When Editorials and Opinion Pieces Appear as Sources
Malaysian postgraduate researchers in communication, media studies, political science, and public policy occasionally need to cite newspaper editorials and opinion pieces — particularly when these are documenting public discourse, tracking how policy issues are framed in media, or referencing the stated positions of named columnists or opinion leaders. Knowing how to cite newspaper editorials and opinion pieces in APA correctly ensures these sources are attributed with appropriate specificity while acknowledging their nature as opinion rather than news reporting.
Before citing an editorial or opinion piece, consider whether it is the most appropriate source for the claim it is supporting. Editorials and opinion pieces represent the views of their authors or, for unsigned editorials, the position of the newspaper’s editorial board. They are not appropriate sources for factual claims that should be supported by research evidence. They are appropriate sources when you are documenting what a particular commentator or publication argued about a topic — the opinion itself, rather than any underlying fact.
The APA 7th Format for Newspaper Editorials
For a signed editorial or opinion piece in a newspaper, the citation format is the same as for a standard newspaper article, since APA 7th does not distinguish between news reports and opinion pieces in its citation format. The author and the piece type are what matter: Author Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of editorial or opinion piece. Newspaper Name, page number or section if print, or URL if online.
Example: Ahmad, Z. (2024, November 20). Why Malaysian universities need better support for doctoral students. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/2024/11/20/…
For unsigned editorials — where the editorial board of the newspaper is the author rather than a named individual — APA 7th instructs you to move the editorial title to the author position: A better deal for Malaysian postgraduates. (2024, November 20). The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/editorial/2024/11/20/…
In-Text Citations and Signalling Opinion Sources
When you cite an editorial or opinion piece in your thesis text, a brief contextual note helps readers understand the nature of the source: “In a widely read opinion piece in The Star, Ahmad (2024) argued that…” or “The Star’s editorial board (The Star, 2024) took the position that…” This framing is more informative than a bare parenthetical citation because it signals to the reader that the source represents a specific viewpoint rather than objective reporting.
When multiple editorials or opinion pieces from different newspapers or commentators are cited for the same topic — as evidence of how a policy issue was framed across different media outlets — cite them together in a single parenthetical or list them sequentially in the text to show the breadth of the discourse you are documenting. This multi-source approach to opinion piece citation reflects the kind of systematic media analysis that communication and policy research uses to document public discourse patterns.
