An article was a composition which could be published in a newspaper or a scientific journal.
In 1930, Spock read a newspaper article that mentioned Edith Keeler's death via a traffic accident. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")
In 2268, Doctor Leonard McCoy, attempting to understand Richard Daystrom's frame of mind, mused, "Where do you go from up? You publish articles, you give lectures, then spend your life trying to recapture past glory." (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")