OR MORE authors: use 'et al.' after first author only. Do not list additional authors before 'et al.' This simplifies lengthy author lists while maintaining proper attribution. The first author must still use full first name, not initials.
  • NO AUTHOR: Start with title (ignore 'A', 'An', 'The' for alphabetization). Do not use 'n.d.' or 'Anonymous'. The title becomes the first element and should maintain proper formatting (quotes for short works, italics for complete works).
  • ALL titles MUST use Title Case (capitalize all major words). This includes articles, books, websites, and all other sources. Title Case means capitalizing the first and last words, and all principal words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs). Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions, and prepositions are lowercase unless first or last word.
  • Shorter works use QUOTATION MARKS: Article titles, chapter titles, web page titles, poems, short stories, episodes. These are works that are part of a larger container. Quotation marks indicate the work is not standalone.
  • Complete works use ITALICS: Book titles, journal names, website names, films, TV series. These are standalone, self-contained works that serve as containers for shorter works. Italics indicate independence and completeness.
  • Do NOT use both italics AND quotation marks on same title. This is redundant and incorrect. Choose one based on whether the work is shorter (quotes) or complete (italics).
  • Date placement: AFTER publisher, BEFORE page numbers/URL. The date follows the publisher in the publication sequence.

Special Cases

Overview, what makes The Wall Street Journal tricky in MLA 9

Citing The Wall Street Journal in MLA 9 is usually straightforward, but several special cases come up often because the paper is published in multiple formats, updates stories after publication, republishes content across platforms, and sometimes uses corporate or staff bylines. Edge cases usually affect four parts of the citation: the author element, the title of the article, the container information (the newspaper and its platform), and the date and location information (print page numbers or online URLs).

Your rules about author names matter a lot for this publication because WSJ frequently uses middle initials, staff labels, or group bylines. Using full first names and inverting only the first author helps keep Works Cited entries consistent and easy to alphabetize. It also reduces confusion when multiple writers share a last name or when initials could refer to more than one person.

Choosing the right version, print vs. online vs. app

If you used the print newspaper, you generally cite the newspaper as the container and include the page number. The “location” is the page, such as A1 or B6. You do not include a URL for print.

Edge case: WSJ print page labels can include letters (A, B) and numbers. Keep them as printed, such as “A1” or “B3.” Do not convert them into plain numbers.

Online edition (WSJ.com)

If you used the article on WSJ.com, you cite the website version. You typically include the URL at the end. Page numbers are usually not available online, so you omit them.

Edge case: Paywalled content is still cited normally. MLA does not require you to note that it is paywalled. If your instructor wants an access date, MLA treats it as optional, but it can be helpful for paywalled or frequently updated pages.

Aggregators and databases (ProQuest, Gale, EBSCO)

If you accessed WSJ through a library database, you cite the database as a second container. The first container is The Wall Street Journal. The second container is the database name, plus any stable URL, DOI, or document ID the database provides.

Practical tip: If the database provides both a long tracking link and a stable link, use the stable link when possible.

Author edge cases for The Wall Street Journal

Two authors and three or more authors

Follow your rules exactly.

  • Two authors: first author inverted, second author normal order, use “and.”
  • Three or more authors: first author inverted, then “et al.”

Common pitfall: Listing all authors for a long WSJ byline. Under your rules, do not do that. Use “et al.” after the first author for three or more.

Middle initials and abbreviated names

WSJ bylines often appear as “John D. McKinnon” or even “J. D. McKinnon.” Under your rules, you must use full first names, not initials. That means you may need to consult the author bio page or another reliable source to expand initials. If you cannot verify the full first name, use what the source provides, but your stated rule expects full first names whenever possible.

Practical tip: Check the author’s WSJ profile page, which often spells out the full name.

Corporate or staff bylines (no personal author)

WSJ sometimes uses labels like “Wall Street Journal Staff,” “WSJ Staff,” or “By The Wall Street Journal.” Decide whether this is a true author. In MLA, a corporate author can be used when the organization is presented as the author. If there is no author at all, you start with the title.

Under your “NO AUTHOR” rule, if the article does not name a person, start with the title. Do not invent an author and do not use “Anonymous.”

Common pitfall: Treating “WSJ Staff” as a person. If it is clearly a staff label with no individual credited, it is safer to treat it as no author and begin with the title, unless your assignment specifically prefers corporate authors.

Title and section edge cases

Titles with quotation marks inside

Article titles sometimes include quotation marks or nicknames. In MLA, the article title is in quotation marks. If the title itself includes quotation marks, you keep them, but you may need single quotation marks inside double quotation marks depending on your style guide preference. Many writers keep the inner quotes as single quotes to avoid confusion.

Practical tip: If you are unsure, copy the title exactly as it appears, then adjust punctuation so it is readable and consistent.

Sections like “Markets,” “Opinion,” and “Heard on the Street”

WSJ sections can be useful, but they are not required in MLA citations. If a section is part of the page number in print, keep it as part of the location only if it appears that way. If a section is just navigation on the website, it usually does not belong in the citation.

Common pitfall: Adding “Opinion” as if it were the publisher or a container. It is usually just a section label.

Dates, updates, and time stamps

Updated articles

WSJ online articles are often updated, sometimes multiple times. MLA 9 allows you to cite the date that appears on the page. If both a publication date and an updated date are shown, prefer the date that corresponds to the version you used. Many students use the updated date if it is clearly labeled and later than the original.

Practical tip: If the page shows “Updated” with a date and time, and you relied on the updated content, use the updated date. If you need to clarify, you can add an access date at the end, especially when the content changes frequently.

Time zones and times of day

MLA citations usually do not require the time of day. If WSJ provides a timestamp, you can ignore it unless your instructor asks for it or the story changed significantly within a day.

URLs, tracking links, and “amp” pages

WSJ links sometimes include long tracking parameters. MLA prefers a clean, stable URL. Remove unnecessary tracking strings when possible, as long as the link still works.

Common pitfall: Using a URL copied from a share button that includes many parameters. Clean it up.

Example 1, online article with two authors (correct author formatting)

Works Cited entry (online):
McKinnon, John David, and Kate Holton. “Fed Signals Patience as Markets Reprice Rate Cuts.” The Wall Street Journal, 14 Dec. 2023, https://www.wsj.com/xxxxxxxx.

Why this is correct and what to notice
- Two authors: The first author is inverted, “McKinnon, John David,” and the second author is normal order, “Kate Holton,” joined by and.
- Full first names: “John David” is written out, not “J. D.”
- Article title in quotation marks: Because it is a short work within a larger container.
- Container in italics: The Wall Street Journal is the newspaper title.
- Date format: Day month year, MLA style.
- URL at the end: Appropriate for an online article.

Common pitfalls this avoids
- Writing “McKinnon, J. D.” instead of the full first name.
- Inverting the second author, which your rules prohibit for two-author works.

Example 2, three or more authors (use et al.)

Works Cited entry (online):
Norman, Laurence, et al. “Central Banks Confront a New Inflation Reality.” The Wall Street Journal, 3 May 2024, https://www.wsj.com/xxxxxxxx.

Why this is correct and what to notice
- Three or more authors: Only the first author is listed, inverted, then et al. No other authors are listed.
- Full first name: “Laurence” is spelled out.
- No extra clutter: MLA aims for a citation that points readers to the source efficiently.

Practical tip
- If the article page lists many contributors, do not try to squeeze them all into the citation. Under your rule, first author plus et al. is the correct approach.

Example 3, no author (start with the title), print edition with page number

Works Cited entry (print):
“Oil Prices Jump After Supply Concerns.” The Wall Street Journal, 9 Oct. 2023, p. A3.

Why this is correct and what to notice
- No author: The citation begins with the article title in quotation marks.
- Newspaper as container: The Wall Street Journal is italicized.
- Print location: The page is included as “p. A3.”
- Alphabetization note: In your Works Cited list, alphabetize by the title, ignoring “A,” “An,” and “The.” Here the title starts with “Oil,” so it files under O.

Common pitfalls this avoids
- Using “Anonymous” or “n.d.” which MLA does not require and your rules forbid.
- Adding a URL for a print article.

Why these rules matter (clarity, consistency, and retrievability)

These special-case rules matter because citations are not just formalities. They help readers quickly identify who created the work, what the work is called, where it was published, and how to find it again. With WSJ specifically, small differences like print vs. online, updated dates, and staff bylines can change what a reader sees when they follow your citation. Consistent author formatting also prevents confusion, especially when WSJ uses initials or abbreviated bylines.

Practical tips and common pitfalls checklist

  • Confirm the format you used: print, WSJ.com, or database. Cite that version.
  • Use full first names when possible: check author profile pages to expand initials.
  • Two authors: invert only the first author, use “and.”
  • Three or more authors: first author inverted, then “et al.” only.
  • No author: start with the title, do not invent an author.
  • Use the date shown on the version you read: consider adding an access date if the page is frequently updated.
  • Clean URLs: remove tracking parameters when possible.
  • Do not treat section labels as containers: “Opinion” and “Markets” usually do not belong in the citation.

If you tell me whether your guide should prioritize WSJ.com citations, print citations, or database citations, I can add a short template section for each, formatted to match your exact author rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a Wall Street Journal article in MLA 9 if I read it online?

In MLA 9, cite an online Wall Street Journal article like a web page on a news site. Start with the author’s name, then the article title in quotation marks. List the newspaper name in italics, the publication date, then the URL. Add an access date only if your instructor requires it or if the content is likely to change. Example structure: Lastname, Firstname. “Title of Article.” The Wall Street Journal, Day Month Year, URL. If you used a paywalled link, you can still cite the stable URL you used, or a database permalink if that is what you accessed. If there is no author, begin with the title. For MLA guidance on online news citations, see Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_electronic_sources.html

How do I cite a Wall Street Journal article from a database like ProQuest, Gale, or EBSCO in MLA 9?

If you found The Wall Street Journal through a library database, MLA 9 usually treats it as a newspaper article accessed through a database. Cite the author, article title, newspaper name in italics, publication date, then the database name in italics, followed by a stable URL, permalink, or DOI if available. Many databases provide a “permalink” or “stable URL,” which is better than the long browser address that may time out. If page numbers are provided (common for PDF scans), include them after the date, for example “pp. A1, A4.” If the database only gives an article number or no pages, omit pages. Example structure: Author. “Title.” The Wall Street Journal, Day Month Year, Database Name, URL. More on MLA database citations: https://style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/

What do I do if a Wall Street Journal article has no author, or it is credited to 'WSJ Staff'?

If no individual author is listed, MLA 9 lets you start the Works Cited entry with the article title in quotation marks. Do not invent an author. If the byline is a group, such as “WSJ Staff,” you may use that as the author exactly as shown. For corporate authors, keep the name as it appears in the source. Then include The Wall Street Journal in italics, the date, and the URL or database details. In your in-text citation, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks when there is no author, for example (“Markets React to Fed Move”). If the article is an editorial or unsigned piece, the same approach applies. This MLA overview on unknown authors is helpful: https://style.mla.org/works-cited-a-quick-guide/

How do I write an MLA in-text citation for a Wall Street Journal article, especially if there are no page numbers?

MLA in-text citations usually include the author’s last name and a page number, but many online Wall Street Journal articles do not have stable page numbers. In that case, cite the author’s last name only, for example (Smith). If there is no author, use a shortened title in quotation marks, for example (“Housing Starts Rise”). Do not use paragraph numbers unless your instructor asks, MLA does not require them for typical web articles. If you are quoting from a PDF version with page labels, use those pages, for example (Smith A3). For multiple articles by the same author, add a shortened title after the author, for example (Smith, “Tech Stocks”). For more on MLA in-text citations: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_in_text_citations_the_basics.html

How do I cite a specific section or print page from The Wall Street Journal in MLA 9?

When you use a print issue or a PDF scan that preserves print pagination, MLA 9 encourages you to include page numbers because they help readers locate the article. After the date, add the page range, such as “p. B6” or “pp. A1, A10.” If the newspaper uses section letters, include them as part of the page number. You do not need to list the city of publication for a well-known newspaper like The Wall Street Journal. A practical scenario is citing a front-page investigative piece you read in a library’s print archive. Your entry would look like: Author. “Title.” The Wall Street Journal, Day Month Year, pp. A1, A4. If you accessed the PDF in a database, you can include the database name and a permalink after the pages. More on MLA newspaper format: https://style.mla.org/citing-newspapers/

How do I cite The Wall Street Journal if I found the article through Apple News, Google News, or a shared link?

Start by identifying the original publication details for The Wall Street Journal article, then cite the version you actually used. If Apple News or Google News provides the same WSJ text but no stable WSJ URL, you can cite the aggregator as the container, while still naming The Wall Street Journal as the source. A practical approach is to cite the article title, author, The Wall Street Journal, date, then the app or site you used, plus the URL if available. If you later open the article on wsj.com, cite the wsj.com URL instead, since it is closer to the original publication. For in-text citations, use the author or shortened title as usual. When in doubt, prioritize a stable link and accurate publication date. MLA container guidance is explained here: https://style.mla.org/containers/

Last Updated: 2026-01-01
Reading Time: 10 minutes

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