PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Op-ed or editorial

How to Cite an Op-Ed or Newspaper Editorial in APA 7

In APA 7, a newspaper editorial (the paper's own unsigned opinion) is cited like a newspaper article with [Editorial] after the headline, credited to the editorial board when the byline names one. An op-ed by a named writer is cited exactly like a newspaper article: the writer, the full date, the headline, the newspaper's name in italics, and the URL, with no label needed. The in-text citation is the author and the year: (The Seattle Times Editorial Board, 2026) or (Kim & Itti, 2026).

The format

Author or Editorial Board. (Year, Month Day). Headline of the editorial [Editorial]. Newspaper Name. https://xxxx

PERRLA APA Experts · Updated October 21, 2026
Checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Choose Newspaper and pick Newspaper article. For an editorial, choose An editorial article: PERRLA adds [Editorial] after the headline and, when you leave the author blank, moves the headline and its label to the front. For an op-ed or a column, choose A single published article and enter the writers. Fill in the headline in sentence case, the newspaper name, the date, and the URL or print pages, and PERRLA handles the italics and the order.

For a letter to the editor, choose A single published article, enter the letter writer as the author, and type [Letter to the editor] at the end of the headline in the Article Title field. PERRLA prints the description just as you type it.

Starting from PERRLA's reference search with the URL? Major papers come back as newspaper articles, so switch the kind to An editorial article for an editorial, and check the author field: on unsigned editorials and letters pages, it can fill in something that isn't a person, like a profile link or "Staff." Clear it or replace it with the right name before you save.

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same reference by hand.

The parts of the reference

1. First: which kind of opinion piece?

An editorial is the newspaper's own opinion, written by its editorial board and usually unsigned. An op-ed is an opinion piece by a named outside writer, often an expert or advocate, printed opposite the editorial page or in the opinion section. A column is a regular opinion piece by a named staff writer. A letter to the editor is a reader's short response.

Only editorials get the [Editorial] label. Op-eds and columns are cited like any newspaper article. Letters get [Letter to the editor].

2. Author

For an op-ed, column, or letter, the writer is the author: last name and initials, with an ampersand (&) before the last of several writers. Leave out the job titles, credentials, and hometowns printed with the name.

Kim, J., & Itti, M.

For an editorial, use the editorial board as a group author when the byline names it. When the byline just says "Editorial," or there's no byline, there's no author: the headline moves to the front.

The Seattle Times Editorial Board.

3. Date

Give the full date the piece was published, in parentheses: the year, a comma, then the month and day.

(2026, October 8).

4. Headline and label

Write the headline in sentence case, not in italics. Copy it from the article page, not the browser tab or a share preview, which often add labels like "| Op-Ed," "| Editorial," or "| Letters." Those aren't part of the headline.

For an editorial or a letter, add a description in square brackets right after the headline, before the period. Capitalize the first word of the description, and don't italicize it.

Medicaid cuts will stress WA patients, providers; voters must remember [Editorial].

If the headline quotes someone using single quotation marks, switch them to double quotation marks in your reference.

5. Newspaper name

Write the newspaper's name in italics and title case, then a period, or a comma and the pages for a print copy.

The Seattle Times.

6. URL or pages

End an online piece with its URL, with no period after it. For a print copy, or a database copy that shows the print page, put a comma after the newspaper's name and give the page instead, like A12, with no "p." in front of it.

https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/medicaid-cuts-will-stress-wa-patients-providers-voters-must-remember/

Examples

An editorial credited to the editorial board

A Seattle Times editorial on Medicaid cuts in Washington. The byline reads "By The Seattle Times editorial board," so the board is a group author, and [Editorial] follows the headline.

  • Parenthetical citation(The Seattle Times Editorial Board, 2026)
  • Narrative citationThe Seattle Times Editorial Board (2026)

An unsigned editorial

One of The Guardian's daily editorials, on young people's mental health. The byline says only "Editorial," which is a label, not a person or a named board, so the headline and [Editorial] move to the front. "Guardian" keeps its capital because it's a proper noun. "Overdiagnosis" gets a capital because it's the first word after a colon, even though The Guardian prints it lowercase. Type it that way: PERRLA keeps your capitalization as you enter it.

  • Parenthetical citation("The Guardian View on Mental Health," 2026, para. 4)
  • Narrative citation"The Guardian View on Mental Health" (2026, para. 4)

An op-ed by two outside writers

A Seattle Times op-ed by two outside writers (the byline says "Special to The Seattle Times") on what Medicaid coverage losses mean for patients. It's cited like any newspaper article, credited to the writers. Its share preview calls it "The cascading effects of the 'Medicaid cliff' | Op-Ed." Use the headline on the page, with its single quotation marks made double.

  • Parenthetical citation(Kim & Itti, 2026, para. 1)
  • Narrative citationKim and Itti (2026, para. 1)

A letter to the editor

A letter from a former NHS nurse on why rigid shift patterns pushed her out of nursing, printed with a second reader's letter under one headline on The Guardian's letters page. Cite only the letter you use, credited to its writer, with the page's headline and [Letter to the editor].

  • Parenthetical citation(Anderson, 2026)
  • Narrative citationAnderson (2026)

In-text citations

Cite opinion pieces in the text like any newspaper article: the author and the year only.

  • Editorial board: (The Seattle Times Editorial Board, 2026) or The Seattle Times Editorial Board (2026)
  • Op-ed with two writers: (Kim & Itti, 2026) or Kim and Itti (2026)
  • Three or more writers: the first writer's last name and et al., starting with the first citation
  • Letter to the editor: (Anderson, 2026)
  • Unsigned editorial: the first few words of the headline in title case and in double quotation marks, then the year: ("The Guardian View on Mental Health," 2026). Leave [Editorial] out of the in-text citation.
  • A quote: online pieces have no page numbers, so count paragraphs: (Kim & Itti, 2026, para. 1). Print copies take the page: (Author, 2026, p. A12).

Common mistakes

  • The Seattle Times. (2026, October 2). What the “Medicaid cliff” meant in WA.Kim, J., & Itti, M. (2026, October 2). What the “Medicaid cliff” meant in WA.An op-ed belongs to the people who wrote it, not the newspaper that printed it.
  • Kim, J., & Itti, M. (2026, October 2). What the “Medicaid cliff” meant in WA [Editorial].Kim, J., & Itti, M. (2026, October 2). What the “Medicaid cliff” meant in WA.An op-ed isn't an editorial. The [Editorial] label is only for the newspaper's own opinion pieces.
  • Editorial. (2026, October 11). The Guardian view on mental health: Overdiagnosis is not the problem facing young people.The Guardian view on mental health: Overdiagnosis is not the problem facing young people [Editorial]. (2026, October 11)."Editorial" in a byline is a label, not an author. With no author, the headline moves to the front, and the label goes in brackets.
  • The Seattle Times Editorial Board. (2026, October 8). Medicaid cuts will stress WA patients, providers; voters must remember. The Seattle Times [Editorial].The Seattle Times Editorial Board. (2026, October 8). Medicaid cuts will stress WA patients, providers; voters must remember [Editorial]. The Seattle Times.The description goes right after the headline, before the period, and is never italic.
  • Anderson, Z. (2026, May 20). The causes and dire effects of the NHS nurse shortage | Letters. The Guardian.Anderson, Z. (2026, May 20). The causes and dire effects of the NHS nurse shortage [Letter to the editor]. The Guardian."| Letters" comes from the page's share preview, not the headline. Describe the work in square brackets instead.

Quick checklist

  • Editorial, op-ed, column, or letter: decide which before you start
  • Op-eds, columns, and letters credited to their writers
  • Editorials credited to the named board, or the headline first when no one is named
  • The full date the piece was published
  • The headline from the page, in sentence case, with [Editorial] or [Letter to the editor] when it applies
  • The newspaper's name in italics, then the URL or the print pages

Questions students ask

What's the difference between an op-ed and an editorial?

An editorial is the newspaper's own opinion, written by its editorial board and usually unsigned. An op-ed is an opinion piece by a named writer from outside the paper. In APA 7, editorials take [Editorial] after the headline; op-eds are cited like regular newspaper articles under the writer's name.

Do I need to write [Op-ed] in an APA reference?

No. APA 7 cites a signed op-ed like any newspaper article, and the writer's name tells your reader whose opinion it is. APA does let you add a bracketed description when it helps your reader, so if your instructor asks for [Op-ed], type it after the headline.

How do I cite an unsigned editorial?

Start with the headline and [Editorial], then the date, the newspaper's name in italics, and the URL. In the text, use the first few words of the headline in title case and in quotation marks, then the year. If the byline names an editorial board, credit the board instead.

How do I cite a letter to the editor in APA 7?

Credit the letter writer, give the full date, then the letter's headline followed by [Letter to the editor], the newspaper's name in italics, and the URL. When several letters run under one headline, cite only the letter you use, with the headline the page gives them all.

How do I cite an opinion column?

A column by a regular columnist is cited like a newspaper article: the columnist's name, the full date, the headline, the newspaper's name in italics, and the URL. No label is needed.

How do I cite an editorial in a journal instead of a newspaper?

A journal editorial uses the journal article format with [Editorial] after the title: the volume, issue, pages, and DOI instead of a full date and URL. See how to cite a journal editorial.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.10–8.11, 8.14, 8.17, 8.28, 9.4, 9.8, 9.11–9.12, 9.14, 9.19, 9.21, 9.25, 9.34–9.36, and 10.1, and the APA Style website's newspaper article, missing reference information, and reference elements (bracketed descriptions) pages. Each example was opened on October 21, 2026, to confirm its byline, headline, date, and URL.

PERRLA adds the [Editorial] label and builds the rest of the reference for you, italics and order included.

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