Byline
The line naming the author of an article, and the basis for citing journalism accurately.
A byline is the credit line identifying who wrote a piece — 'By Ida B. Wells' — usually placed between the headline and the body text. For citation purposes it is the primary evidence of authorship, which is why its absence changes how a source must be cited.
Bylines carry more information than a name. A shared byline ('By A and B') signals joint responsibility; a 'with additional reporting by' line marks contributors who are not cited as authors; a dateline byline ('By C in Nairobi') tells you where the reporting was done, which can matter when assessing a quotation's directness.
When an article has no byline, style guides direct you to cite the publication as author rather than inventing 'Anonymous' — wire copy and editorials are institutional by design, not by omission.
Common mistake: crediting a quotation to the byline author when the article itself attributes it to someone else. The journalist reported the words; they did not say them. Cite the speaker, then the article as the place you found it.
“Smith, J. "City Council Reverses Housing Vote." The Daily Register, 12 March 2024.”
Keep reading the glossary
The credit set below a block quotation, epigraph, or pull quote.
Crediting a work or quotation to an unnamed author, and doing it honestly.
An organisation credited as the author of a work when no individual is named.
The honest way to cite a quotation you found in a second-hand source rather than the original.