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Types of Sources: Newspapers

So many choices! Use this guide to determine when to use a book, journal, video, encyclopedia or other sources.

About Newspapers

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Newspapers provide articles each day about current events and are a good source for local information.

Use a newspaper:

  • to find current information about international, national and local events
  • to find editorials, commentaries, expert or popular opinions

Characteristics of Newspapers

Authors are:

usually staff writers or journalists.

Sources are:

rarely cited.

Articles are:

brief, unless a feature.

Examples of Newspapers

Find Newspapers

Many newspapers have their own websites with today's news, and sometimes they provide earlier, popular articles free. 

Search the library's Newspaper Databases

New York Times & Wall Street Journal

New York Times (Interactive)

The Gordon Library provides free access for everyone with a WPI email address to NYTimes.com. This service will provide you with an e-subscription to The New York Times to stay connected with the events of the day. In addition, you will have access to the extensive NYT database dating back to 1851 – a tremendous research tool. 

To set up your account, go to:

http://www.accessnyt.com/  (If on campus or otherwise within the WPI IP range)

http://ezproxy.wpi.edu/login?url=http://ezmyaccount.nytimes.com/grouppass/redir  (If off campus and outside the WPI IP range)

Once you have activated your account you can log in no matter where you are at https://www.nytimes.com/​

 

**WPI NYT subscribers need to renew your "academic pass" once a year, on your registration anniversary date.

To do this, follow these steps: 

1. Navigate to accessnyt.com (from campus)

2. Search for / Select Worcester Polytechnic Institute

You will be redirected to the NYT welcome page.

3. Click "Already have an account? Log in here"

4. Log in with your existing NYT username / password

Once completed, your digital access will be restored and you can navigate directly to nytimes.com from any web-enabled device for 364 days (then you would repeat this process).

 

Wall Street Journal (Interactive)

WPI students, faculty, and staff can access The Wall Street Journal online through Gordon Library's subscription service. To activate your account go to https://partner.wsj.com/partner/WorcesterPolytechnicInstitute. You'll be prompted to log in with your WPI username and password. Then, you'll create your WSJ account with a new password, using your WPI email address.

For students, when you register for your WSJ account, you will need to indicate your date of graduation, and your account will stay active until that date. Faculty and staff will need to renew their accounts annually. If you see a "Membership Inactive" message when trying to log in to the Wall Street Journal, use the activation link above to reactivate your account. 

Once you have activated your account you can log in no matter where you are at https://www.wsj.com/ 

How to Cite

Example print newspaper reference citation in American Psychological Association (APA) style:

Erlanger, S. (2016, December 28). Britain tightens voting rules in plan critics call excessive

 The New York Times, A4.

Example electronic newspaper reference citation in American Psychological Association (APA) style:

Barnes, B. (2020, September 2). Prince Harry and Meghan sign megawatt Netflix deal. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/02/business/media/harry-meghan-netflix.html

For information on additional citation styles, please see the Citing Sources guide.