When Blog Posts and Newsletters Appear as Sources
Malaysian postgraduate researchers in communication, media studies, public policy, and digital sociology sometimes need to cite blog posts and newsletter articles as sources — particularly when these represent the primary or most current record of a policy position, a public statement, or a professional perspective. Institutional blogs from universities, government agencies, research organisations, and professional bodies can contain relevant and citable content. Knowing how to cite blog posts and newsletter articles in APA correctly ensures these sources are attributed accurately when they are genuinely appropriate for your thesis.
The key question before citing any blog post or newsletter is whether this source is the right type of evidence for the claim it is supporting. Blog posts from credible institutions are appropriate for documenting an organisation’s position, sharing an expert’s public commentary, or illustrating public discourse on a topic. They are rarely appropriate as primary evidence for factual claims that should be supported by peer-reviewed research. Use blog posts and newsletters purposefully — as sources for what they uniquely document — rather than as substitutes for the academic literature they often reference.
The APA 7th Format for Blog Posts
For a blog post from an individual author on an identifiable blog, the APA 7th format is: Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of blog post. Blog Name. URL
Example: Ahmad, N. F. (2024, August 14). Why Malaysian postgraduate students need better writing support. The Malaysian Educator. https://www.malaysianedublog.my/postgraduate-writing-support
For a blog post from an organisation with no individual author listed: Organisation Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of blog post. Organisation Name Blog. URL. Note that when the author and the blog host are the same organisation, the organisation name is not repeated in the source position — it appears only as author, and the blog title serves as the source: MOHE. (2024, March 5). New postgraduate scholarship guidelines released. Ministry of Higher Education Official Blog. https://www.mohe.gov.my/blog/…
In-text citations follow standard APA author-date format: (Ahmad, 2024) or (MOHE, 2024). The blog title does not appear in the in-text citation — it is the reference list that distinguishes this source type from other sources by the same author.
The APA 7th Format for Newsletter Articles
Newsletter articles — whether published digitally or in print by professional associations, research organisations, or academic institutions — follow a format similar to newspaper articles in APA 7th. For an online newsletter article with a named author: Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month). Title of article. Newsletter Name, Volume(Issue), page range if available. URL
Example: Lim, S. H. (2024, October). Navigating doctoral life in Malaysia: Student perspectives. Malaysian Postgraduate Journal, 3(4), 12–14. https://www.mpj.edu.my/october2024
If the newsletter has no volume or issue number — which is common for institutional newsletters — these elements are simply omitted: Lim, S. H. (2024, October). Navigating doctoral life in Malaysia. UPM Graduate Bulletin. https://www.upm.edu.my/graduate-bulletin/october2024
Evaluating Blog and Newsletter Sources Critically
Before including a blog post or newsletter article in your reference list, apply the same source evaluation criteria you would apply to any other source: who is the author and what are their credentials? Is the blog or newsletter associated with a credible institution or professional body? When was the content posted, and is it still current? Has the content been reviewed by anyone other than the author?
Institutional blogs from universities, government ministries, and established professional associations in Malaysia carry more credibility than personal blogs or informal newsletters. Citing a blog post from the MOHE official website as documentation of a policy position is legitimate. Citing a personal blog as evidence of an academic claim is generally not. Knowing how to cite blog posts and newsletter articles in APA correctly, and applying critical source evaluation before deciding whether to cite them at all, reflects the scholarly judgment that Malaysian postgraduate examiners look for in your reference list.
