should dissertation titles be italicized

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Dissertation Title Best Practices

Dissertations are a valuable resource for other scholars, only if they can be easily located. Modern retrieval systems generally use the words in the title to locate a document. It is essential that the title be an accurate and meaningful description of the content and that obscure references be avoided. Please use these guidelines when formulating a dissertation title:

The first and last words and all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs (if, because, as, that, etc.) are capitalized. Articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor), and prepositions, regardless of length, are lowercased unless they are the first or last word of the title or subtitle. Only acronyms should be set in full capitals.

Examples:  

• Power and Consumer Behavior
• Outpatient Treatment for Children:  Organizational Practices as Predictors of Recovery
• A Comparison of the Methodologies for Determining Achievement in High School

Hyphenation

  Consult the dictionary as to whether a word is hyphenated. In general, do not hyphenate words beginning with the prefixes co, non, pre, post, or re unless there is a possibility of confusion (co-op, post-master's) or the root word begins with a capital letter (post-Renaissance). Hyphenate words beginning with the prefix self. Hyphenate compounds used as adjectives (decision-making) but not as nouns (decision maker). Part-time is always hyphenated. When more than one prefix is joined to a base word, hyphenate the prefixes standing alone (micro- and macroeconomics). Do not hyphenate fundraising, freelance, yearlong, health care, African American, Asian American.

Example: 

• Great Nonfiction Works of the Nineteenth Century (Instead of: Great Non-fiction Works of the 19th Century)

Spelling and Grammar

Dissertation titles should be spell-checked and dictionary spelling of words should be used.  Use “and” rather than “&,” and spell out names of centuries and other numbers usually spelled out in text.

• The Labour Party in Perspective and Twelve Years Later

Special Characters 

No special characters should appear in the dissertation title (SES/CAESAR cannot accommodate special characters).  Terms or phrases that include special characters should instead be written out.

• Evaluation of DNA Hybridization and Cleavage Capabilities of Peptide Nucleic Acid-Titanium Dioxide (instead of: Evaluation of DNA Hybridization and Cleavage Capabilities of PNA-TiO2)
• The Role of TGF-beta Variants in Cancer (instead of: The Role of TGF-β Variants in Cancer)

Italicization

Examples: 

• Techniques in Drosophila Circadian Biology
• Mechanisms of Differentiated Cell Function in vitro

Apostrophes

Do not use to form plurals (it should be 1940s, not 1940's) unless it would be confusing without (thus A's and B's, not As and Bs; p's, not ps). Possessives of singular nouns ending in s are formed by adding 's (e.g., Russ's dog).

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• Writing Tips

Formatting Titles

3-minute read

• 23rd April 2018

If you need advice about formatting headings in your work, try this post . But if you want to know about formatting titles of other works in your writing (e.g., books or journal articles), you’re in the right place! Read on to find out when to use italics and quote marks for titles in your work .

First, let’s give an example of what we mean. Take the following sentence:

Here, “Game of Thrones” refers to a popular TV show. If we didn’t know this, we might guess from the capitalization , but most style guides also recommend using distinct formatting for titles. This usually means italicizing the title or placing it in quote marks. But when does each apply?

Longer Works (Italics)

Titles of longer works, such as books or TV shows, are usually italicized:

We use italics for Game of Thrones because it refers to an entire TV series. Works that require italics for titles in this manner include:

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• Books and book-length poems
• Journals, newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals
• Entire websites and blogs
• Movies, radio programs, and TV shows
• Plays, musicals, and other stage shows
• Paintings, statues, and other works of art
• Music albums and other long recordings

Importantly, all of these are standalone works (i.e., published by themselves rather than as part of a larger whole). So, for example, you would italicize the name of a blog (e.g., Jenny’s Cooking Blog ), but not the name of a post taken from that blog (e.g., “How to Make Beef Stroganoff”).

Shorter Works (Quote Marks)

With shorter works that are part of a larger whole, titles should be given in quotation marks . An episode of Game of Thrones , for instance, would be written as follows:

Here, the formatting lets us instantly distinguish between an episode title and the show title. Quotation marks are also used when referring to titles of:

• Chapters from books or edited volumes
• Articles from newspapers, magazines, journals and other periodicals
• Particular pages from a website or posts from a blog
• Individual poems, short stories, and other short literary works
• Single episodes from a TV series
• Songs and other short recordings
• Unpublished writing (regardless of length)

With most of these, the key is that they’re published as part of a longer work or series. The only exception to this is unpublished writing (e.g., a PhD dissertation or an unpublished manuscript).

Beware Exceptions!

As with most rules in writing, there are exceptions to these guidelines about formatting titles. For example, APA has different rules depending on whether a title appears in the main text or the reference list. It is therefore always worth checking your style guide to see if it has specific requirements.

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Italics and Quotes for Titles: A Guide

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We’ve all been there. We’re writing along, solidly in the groove, when the Formatting Wall appears around a seemingly safe corner. Abruptly halting, you wonder: How the heck am I supposed to format this title?

Titles come in many shapes and sizes, but they all have rules for formatting that you master with just a little work. Italics, quotes, even plain text: they all apply in certain situations. How do you know which is which?

Use italics to set apart the title of a standalone work or a “container work”—that is, a work that has other, smaller works within it. Examples of titles that should be italicized include:

• Academic journals
• Music albums
• Large musical compositions such as symphonies and operas
• Anthologies of poems
• Art exhibitions

For example:

My brother insists that Fists of Fury is the best movie ever made.

Have you read the latest issue of Scottish Archaeology Journal ? It’s riveting!

I know it’s not a popular opinion, but I think La Boheme, by Giacomo Puccini, is an overrated opera.

I can’t believe the TV show Supernatural is in its fourteenth season.

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Use quotation marks to set apart the title of a subsidiary work or a work that is part of a bigger piece (one where the title of that bigger piece would be italicized). Examples of when to use quotes include:

• Book chapters
• Articles (published in a journal)
• Short stories
• Song titles
• TV episodes
• Works of art (including paintings, drawings, sculptures, and performance art)

Why do I have to read Hemingway’s “ A Clean, Well-Lighted Place ” in every English class?

I can’t get the tune to “Amazing Grace” out of my head.

Every time I think of William Carlos Williams, I get irritated. “ This Is Just to Say ” is a beautiful poem, but it reminds me of my terrible roommate.

And so you can easily demonstrate which is the work “inside” the other work with proper punctuation:

My favorite episode of Doctor Who is “Blink,” without a doubt.

I love everything by the Beatles, but I think “I Should Have Known Better” from A Hard Day’s Night is an underrated classic.

Modern Construction Envelopes is a very useful reference in general, but chapter 12, “Fabric Roofs,” is groundbreaking.

The highlight of the recent exhibition, Pin-Ups: Toulouse-Lautrec and the Art of Celebrity, had to be Steinlen’s “ Cabaret du Chat Noir .” It was fascinating to see in person what I’ve seen on a wall in every undergraduate dorm across the country.

There are, of course, exceptions. A few types of publications and creative works stand a little apart from the general categories of “standalone/wrapper work” and “subsidiary work.”

For example, dissertations are typically standalone documents, but their titles go in quotation marks.

The best dissertation ever written is “The False Optic: Poisoned Fictional Objects in Renaissance Revenge Tragedies.”

I’m always moved to tears by Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 in E minor , “From the New World .”

How to Remember

A relatively easy way to remember these rules involves whether a work is “big” or “little.” If it’s a grand, sweeping thing that might contain other bits within it, like a book or journal, then use italics. If it’s a smaller thing that might itself be contained within something else, like a newspaper article or work of art in an exhibition, then it goes in quotes.

Oh, and don’t forget to capitalize those titles correctly , in addition to formatting them right.

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How To Use Italic and Bold Fonts for Emphasis in PhD Theses

Posted by Rene Tetzner | Nov 9, 2021 | PhD Success | 0 |

Regardless of which referencing style is adopted, however, italic font should be used to mark titles in the main text and other parts of a thesis beyond the references themselves, but only certain titles should appear in italics:

• The titles of books and other published monographs ( PhD Success: How To Write a Doctoral Thesis ), but the titles of chapters, essays and other parts of such publications are not italicised (instead, they are enclosed in quotation marks: see Section 5.6.3 above), and the Bible and the Koran do not appear in italics or quotation marks.
• The titles of journals ( Speculum ) and other periodicals, such as newspapers and magazines ( Times Colonist ), but not the titles of articles and other parts within such periodicals (which are usually enclosed in quotation marks).
• The titles of plays (Shakespeare’s Othello ) and films ( Fried Green Tomatoes ), but not of the acts and scenes within them.
• The titles of major musical works (such as symphonies and operas: Mozart’s Don Giovanni ), but not when they are referred to more casually: ‘Beethoven’s Ninth.’
• The titles of radio shows (CBC’s Definitely Not the Opera ) and television programmes ( Republic of Doyle ), but not the titles of the single episodes of either (which are generally marked with quotation marks).
• The titles of albums and CDs (Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here ), but not the titles of the individual songs on them (which are usually set within quotation marks).
• The titles of long poems that are virtually a book in themselves and/or contain many sections (‘Langland’s Piers Plowman ’ and ‘Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales ’), but not the titles of separate sections within them, which can be enclosed in quotation marks (‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’) or not (Passus XIII); also, the titles of collections of poems (Heaney’s Death of a Naturalist ), but not the titles of the individual poems within them (which are usually enclosed in quotation marks).
• The titles of paintings (da Vinci’s Mona Lisa ) and sculptures (Michelangelo’s David ), but if italics are used for the name of a cycle of paintings, the individual paintings within the cycle might be distinguished differently (simply by capitalisation, for instance, or with quotation marks).
• The titles of theses, dissertations and web sites are often (but not always) italicised.

Although italicisation, like capitalisation, should be kept to a minimum, italic font is used for several other purposes as well. The names of planes and ships – ‘the Spirit of St Louis ’ and ‘the SS Edmund Fitzgerald ’ – are usually italicised (but not the ‘SS’ part, whether it stands for ‘Sailing Ship’ or ‘Steam Ship,’ or, alternatively, the ‘HMS’ part, which abbreviates ‘His/Her Majesty’s Ship.’ The names of parties when citing legal cases are usually italicised as well, but not when simply discussing the cases (e.g., ‘In Smith v. Jones , the plaintiff Mr Smith claimed against Mrs Jones’). Mathematical variables often appear in italics, and so can the numbers or letters used for marking items in a list: ‘The following colours were considered: ( 1 ) blue, ( 2 ) red, ( 3 ) green and ( 4 ) purple.’ Sometimes italic font is also used on journal volume numbers in reference lists. Stage directions in passages quoted from plays generally appear in italics, and, occasionally, cross references and other instructions to readers (such as see above ) do as well. In such cases, the italic font serves to emphasise the directions or instructions, which is just one of the types of emphasis for which italics can be used.

Italics are frequently added, for instance, to the headings of sections and tables and the captions of figures in a thesis to distinguish them from other headings ( Participants and Questionnaires ) or to emphasise part of a heading ( Table 1. Demographic Characteristics of Study Participants), and in such cases the italics might appear on any other mentions of these headings in the text of the thesis as well. Italics can also be used to emphasise terms ( poetics and chemotherapy ), categories ( Group B and the third domain ), phrases ( artificial lighting inside and darkness outside ), literary characters ( Emma Woodhouse and Anne Shirley ) and letters or special characters ( f , é and æ ) that are being introduced and/or discussed (see also bold font below and Section 5.6.3). Such emphasis can be extremely effective for clarifying a complex discussion, but only if it is used consistently for equivalent concepts, appropriately for the discipline and sparingly in general. While every letter in a discussion may need to be italicised for clarity whether it has already been introduced or not, using italic font only on the first mention or in association with the initial explanation of terms, categories, phrases and characters effectively clarifies the discussion without cluttering the text. More general use of italics to emphasise words should be avoided as much as possible; in most cases, emphasis via effective vocabulary and sentence structure is much more effective.

A common use of italic font in English scholarly writing is to mark words and phrases of foreign languages that have not yet been naturalised into English. A good dictionary will usually indicate whether a word or phrase should be italicised or not (usually by using italics on the term or not), but they do vary in their recommendations. Many foreign words and phrases do not need to be italicised, including ‘post hoc,’ ‘a priori,’ ‘versus,’ ‘passé,’ ‘pâté,’ ‘avant-garde’ and the Latin abbreviations used in parenthetical and reference material (‘et al.,’ ‘i.e.,’ ‘e.g.,’ ‘vs.’ and the like). If a word or phrase does not appear in English dictionaries or if there is potential for confusing a foreign word with an English one (German Land is a good example), italics should be used, and they should always be used for both genera and species in biological nomenclature ( Thymus vulgaris ). Italic emphasis of this kind should be applied with care, ensuring, for instance, that foreign words and phrases set in italics within English sentences appear in their nominative form (for example, cor , the Latin word for ‘heart,’ not cordis , its genitive form). Such emphasis should also be used predominantly for short pieces of foreign text; longer passages in foreign languages should appear as quotations, in which case the text should be given precisely as it appears in the source, and italics are not used (for more information on using foreign languages, see Section 8.4, and see also Butcher et al., 2006, Section 6.6, pp.246–247 and Appendices 5, 7, 9 and 10; the Chicago Manual of Style , 2003, Chapter 10; Ritter, 2005, Chapter 12). Italic font should not be used for marking quotations (quotation marks do that job), so italics should not appear on a quotation whether it is in English or a foreign language unless italics are used in the original source or if you want to add your own emphasis to the quotation; if the latter is the case, the italics should be acknowledged as your own by including something like ‘italics my own’ with the citation (for more information on italics in quotations, see Sections 8.3 and 8.4).

Bold font. Bold font tends to be used much less frequently than italic font in scholarly writing, but it can be used for some of the same purposes as italics are. It is frequently used for the title and other headings of a thesis, for instance ( Participants and Questionnaires ), and for the headings and captions of tables and figures, though sometimes only on the initial part ( Table 1. Demographic characteristics of study participants); in such cases, the corresponding references to the sections, tables and figures in the thesis itself are sometimes bold as well. Other cross references can also appear in bold font, though that is rarer. In some referencing systems, bold font is used in the reference list for article and chapter titles (but not usually for book or journal titles) as well as for journal volume numbers. Bold font can also be used much as italic font is to highlight the numbers or letters of items in lists – ‘The following colours were considered: ( 1 ) blue, ( 2 ) red, ( 3 ) green and ( 4 ) purple’ – and to emphasise terms ( poetics and chemotherapy ), categories ( Group B and the third domain ), phrases ( artificial lighting inside and darkness outside ), literary characters ( Emma Woodhouse and Anne Shirley ) and letters or special characters ( f , é and æ ). Bold font is extremely effective for representing coloured, decorated or large letters when transcribing text from manuscripts. Emphasis via bold font is often used in textbooks, guidebooks and other educational material, but in most academic and scientific contexts it tends to appear far less frequently than italic font does, no doubt because its admirable ability to make text immediately visible also causes it to clutter a page more quickly than either capitals or italic font, so it should always be used very selectively. Both bold and italic fonts are used in specialised ways in some disciplines, however, so do check with your department and/or supervisor if you are unsure of how they should be used in your thesis (for the marking of italic and bold in mathematics and the sciences, for instance, see Butcher et al., 2006, Sections 13.2.1 and 13.2.2, and for the use of italic font in chemistry, see Ritter, 2005, Section 14.4.2).

Punctuation within italic and bold fonts. When either bold or italic font is used, the font style of any punctuation associated with it should be considered carefully. As a general rule, any punctuation within the passage in the special font should also appear in that special font, and any punctuation outside of it should be in a regular roman font. For example, when a comma or full stop follows a word or phrase in italic or bold font, it usually appears in regular roman font (Particularly interesting is his use of the word cor , though it appears rarely in his text). When a possessive is formed from an italicised noun, the apostrophe and ‘s’ or the apostrophe alone if it is a plural should appear in roman font: ‘ Othello ’s memorable plot’ and ‘ Anne of Green Gables ’ unforgettable heroine.’ However, in some instances, the special font may extend a little when it comes to punctuation. When, for instance, italic or bold font is used on a title or volume number in a reference list, the full stop, colon or other punctuation following the part in italics or bold may also need to appear in that font (see Sections 7.2 and 7.3), and when a heading in bold or italics is followed immediately by punctuation, as, for instance, paragraph headings are often followed by a full stop or colon, the full stop or colon often appears in the same special font (as it does at the beginning of this paragraph; see also Section 6.1). Keep in mind that special fonts often continue in word-processing programs beyond where you may want them, and since it can be very difficult to determine at a glance in which font small marks of punctuation are set, special care must be taken when using italic and bold fonts to ensure that all punctuation is consistently in the appropriate font.

Italic or bold font within italic or bold font. If you need to use italic or bold font on a certain word or words within a larger passage that is already in italic or bold font, the format varies depending on the circumstances:

• For bold font within italics, the bold is simply added: Austen herself claimed that the character Emma would not be much liked by readers .
• For italics within italics, the usual practice is to revert to roman font: Austen herself claimed that the character Emma would not be much liked by readers. For italics within the italic font of a title, however, the italics are simply retained: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: The Manuscripts . Occasionally, such a title within a title is indicated by quotation marks: Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’: The Manuscripts .
• For italics within bold font, the italics are simply added, in running text, headings and titles alike: Austen herself claimed that the main character of Emma would not be much liked by readers and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales : The Manuscripts .
• Although extremely rare, bold font within bold font would logically revert to roman font: Austen herself claimed that the character Emma would not be much liked by readers .

Why PhD Success?

To Graduate Successfully

This article is part of a book called "PhD Success" which focuses on the writing process of a phd thesis, with its aim being to provide sound practices and principles for reporting and formatting in text the methods, results and discussion of even the most innovative and unique research in ways that are clear, correct, professional and persuasive.

The assumption of the book is that the doctoral candidate reading it is both eager to write and more than capable of doing so, but nonetheless requires information and guidance on exactly what he or she should be writing and how best to approach the task. The basic components of a doctoral thesis are outlined and described, as are the elements of complete and accurate scholarly references, and detailed descriptions of writing practices are clarified through the use of numerous examples.

The basic components of a doctoral thesis are outlined and described, as are the elements of complete and accurate scholarly references, and detailed descriptions of writing practices are clarified through the use of numerous examples. PhD Success provides guidance for students familiar with English and the procedures of English universities, but it also acknowledges that many theses in the English language are now written by candidates whose first language is not English, so it carefully explains the scholarly styles, conventions and standards expected of a successful doctoral thesis in the English language.

Individual chapters of this book address reflective and critical writing early in the thesis process; working successfully with thesis supervisors and benefiting from commentary and criticism; drafting and revising effective thesis chapters and developing an academic or scientific argument; writing and formatting a thesis in clear and correct scholarly English; citing, quoting and documenting sources thoroughly and accurately; and preparing for and excelling in thesis meetings and examinations. 

Completing a doctoral thesis successfully requires long and penetrating thought, intellectual rigour and creativity, original research and sound methods (whether established or innovative), precision in recording detail and a wide-ranging thoroughness, as much perseverance and mental toughness as insight and brilliance, and, no matter how many helpful writing guides are consulted, a great deal of hard work over a significant period of time. Writing a thesis can be an enjoyable as well as a challenging experience, however, and even if it is not always so, the personal and professional rewards of achieving such an enormous goal are considerable, as all doctoral candidates no doubt realise, and will last a great deal longer than any problems that may be encountered during the process.

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Rene Tetzner

Rene Tetzner's blog posts dedicated to academic writing. Although the focus is on How To Write a Doctoral Thesis, many other important aspects of research-based writing, editing and publishing are addressed in helpful detail.

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Quoting or Italicizing Research Papers: What’s the Rule?

When it comes to citing research papers, there is often confusion as to the correct formatting of titles and whether they should be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks. This article will provide an overview of the rules for quoting or italicizing research paper titles, highlighting the differences between APA (American Psychological Association) style and MLA (Modern Language Association) style guidelines. We will discuss when quotes are needed, as well as how they differ from regular citations within a paper. Additionally, this article provides recommendations on best practices for ensuring accuracy throughout your research work.

I. Introduction to Quoting and Italicizing Research Papers

Ii. defining rules of grammar for quotations in academic writing, iii. benefits of using citations in research papers, iv. syntax considerations for directly citing sources within texts, v. punctuation guidelines when integrating quotes into sentences, vi. differentiating between italics and quotation marks when working with titles, vii. conclusion: employing appropriate techniques when utilizing citations.

When writing a research paper, it is important to properly cite and format references. This includes understanding how to correctly quote or italicize titles of academic sources.

The title of an article, journal entry, book chapter, or entire work should be placed in italics . For example: “Is Anxiety the New Normal?” An anthology of short stories could also be italicized (e.g., The Best American Short Stories). On the other hand, when citing individual contributions from within an anthology— such as essays or chapters— these should all be enclosed in quotation marks . Thus for this source we would write: “Can We Even Imagine Life Without Technology?”

Other materials may have both quotation marks and italics depending on their length; this applies mostly to longer works like books which can either receive full quotes around them e.g., “War and Peace” -or- they can simply have their name written in Italics e.g., War and Peace. While rules do exist about when each type of formatting should occur remember that ultimately you must follow your professor’s instructions as priority!

Grammar rules for quotations are a fundamental aspect of academic writing. This section will explain the necessary criteria and considerations when quoting within your work.

Quotations must always be used with utmost accuracy, as any misquotation or error in attribution can have severe implications on credibility and overall quality of research. It is therefore important to consider which type of quotation is most suitable for the context you’re using it in: direct quotes , where words from another source are reproduced verbatim; paraphrasing , where ideas from another source are reworded but still maintain original meaning; or even an indirect quote, which occurs when only part of the idea is being referred to without citing directly.

When including direct quotes into a sentence structure, they should always be enclosed by single quotation marks (‘ ‘). The citation should also include information about who said it (the speaker) and what publication (source) was quoted – though this may vary depending on your field’s citation conventions. On top of that, any changes made to direct quotes such as added emphasis or omission of certain words need to be explicitly marked off within brackets [ ] if there’s no risk readers might not recognize these alterations were done by someone other than yourself.

In terms of formatting itself – books titles & movie names should appear in italics whereas research papers would usually get placed inside double quotation marks (” “). Of course this could depend on some specific styling guidelines set out by a university department so best check those first before going ahead!

Accuracy and Validity

When citations are used in research papers, it allows for a higher level of accuracy. Sources can be easily verified as the researcher has provided details on where they have obtained their information from. This ensures that readers know exactly what resources were utilized in the making of the paper and helps them to understand any further context required to comprehend the argument being presented accurately. Furthermore, by giving credit where it is due, proper use of citations also acts as an assurance that ideas from other sources will not be plagiarized or misrepresented.

Recognition of Source Material Including appropriate citations provides acknowledgement and recognition for source material utilized within a paper. It encourages knowledge sharing between researchers and gives those who wrote previous works such as books or journals proper attribution for their contribution towards academics. Additionally, when quoting someone’s words directly within your essay, using quotations marks around these phrases is essential; however some style guides may require you to italicize research papers instead.

Comparing Citation Formats When citing sources in text, it is important to determine which citation format should be used. Depending on the type of source being cited (e.g., book, website) and the audience reading the document, one may opt for a more formal APA or MLA style of referencing versus a less-structured method such as Harvard Referencing. When citing published works from academic journals or research papers within text these are typically italicized , while webpages with no author attribution can often be referenced through direct quotes embedded into sentences using quotation marks. It is also important to take into consideration specific formatting requirements according to different platforms or outlets; articles written for publication in scholarly databases usually need strict adherence to certain protocols regarding punctuation use and capitalization rules when directly quoting sources within text sections.

In addition to writing standards set forth by an outlet’s submission guidelines, other elements that require attention include proper spacing around words contained inside quotation marks, accurate line breaks between citations without any additional characters added in order avoid confusion among readers unfamiliar with syntactic conventions related specifically to textual citing practices across multiple genres and disciplines. Any inconsistencies could result in discrepancies between original texts quoted verbatim from their authors and those appearing upon rereading once incorporated into new documents – potentially resulting lost meaning due further alterations beyond what was initially intended by writers whose work was originally consulted for inclusion during the composing process.

Integrating Quotations into Sentences

It is important to be mindful of punctuation when incorporating quotations into sentences. As a general rule, the sentence’s terminal punctuation should come before the citation. For example: He said “I will make sure it gets done.” In cases where there are parenthetical citations involved such as MLA or APA format, end punctuation should be placed outside of the parentheses following the quotation marks at all times.

Additionally, references to works such as books and research papers must be italicized in order for readers to clearly distinguish between quoted material and original writing. Therefore, according to MLA guidelines if you were citing something from a book called “The Unfinished Work” you would write It was apparent that his work had been left “unfinished” (Simmons). All titles which do not appear within quotation marks should also be italicized accordingly.

When citing titles of works, it’s important to know the difference between italicized and quoted words. Italics are used for longer works such as books or movies; quotation marks are typically reserved for shorter pieces, like articles or poems. For example: The Lord of the Rings should be written in italics, while a “Harry Potter” poem might appear within quotes.

It’s also essential to understand when research papers should be italicized vs. placed in quotations – which can get confusing! Generally speaking, journal articles and other short-form research papers will have their titles enclosed in quotation marks when mentioned outside of parentheses.

• For instance: “A Study on Hormones & Hair Growth”

However, any lengthy academic texts that involve chapters and multiple authors must use an appropriate level of formatting such as with italics (i.e., journals) or underlining (if writing by hand). Examples include:

• “Analyzing Ecological Impact Across Multiple Nations,” or even entire textbooks like The Definitive Guide To Physical Chemistry.

When it comes to citing sources in research papers, employing the right techniques can make a world of difference. The appropriate use of citations is essential for ensuring accuracy and integrity throughout your work. As such, when crafting any type of paper or presentation involving references from external works, be sure to utilize the following practices:

• Include In-text Citations – Whenever you reference ideas, facts or quotes taken from an outside source within the body of your text, always include an in-text citation that identifies where this information was found.
• Utilize Proper Formatting – When documenting what sources were consulted during research (known as ‘Works Cited’), adhere to accepted formatting guidelines which may vary depending on style requirements.

For example if using MLA format conventions then all titles should be not quoted . Additionally full bibliographic information must accompany each entry including author name(s), title & edition date among other data points. Similarly with APA referencing rules one would write out journal titles in full rather than abbreviate them while certain pieces such as newspapers need special attention too.

To ensure everything flows smoothly double check all entries against their respective style guides prior to submission – correctness here will go a long way towards getting top marks!

In conclusion, this article has provided a comprehensive overview of the rules and conventions associated with quoting or italicizing research papers. As we have seen, there is no single “correct” answer to the question; instead, various style guides provide guidance on how best to cite sources in academic writing. Ultimately, it is important for authors to be consistent when citing their sources so that readers can easily locate original source materials should they wish. While these guidelines may seem complex at first glance, with some practice they become second nature and help contribute towards creating an effective and well-referenced work of scholarship.

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Modern Languages Association (MLA) style, 7th edition

To our knowledge, the MLA style does not distinguish between titles for articles as a whole and dissertations. As such, we have based this style guide on the requirements for titles set out by the MLA style guide, 7th edition. The main considerations when writing your dissertation title from a style perspective are: (a) capitalisation in titles and subtitles; (b) when not to capitalise in titles and subtitles; (c) italics; (d) quotation marks; and (e) hyphenated compounds. Each of these considerations is present below with associated examples:

Capitalisation in titles and subtitles

The first letter of a title and subtitle should be capitalised. A subtitle should be separated using a colon or hyphen and then a single space (i.e., Title: Subtitle OR Title — Subtitle). If a subtitle follows a title that ends with a question mark, a colon should not follow the colon (i.e., Title? Subtitle NOT Title?: Subtitle). Also, the last word of the title and subtitle should be capitalised [examples in bold below]

M odernisms and Medievalisms, Old and N ew

B lue O rder: W allace Stevens's Jazz E xperiments

R eading R enunciation: L aura Riding and the End of P oetry

P rivate Worlds, Public M inds: W oolf, Russell and Photographic V ision

Subordinating conjunctions (e.g., after, although, because, before, until, when, where) [bold below] :

The Eight Animals in Shakespeare; or, Before the Human

All adjectives , adverbs , nouns , pronouns , and verbs should be capitalized, in addition to all words that have four letters or more.

When not to capitalise in titles and subtitles

Do not capitalise articles (i.e., a, an, the) unless they are the first letter of a title or subtitle [bold below] :

"Vertebrae on Which a Seraph Might Make Music"

Rich Woman, Poor Woman: Toward an Anthropology of the Nineteenth-Century Marriage Plot

Reading Renunciation: Laura Riding and the End of Poetry

Do not capitalise prepositions (e.g., as, at, by, in, of, off, on, to, up) [bold below] :

Eliot's Last Laugh: The Dissolution of Satire in The Waste Land

The Enfreakment of America's Jeune Fille � Marier : Lily Bart to Carrie Bradshaw

Do not capitalise coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, for, nor) [bold below] :

Modernisms and Medievalisms, Old and New

Math for Math's Sake: Non-Euclidean Geometry, Aestheticism, and Flatland

Do not capitalise the word to in infinitives (e.g., to Interpret, to Provide)

Italics should be used for names of books, poems that are published as books, journals, magazines, newspapers, operas, paintings, plays, sculptures, and Web sites (for a complete list, refer to 3.6.2 (p.88) of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , 7th edition) [bold below] :

On Homelands and Home-Making: Rebecca Goldstein's Mazel

Stumbling into Crossfire: William Carlos Williams, Partisan Review , and the Left in the 1930s

Trauma and Cure in Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier

Quotation marks

Quotation marks should be used for the titles of articles (i.e. articles of encyclopaedias, journals, and magazines), chapters and essays in books, lectures, poems, radio and television episodes, songs, stories, and Web pages. Quotations marks should be double (i.e., "..." ), not single (i.e., '...' ) [bold below] :

" A Few Cool Years after These " : Midlife at Midcentury in Niedecker's Lyrics

Bottomless Surfaces: Saul Bellow's " Refreshed Phrenology "

Hyphenated compounds

When hyphenated compounds capitalised in titles, both words should be capitalised (e.g., Time-Based, Self-Regulation, Short-Term).

If the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers , 7th edition, is not in your university library, it can be purchased on Amazon for around £15/US$12/CDN$26. It is a comprehensive guide to the MLA style.

Clements, J. (2009) Bottomless Surfaces: Saul Bellow's "Refreshed Phrenology", Journal of Modern Literature , 33(1): 75-91

Cohen, M.A. (2009) Stumbling into Crossfire: William Carlos Williams, Partisan Review, and the Left in the 1930s, Journal of Modern Literature , 32(2): 143-158.

Fisher, T. (2010) Reading Renunciation: Laura Riding and the End of Poetry, Journal of Modern Literature , 33(3): 1-19.

Savage, E. (2010) "A Few Cool Years after These": Midlife at Midcentury in Niedecker's Lyrics, Journal of Modern Literature , 33(3): 20-37.

DiCicco, L. (2010) The Enfreakment of America's Jeune Fille à Marier: Lily Bart to Carrie Bradshaw, Journal of Modern Literature , 33(3): 78-98.

Henderson, A. (2010) Math for Math's Sake: Non-Euclidean Geometry, Aestheticism, and Flatland, PMLA , 124(2): 455-471.

Hoffman, K.A. (2010) ?Vertebrae on Which a Seraph Might Make Music?, PMLA , 125(1): 152-160.

Keane, D. (2009) Modernisms and Medievalisms, Old and New, Journal of Modern Literature , 32(2): 185-192.

Lehman, R.S. (2009) Eliot's Last Laugh: The Dissolution of Satire in The Waste Land, Journal of Modern Literature , 32(2): 65-79.

Mackin, T. (2010) Private Worlds, Public Minds: Woolf, Russell and Photographic Vision, Journal of Modern Literature , 33(3): 112-130.

Meyers, H. (2010) On Homelands and Home-Making: Rebecca Goldstein's Mazel, Journal of Modern Literature , 33(3): 131-141.

Michie, E.B. (2009) Rich Woman, Poor Woman: Toward an Anthropology of the Nineteenth-Century Marriage Plot, PMLA , 124(2): 421-436.

Pinkerton, S. (2008) Trauma and Cure in Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier, Journal of Modern Literature , 32(1): 1-12.

Shannon, L. (2009) The Eight Animals in Shakespeare; or, Before the Human, PMLA , 124(2): 472-479.

Taylor, C.M. (2009) Blue Order: Wallace Stevens's Jazz Experiments, Journal of Modern Literature , 32(2): 100-117.

Formatting Titles

by Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center · Published October 2, 2020 · Updated November 5, 2020

Let’s face it: For whatever reason, formatting titles can be confusing, especially if you think about all the titles that need proper formatting–the title placed on the title page of a paper, the title of a journal article mentioned in the body of a paper, the title of a newspaper or a website on the list of references. There are titles of books and titles of chapters in those books; titles of blogs and titles of blog entries. Some titles are italicized and some are put in quotation marks. Titles on the list of references require formatting–some titles use title case, some sentence case; some titles are italicized and some are not. And then there are those situations where titles are used in in-text citations–some titles are truncated and italicized; some are put in quotation marks–you get the idea. 

First off, I am not going to address how to format titles when citing in the paper or listing on the list of references—those are formatting guidelines for another time. I am going to focus on titles on the title page, the first page of the paper, and within a paper. Here is what you need to keep straight:

Titles require special capitalization called title case. Title case requires one to

• capitalize the first letter of the first and last words of a title;
• capitalize the first letter of all verbs;
• capitalize all words of four or more letters;
• capitalize the first letter of all other words except a, an, the, short conjunctions such as “for, and, but,” and prepositions of fewer than four letters (words like “up, in, off”);
• capitalize the first letter of a word following a colon or dash;
• capitalize the first letter of a subtitle. 

When a title appears on the title page of an APA Style 7th edition student paper, that title should be centered, bolded, and in title case—no need to use all caps, no need to italicize or underline, and no need to use quotation marks or place a period at the end. 

Simply type out the title using title case and bold it–that’s it.

On the first page of the essay, center and repeat the title, bold it, and use title case. Again, do not use any special formatting. Do not use a bigger font size or style. Do not underline or italicize and so forth. Just use title case, bold, and center the title on the first page of the essay.

Easy enough, right?

Titles that appear within an essay require special formatting in addition to title case. If the title is for an article—content that is part of a greater whole—then the title should have quotation marks around it. If the title is for a book, journal, newspaper, or some other whole work, then the title is italicized.

Let’s say you have an article titled “The New Coffee Culture” that appears in the journal Studies in Popular Culture . Let’s also say that for whatever reason, you name both titles in the body of your paper. The article “The New Coffee Culture” appears in the journal Studies in Popular Culture , so the article is content that appears in a greater whole, right? 

Both titles would be in title case. The article “The New Coffee Culture” would have quotation marks around it, and the title of the journal, Studies in Popular Culture , would be italicized. 

I hope this blogcast clarifies exactly what you need to do when formatting titles in typical usage situations in APA style. 

Until next week–

Kurtis Clements

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How to cite a dissertation in apa 7, published by steve tippins on june 25, 2020 june 25, 2020.

Last Updated on: 3rd June 2022, 04:25 am

The specific guidelines for how to cite a dissertation in APA style depend on a few factors. We’ll go over those below. However, no matter the specifics of the citation, the title of the dissertation is always written the same way.

The dissertation’s title should be written in sentence case and in italics. The first word of the title should be capitalized, and all other words should be in lower case, except for proper nouns.

With that in mind, let’s dive into the specifics of how to cite a dissertation in APA.

How to Cite a Dissertation in APA

In Text Citation

The guidelines for how to cite a dissertation in APA are the same for writing an in-text citation, paraphrase, and quotation; only the format for the reference list differs.  

(Name of Author, year)

(Stanford, 2016)

Horace Mann developed the common school, which was a free, non-sectarian, public institution (Stanford, 2016).  

According to Stanford (2016), “the common school was the best educational institution to help Americans achieve moral and socioeconomic uplift” (p. 46). 

Reference List

P ublished Dissertations

Published dissertations and theses are on databases, such as Pro-Quest Dissertations and Theses Globa, a university archive, or a website.

Author’s last name, initial of first name. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Publication number). [Type of dissertation or thesis, Academic Institution]. Name of database.

Howard, B. (2017). The new media and literary structures . (Publication No. 1076483) [Doctoral dissertation or Master’s Thesis, University of Virginia]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Unpublished Dissertations

Unpublished dissertations and theses are usually only available in print form. 

Author’s last name, initial of first name. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Unpublished doctoral or master’s thesis). Academic Institution.

Stanford, C. (2016). Horace Mann (1796–1859) and nineteenth-century educational reform . (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Ohio State University. 

Note: For dissertations and theses published or unpublished in countries other than the United States, you have to provide the location.  

Howard, B. (2017). The new media and literary structures . (Publication No. 1076483) [Doctoral dissertation or Master’s Thesis, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

Dissertation From an Academic Institution’s Online Archive

There is only one difference in the guidelines for how to cite a dissertation from an online archive or repository and other ones. The name of the institution’s repository or archive and link needs to be provided. It should be written at the end of the other publication information.

In-text citation

Template (Name of Author, year) 

Example (Howard, 2017)

Paraphrase Literary structure is the arrangement of text elements, written in a way that ensures the author’s meaning is conveyed (Howard, 2017).  

Quotation  According to Howard (2016), “technological advances have resulted in a change in the paradigm regarding literature structures” (p. 46). 

Howard, B. (2017). The new media and literary structures . (Publication No. 1076483) [Doctoral dissertation or Master’s Thesis, University of Virginia]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. University of Virginia Archives. https://uovarchives.net/10389/11814

How to Cite a Dissertation Published Online (Not in a Database)

The guidelines for how to cite a dissertation or thesis published online are similar to those of published and unpublished ones, except for the format in the reference list.  

Reference list

Author’s last name, initial of first name. (Year). Title of dissertation or thesis (Publication number). [Type of dissertation or thesis, Academic Institution]. URL.

Howard, B. (2017). The new media and literary structures . (Publication No. 1076483) [Doctoral dissertation or Master’s Thesis, University of Virginia]. https://uv.edu/Howard /10288/

Note: You can find more information about how to cite a dissertation or thesis in APA 7th editionon pages 333-334.

How to Cite a Dissertation in APA Style: Final Thoughts

Citing a dissertation is relatively simple. As long as you adhere to the rules above, you should have no problem generating the correct citations.

If you need of assistance with APA style, feel free to take a look at our Dissertation Editing services.

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Italicizing Dissertation Titles: To Italicize or Not to Italicize

In the vast realm of academia, where rigor and precision command utmost authority, even the tiniest typographical decision can rouse heated debates. Case in point: the controversial topic that has quietly lingered within scholarly circles for decades – should dissertation titles be italicized or not? A seemingly innocuous inquiry, yet one that strikes at the heart of a writer’s soul as they navigate through an arduous journey towards scholarly excellence. As we embark on this peculiar expedition into the realms of italics and dissertations, let us dissect both sides with a neutral lens to explore their merits and unravel this enigma once and for all.

1. The Great Italicization Debate: To Italicize or Not to Italicize

Italicization is a topic of great dispute in the English writing arena. Writers, editors, and publishers have had vigorous debates over which words should be italicized, with some opting to do so always while others prefer not to use any emphasis whatsoever. One significant debate has been whether dissertation titles are suitable for italics or not.

The primary argument for using italics with dissertation titles comes from its potential value as an enhanced formatting tool; it can add clarity to a lengthy title when read out loud or drawn on quickly by someone skimming through text. The counterargument suggests that there would be no need for this kind of visual cue because these documents hold considerable significance already without needing further indication from embellishments like italics. Furthermore, certain style guides suggest that monolithic terms like “dissertation” should never require emphasis.

• Are dissertation titles Italicized?

While both sides offer reasonable claims about stylistic preferences surrounding scholarly works such as dissertations, few definitive conclusions exist about the relevance of emphasizing document titles in every instance. This uncertainty may lead many writers to adhere strictly to their own preferred standards regardless of what is suggested elsewhere – especially if formal guidelines don’t address specific requests like “are dissertation titles Italicized?” . Ultimately though, each writer will decide which side they want take when addressing questions regarding how best to emphasize work successfully within various contexts.

2. Understanding the Power of Italics in Dissertation Titles

When writing a dissertation, the use of italics does more than just add visual appeal – it can also serve to create further meaning and emphasis. There are many rules as to when dissertation titles should be italicized which must be adhered to in order for the paper’s title and overall aesthetic style to remain consistent throughout. It is important that authors understand why they should often opt for using italics on their essay’s titles so as to make sure that they are compliant with common scholarly conventions while still ensuring that their work meets its standards of quality.

Are dissertation titles italicized? Generally speaking, yes – this formatting convention is especially prevalent across disciplines such as literature studies or other humanities-based areas like philosophy or law where there may be need for citing previous works. For example, when referencing books in MLA style (a commonly used academic format) any published book has been generally accepted by publishers will certainly formatted in an italic font choice; therefore if one wishes cite such a source within their own paper then its corresponding title must too be set entirely in Italics . However not all source material can/should follow these same formatting protocols including reports from government agencies related materials found online etc., but if you seek clarification on specific types of sources please consult your instructor directly! Whether via print or electronic mediums most modern reference require some level of styling: textual manipulation like making things bold/underlined words etc.; setting sections into separate paragraphs enabling easier readability; this includes adding special characters directly into document itself (ex.: bullet points arrows dashes headers footers). Thus once again confirming answer our initial question: Are Dissertation Titles Italicized? The official stance here being definitive “yes” whenever applicable usually under guidance given by respective citation styles referenced project itself (MLA APA Chicago manual others).

3. Aesthetic Appeal: Exploring the Influence of Italics on Dissertation Readability

The readability of dissertations is heavily dependent upon the aesthetic appeal and style choices. Among these, italics have a staggering influence on overarching readability due to their ability to draw attention, create emphasis, and visually differentiate certain elements from one another. In this section, we’ll explore how dissertation titles are affected by italicized fonts.

Are dissertation titles italicized? Generally speaking: yes! Italics not only make heading sections stand out but also signal that those words aren’t part of regular copy (i.e., non-italicized). This can be useful in cases where an item or focus requires special significance such as for quotations or referencing particular individuals or works—a common occurance within many dissertations. Are dissertation titles italicized when referring to articles with multiple authors? Again, yes; use italics whenever you want to emphasize something specific such as multiple contributors’ work instead of just one single author’s work.

• Another important area related to using bolded/underlined formatting in dissertations . Not all studies agree on exactly when and why it should appear but there appears general consensus about its most efficient implementation at least parts:
• In addition to being used for titling purposes , some instances call for either underlining main headings (but avoid overuse) or making them even more distinct through other visual methods like capitalization – especially if they’re intended as subheadings.

Finally , consider varying font size / weighting throughout document : although margins often dictate text dimensions , careful manipulation helps attract reader ‘s eye towards important data points & conclusions . As long as you adhere strictly abide styling requirements set forth by relevant governing bodies , feel free experiment accordingly !

4. Tradition vs Modernity: Examining the Historical Context of Italicizing Dissertation Titles

Given the long history of academic writing and its many varied conventions, it is not altogether surprising to find that whether dissertation titles should be italicized or no has been a source of ongoing debate. From traditional practices through to modern implementations, this section will explore the importance of considering both sides when examining the historical context for italicizing dissertations titles.

To begin with, prior to digitalization almost all papers were published in print form and usually dictated by an editor’s own specific preferences as there was no consistent format for individual publications; consequently the rules regarding are dissertation titles italicized have changed drastically over time. On one hand we could cite 18th century British literary scholar Dr Samuel Johnson who made use of quotation marks around supposedly ‘true’ citing words from existing books while on another hand some authors used angle brackets indicating citation within their works itself – thus leaving little or no room for doubt about what was considered stylistically correct at any given point in time since much depended on editors themselves.

As technology advanced so did formatting conventions evolve and become more standardised across different forms of publication whereby focus shifted away from referencing sources alone towards emphasising visual aesthetics which became crucial for readability purposes too (especially on web). This saw introduction guidelines such as American Psychological Association’s APA Style where are dissertation titles Italicsd rule got formalised along with other issues like indentation size etc but even then some levels discretion still remained open-ended inviting users to utilise whichever they felt most appropriate whilst ensuring consistency throughout text – something which remains true today also wherein individuals can choose boldface type instead if preferred.

5. Formatting Finesse: Unveiling the Guidelines for Properly Using Italics in Dissertations

Italicization is a powerful and aesthetically pleasing tool in writing dissertations, but it can be very easily misused. The guidelines for properly using italics need to be followed diligently so that readers have an enjoyable experience while reading the dissertation. This section will cover all aspects related to formatting finesse when it comes to using italics in dissertations:

• Are dissertation titles italicized?
• What words call for automatic italicization and what don’t?

When it comes to deciding whether or not dissertation titles should be Italicized, there are certain rules which must be strictly adhered to; Are dissertation titles Italicized per se – they sure are! All of the major components appearing on any page of your work like chapters, sections, parts, books or articles cited directly in the body text require use of Italics for emphasis as well as distinction from other typesetting elements such as dashes and parentheses. Moreover, foreign words that seem unfamiliar even if their English equivalent exists also demand being written within Iltalics along with specific terms used by people belonging specifically professional circles where a non-specialist reader might not recognize them. It goes without saying then that scriptural citations too should definitely appear within this typeface format including book names associated with them – remember “Are Dissertation Titles Italicised” question has already been answered herewith!.

6. User Experience Matters: Assessing Reader Perception with and without Italics in Dissertations

In academic writing the use of italics is a common practice, especially for titles. The question “are dissertation titles italicized” has been subject to much debate and hasn’t always had an answer cut and dry. However, it can be understood that using italics may affect how readers interact with text in dissertations or any kind of document.

It is essential to consider user experience when writing which provides insight into understanding reader perception with and without italics usage in documents such as a dissertation. By carefully assessing reader interaction we are able to develop better expectations than whether “are dissertation titles italicized” can influence engagement at different levels within the text: structure, layout design, overall organization etc. Here’s what needs to be kept in mind:

• Structure : Italics helps define chunks of information by providing visual cues.
• Layout Design : Highlighting important words or phrases draw focus while adding emphasis improving readability.

Furthermore, assuring that each element works together like they should has beneficial effects on accessibility since studies have shown that people tend to gravitate towards objects which appear familiar (evaluating if ‘dissertation titles are Italicized’ accurately) – this affects comprehension rates as well as time spent reading thus ensuring special attention given when organizing content will result in increased productivity & learning outcomes from users who digest your work/research etc

7. Conclusion Reached? Insights into Whether to Embrace or Abandon the Practice of Italicizing Dissertation Titles

In the world of academic writing, opinions on whether dissertation titles should be italicized are divided. One school of thought holds that they should always appear in quotation marks; while another school views them as similar to book and journal titles and thus deserving of italics. To settle this debate once and for all, there is a need to analyze the given evidence from both sides.

On one hand, many college style guides recommend using quotation marks around dissertation titles since they emphasize originality by distinguishing such works from published ones instead of giving it undue importance through traditional formatting conventions like italicizing. Additionally, treating dissertations with special reverence sends an erroneous message about their status within academia when compared to other written materials such as books or journals which also have their respective title styles accompanying them (in terms ibid referencing). On top of that, some higher education institutions require students not to use any formating options whatsoever when including dissertation titles in essays and papers submitted for assessment or publication.

However, there are strong arguments in favor of embracing the practice – namely if consistency with existing usage patterns is desired since most online databases list these documents under “Italicized Titles” rather than quoting them only.

Further research into how recent doctoral candidates format their work could provide valuable insights into whether-or-not we still need to ask ourselves: Are Dissertation Titles Italicized? Professors may choose go beyond surveys however by asking established authors who specialize on PhD document preparation what approach do they find better suited for disseration titling conventions.— a possible indication that despite adopting contemporary approaches more often favored by educational entities worldwide followed suit anyway out respect for tradition (and perhaps due ease adoption). As we reach the end of this thought-provoking journey into the realm of dissertation titles, it becomes apparent that there is no definitive answer to the perennial question: To italicize or not to italicize? The debate surrounding this seemingly insignificant decision has sparked an intellectual discourse like never before. While some cling passionately to traditional conventions, arguing for the elegance and clarity brought by italics, others champion a minimalist approach, advocating for simpler and more streamlined communication.

What we have discovered throughout this exploration is that our perception of style is inherently subjective. There are guidelines aplenty, set in stone by language authorities worldwide; yet they fail to provide a resounding verdict on italicization. This ambivalence challenges us as writers and scholars to embrace creativity while remaining mindful of academic expectations.

In reality, choosing whether or not to utilize italics ultimately rests upon one’s personal preference guided by established norms within their field. Italicization can offer emphasis when needed but can also disrupt visual flow if overused. By navigating these uncharted waters with finesse and discretion, we can strike a balance between adherence and innovation.

So let us bid farewell now – armed with newfound knowledge – equipped with open minds ready to tackle future projects amidst the vast sea of academia’s intricacies. Whatever path you choose in your written endeavors henceforth shall be informed by your understanding here today: that boldness lies both in embracing tradition and challenging its boundaries.

May your dissertations shine brilliantly regardless of typography choices made along the way—a testament not only to your scholarly prowess but also indicative of an ever-evolving landscape where interpretations may differ while excellence remains constant!

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Last Updated: Jun 27, 2023 Views: 112073

In APA Style 7th edition, the source is italicized:

• The journal/magazine/newspaper titles are italicized.
• Article titles are not italicized.
• Book titles are italicized. 
• Chapter titles are not italicized.
• The title of the artwork is italicized.
• The title of the webpage is italicized.

For more information, see the APA Style's Reference Examples This link opens in a new window .

Longer works like books, journals, etc. should be italicized and shorter works like poems, articles, etc. should be put in quotations. For example, a book title would be placed in italics but an article title would be placed in quotation marks.

Chicago Style

The titles of major works like books, journals, etc. should be italicized (this also includes legal cases and some other special names) and subsections of larger works like book chapters, articles, etc. should be put in quotations. For example, the title of a legal case would be placed in italics but a book chapter would be placed in quotation marks.

More Information

• MLA Guide  (Shapiro Library) 
• APA Guide  (Shapiro Library)
• Chicago Style Guide  (Shapiro Library)

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate use of italics and quotation marks in your class assignments and projects.

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To access academic support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

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To access help with citation and more, visit Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:

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When To Italicize – The Rules You Need To Know

Updated: December 23, 2022

Published: June 30, 2020

English has a lot of grammatical rules to keep in mind. From the usage of commas to capitalization, knowing how to write properly is an important skill to hone for those in school and beyond. Whether you are writing research papers or formal letters, you’ll come across instances of italicization. Knowing when to italicize is an important skill to master.

Let’s take a look at how italics came to exist and when to italicize. With this guide, you’ll soon be an italics pro!

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

The history behind italics.

Italics is when a typeface is slanted to the right. Like this!

Italics are used to distinguish words from other parts of the text and draw attention. Like underlining, it can create emphasis; therefore, you wouldn’t want to both underline and italicize the same word. Yet, underlining and italicizing may often be used interchangeably.

Underlining was the precursor to italicizing. Once word processors and printers became more sophisticated to handle italics, it has become a popular alternative to underlining.

When To Italicize

With this being said, using italics isn’t always a choice of personal preference. There are rules and guidelines to follow to know when to italicize. Let’s take a look at some of the rules!

7 Rules For Italics

1. emphasis.

Want a word or phrase to stand out in a block of text? Try writing in italics. Example: I went to grab pizza with friends today. It was so delicious that I ate an entire pie. (Notice how you read the word “so” with more emphasis than the rest of the words in that statement).

2. Titles Of Work

The titles of works should be italicized (or underlined). Examples include:

• Books – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• Newspapers – The Los Angeles Times
• Movies – The Dark Knight
• Magazines – People
• Plays – A Streetcar Named Desire
• Works of Art – Frida Kahlo’s The Two Fridas
• TV/radio programs – Friends
• CDs/albums – Drake’s Views

3. Articles

Based on the above, you may be questioning, “Are articles italicized?” Articles are shorter forms of work. As such, they are put into quotation marks rather than italicized. For example, you could write something like: In his article “A Mystery Explained” for The New York Times, the author exposed the details of the crime.

4. Foreign Words

If you’re writing in one language but you want to introduce a word in another language, you may consider italicizing it. For example, “The word for war in Spanish is guerra.”

5. Names Of Trains, Ships, Spaceships

Words that are names of transportation vehicles (with the exception of cars) are italicized. For example, the space shuttle Challenger is in italics.

6. Words As Reproduced Sounds

If you want to write out the way something sounds, then you can leverage italics. To depict, “The bees went bzzz in my ear.” This doesn’t mean that you would write verbs that are sounds in italics. (i.e., “There was a loud thud.”)

7. Words As Words

When you are writing a word to use it as a word for reference, then you can put it in italics. For example, “He defined close in context of the situation as being within 6 feet of each other.”

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Examples for when to use italics.

There are various writing formats that have slightly different rules. When you’re writing a scholarly paper, you may be advised to write in MLA format or APA format.

The MLA format may allow for interchangeability between italics and underlines. In the APA format, these are some examples of when to use and when not to use italics — and they aren’t always in line with the examples above. In APA format, for example, you should not use italics just for emphasis.

So before writing any scholarly paper, it’s useful to double check the rules for italics according to the specific guidelines.

Use Italics

• First introduction to a new term – i.e., “ Communism is defined as, ‘ a form of government…’”
• Titles of book and web pages – i.e., “ Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson”
• English letters used as math symbols – i.e., “Solve for the variable x .”
• Anchors of scale – i.e., “Rate your experience on a scale of 1 ( extremely dissatisfied ) to 10 ( extremely satisfied )”
• First use of words in a different language – i.e., “She was the crème de la crème .”

Do Not Use Italics

• For the title of book series – i.e., “the Dan Brown series”
• Punctuation around italics – i.e., “( extremely dissatisfied )”
• Words from foreign languages that are in the dictionary of the language you are writing – i.e., “per se”

Things To Remember

This list of rules and exceptions can feel overwhelming. And there’s still more to learn and remember on top of the points above! Keep in mind:

• Don’t italicize the titles of songs, chapters in books, or poems. Instead, use quotations. For example, you could write: On the Drake album Views, I really like the song “Fire & Desire.”
• Don’t italicize religious texts – i.e., the Torah or the Koran. Instead, these are capitalized.
• Don’t underline and italicize together like this . (That sure is painful to read!)

Although there is a lot to remember when it comes to what to italicize, the good news is that you can always research whether or not something should be italicized online or refer back to this list!

Italics Or Not? That Is The Question

As a student, it’s important to fine tune your grammar skills now so that when you graduate and enter the workforce, you can produce exemplary work every time!

As mentioned, when writing research papers or any other academic paper, your professor will share what standards they want you to abide by. Whether it’s MLA or APA formats, you can look up the rules for when to italicize before and during the writing process.

Then, when you edit, be sure to check all your usages of underlines, italics, and quotation marks to ensure they are implemented correctly!

Related Articles

Do You Italicize Book Titles? And Other Title Conundrums

by Alice Sudlow | 41 comments

Italics, quotation marks, underlines, plain old capital letters—when it comes to writing titles, the rules can feel like a confusing mess. Do you italicize book titles? What about movie titles?

And for goodness' sake, what should you do with pesky things like TV shows, short stories, or YouTube videos?

With so many different kinds of media, it's easy to get lost in all the rules. Plus, the rules can vary depending on which style guide you use. The Modern Language Association (MLA) follows a certain set of grammar rules, APA style another, and the Chicago Manual of Style outlines yet another. It's important to determine which style guide you'll use, then follow the rules for that specific style.

The good news is, when it comes to the use of italics, MLA, APA, and Chicago style share many commonalities. Let’s demystify these italics, shall we?

One Rule of Writing Titles

There are two ways we typically indicate titles: by italicizing them, or by putting them in “quotation marks.” We’ll get into the nuances of each in a moment. But let’s start off with one core principle:

Italicize the titles of works that are larger, like the titles of books, albums, and movies. For shorter works, like a journal article title, song title, or a poem title, use quotation marks.

For example, you would italicize the name of the book, like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , but you wouldn't italicize the book chapter titles, like “The Worst Birthday” and “Mudbloods and Murmurs.” Chapter titles go in quotation marks.

For some kinds of media, like book titles, the rules are clear. For others, like YouTube videos, they’re a little fuzzier.

Whatever kind of media you're working with, examine it through this principle: italics for large works; quotation marks for small or shorter works.

This principle will help you navigate those areas of uncertainty like a pro.

When Do You Italicize a Title?

Always italicize the titles of larger works such as books, movies, anthologies, newspapers and magazines. Additionally, newer media, such as vlogs and podcasts, may be italicized.

What are other examples of large works? I’m glad you asked.

A large work might be:

• A book , like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• A movie , like The Dark Knight
• An anthology , like The Norton Anthology of English Literature
• A television show , like Friends
• A magazine , like The New Yorker
• A newspaper , like The New York Times
• An album , like Abbey Road

This principle holds true for newer forms of media, too, like:

• A vlog , like Vlogbrothers
• A podcast , like This American Life

The short answer: Do you italicize book titles? Yes.

When Do You Use Quotation Marks?

What do anthologies, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, vlogs, and podcasts all have in common? They’re all comprised of many smaller parts.

When you’re writing the title of a smaller work, put it in quotation marks. A small work might be:

• A short story , like “The Lottery”
• A poem , like “The Road Not Taken”
• An episode of a TV show , like “The One With the Monkey”
• An article in a magazine or newspaper , like “Obama’s Secret to Surviving the White House Years”
• A song , like “Here Comes the Sun”
• An episode of a vlog , like “Men Running on Tanks and the Truth About Book Editors”
• An episode of a podcast , like “Just What I Wanted”
• A webpage , like “Do You Italicize Book Titles? And Other Title Conundrums”

What About a Series of Books?

It's straightforward enough to capitalize the title of a standalone book, like Moby Dick or Pride and Prejudice . But what if you're referencing a book series?

In this case, each individual book title is italicized: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , etc.

The title of the series, though, is not italicized: the Harry Potter series.

What About Punctuation?

Do you italicize commas? Question marks? Exclamation points?

If the punctuation is part of the title, then yes, it too is italicized. For instance, every comma in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is italicized.

If the punctuation is not part of the title, though, be sure to turn off italics before you type it! Here's an example:

“What do you think of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ?” “I love it! Also, Oklahoma! is one of my favorite musicals.”

Note that in the first example, the question mark is not italicized. In the second, the exclamation point is italicized because it's part of the title of the musical.

Do You Underline Titles? And Other Ways to Indicate Titles

We haven’t always used italics to indicate titles. Before word processing developed italics that were easy to type and easy to read, the titles of larger works were underlined. Since handwriting italics is difficult, underlining the titles of larger works is still an acceptable notation in handwritten documents.

As our communication evolves, so has our ways of indicating titles. If you’re writing a post on Facebook, for instance, there’s no option to italicize or underline. In situations where neither is an option, many people use ALL CAPS to indicate titles of larger works.

Be Clear and Consistent

Here’s the secret: in the end, all these rules are arbitrary anyway, and different style guides have developed their own nuances for what should and shouldn’t be italicized or put in quotation marks. If you're writing something formal, remember to double-check your style guide to make sure you're following their guidelines.

Remember, though, that ultimately, the only purpose for these rules is to help the reader understand what the writer is trying to communicate. Do you italicize book titles? Whatever you’re writing, whether it’s a dissertation or a tweet, be clear and consistent in the way you indicate titles.

If you hold to that rule, no one will be confused.

Are there any kinds of titles you’re not sure how to write? Let us know in the comments .

Need more grammar help? My favorite tool that helps find grammar problems and even generates reports to help improve my writing is ProWritingAid . Works with Word, Scrivener, Google Docs, and web browsers. Also, be sure to use my coupon code to get 20 percent off: WritePractice20

Coupon Code:WritePractice20 »

Your prompt: two friends are discussing their favorite media—books, podcasts, TV shows, etc. Write their conversation using as many titles as you can (and indicating them correctly!).

Pro tip: to italicize a title in the comments, surround the text with the HTML tags <em></em>.

Write for fifteen minutes . When you’re done, share your practice in the Pro Workshop here , and be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!

Not a member? Join us here .

Alice Sudlow

Alice Sudlow is the Editor-in-Chief of The Write Practice and a Story Grid certified developmental editor. Her specialty is in crafting transformative character arcs in young adult novels. She also has a keen eye for comma splices, misplaced hyphens, and well-turned sentences, and is known for her eagle-eyed copywriter skills. Get her free guide to how to edit your novel at alicesudlow.com .

41 Comments

In the movie, “Gone with the Wind”, Rhett Butler said, “Frankly Scarlet, I don’t give a damn!”

(Note: I was unable to use italics in this comment section…. Oh well!)

R. Allan Worrell

You’re running into that same problem that’s prompted the use of all caps on Facebook, and that used to standardize underlining titles: when technology makes it difficult to use the notation you want! That’s a fantastic quote nonetheless.

Alice –

Oh God! The problem with tech! Can you just imagine having a last name with 25 or 30 characters? Many Indian names (from India) are that large, and I would imagine some hyphenated names come close.

“Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate!” ha, ha, ha!

That line was printed on IBM punch cards… way before your time! I never did learn what the word “spindle” meant! ha, ha.

Do you know of any other tech “gotcha’s”???? I think this is a fun subject!

Cheers Alice!

R. Allan Worrell Author: Father John’s Gift

Though it seems content is really more important that the rules of conventions, I am glad to see others are as concerned about accuracy as I am. That said, take note that “Gone With the Wind” should be “Gone with the Wind.” Articles, prepositions, and conjunctions are not capitalized in titles.

I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this! I love thinking through all the nuances of tricky grammar rules and style guidelines, and I’m glad I’m not the only one.

You’re right about Gone with the Wind —according to Chicago style, prepositions aren’t capitalized. In general, though, on The Write Practice we lean towards AP style for title capitalization. That means capitalizing words with four or more letters, regardless of their part of speech. Thanks for pointing that out!

Most of this is what I thought. We used to underline; now we italicize.

However, what do you do when you’re talking about a newspaper as a company: I got a job at The Washington Post. Also, What about sayings: My mother always used to say, all’s well that ends well. My mother is not saying this now, so I can’t use quotes. Would I italicize?

We have the option of adding “that”: My mother used to say that all’s well that ends well.

Your mother used to say “All’s well that ends well.” with quotation marks being appropriate whether or not she’s alive. We still quote Mark Twain with quotation marks, and his death is no longer exaggerated.

Thank you, Wordwizard.

I wouldn’t italicize a company name, but I don’t know if there is generally a rule that dictates that.

I think there is a difference between Macy’s and The Washington Post. One is a publication; the other is not. And therein lies my question.

In Australian English at least, the main issue is context. If you mean The Washington Post as a company, then you use roman. If you mean The Washington Post as a publication, then you italicise.

That’s how I would do it too.

You’ve gotten some great answers below; I’ll just jump in to offer my confirmation.

In Chicago style, the company The Washington Post is not italicized: “She works for The Washington Post.” The publication is italicized: “I read an article in The Washington Post .”

As for the saying, you would put it in quotes. For instance: “All’s well that ends well,” as my mother used to say. You’re still quoting your mother, even if it’s not something she’s saying right now, so you would use quotation marks.

Books get treated one way, and short stories another, but where do novellas and novelettes fall? What if you are unsure which of the four slippery categories something falls within? A children’s picture book is the length of a short story—

Because a children’s picture book is a complete book, and because it is usually bound as a book, you do need to italicise its title. Remember also that the pictures are an inherent part of a children’s picture book, so if each picture adds a thousand words…

Under the standards for Australian English, the main consideration for formatting titles is whether the story is bound on its own or as part of a greater work.

So if your novella or novellette is published on its own, then the title should be formatted as a novel. If published as a part of a collection or anthology, it should be titled like a short story.

The categories as defined by the Hugo Awards categories (which I follow as I write speculative fiction) are below. I have sourced these from the Hugos website:

Novel: A story of forty thousand (40,000) words or more. Novella: A story of between seventeen thousand five hundred (17,500) and forty thousand (40,000) words. Novelette: A story of between seven thousand five hundred (7,500) and seventeen thousand five hundred (17,500) words. Short Story: A story of less than seven thousand five hundred (7,500) words.

Thank you, David. However, I need to know American conventions (British would be good, too.). Also, sometimes the same work is published both as a children’s book, and as a story in a larger work. What then?

I cannot actually tell you those conventions, but I do know that US English uses The Chicago Manual of Style which has an online portal.

British English uses The Oxford Manual of Style.

For works that have been published both alone and also as part of a greater work, I would recommend either using the style that relates to how you are citing the work. Alternatively, I would say you are free to choose whichever best suits your current need.

Davidh’s given some great answers, so there’s not a lot I can add.

Not sure about Chicago style, but MLA style (Modern Language Association style, used for research in literature and the humanities) would have you italicize the names of novellas and novelettes that have been published separately. For instance, Heart of Darkness is a novella, but because it’s been published as its own work, you would italicize the title.

If they have been published as works within a collection or anthology, you would indicate the title with quotation marks, as you would with a short story or poem.

Children’s books may be short, but they’re definitely books, their own complete works. Those titles are italicized.

If a novella or novelette has been published both independently and in a collection, I would err towards italicizing the title. Some anthologies, like The Norton Anthology of English Literature , include works of all lengths, even entire novels and plays. So if a novella has been published separately, I would italicize it, even if it appears elsewhere in a collection.

Obviously, some of these guidelines get dicier as I go along. I’d recommend checking out a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style or searching the manual online (you’ll need a subscription, though). Also, as you write, you can establish your own style to handle these nitty-gritty nuances. As all these style manuals indicate, the intricacies of indicating titles are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules.

Hope that helps!

I only just finished editing several stories of a friend of mine, and I spent a lot of time struggling with italics. If it’s a name of a ship, do you italicize it? What about a government Act? e.g. Would you use italics the way I do in this sentence? “The government passed The Underwater Basket Weaving Act ?

Under Australian English at least, ship’s abbreviations are NOT italicised, but ship’s names are. So in HMAS Condamine, HMAS (“Her Majesty’s Australian Ship”) should be in roman, and Condamine should be in italics.

Very useful. Thanks again.

Again, in Australian English, the rules for Acts and Ordinances of Parliament are a little less simple than many other things.

Our Acts and Ordinances have short formal titles that are approved within the legislation.

The first time you refer to the Act or Ordinance within a work, you need to use the full title (exactly as defined within the Act, including the year, any articles, prepositions, etc.) in italics. Subsequent references need to be in roman text and may (as in optionally) omit the year.

You do not use quotation marks.

So the first time you mention it, it should be in italics: Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (sorry, I’m unsure how to put in italics here).

Subsequent mentions within the same work should be in roman text but can omit the year: Acts Interpretation Act.

I am not sure whether these standards apply outside of Australia, but they may be a good starting point for research into the proper form for your local English.

By the way, the Acts Interpretation Act is a real Act under Australian Law. It defines the rules on how to interpret other Acts of the Australian Parliament. I once wrote a short humour piece about it for a newspaper here.

That sounds reasonable. Thank you!

You are welcome! I enjoy this sort of thing!

Those are great questions, Karon—and those are the kinds of nitty-gritty things that make style rules like this complicated. Davidh’s given you great answers.

As he says, ships’ abbreviations aren’t italicized; their names are: USS Enterprise .

As far as I can tell, Chicago style would have you italicize the name of an act. The “the” isn’t part of the name, though, so it would look like this: the Underwater Basket Weaving Act .

This guide doesn’t cover every instance (like the two you brought up), and it’s a little out of date, but I still find it a helpful place to start when I’m wondering what italicize.

Thank you! I’m going to save your article and the one at the link.

Hi, Alice! This is a great post! I have always had doubts about that. I think I used to use quotation marks (for everything) in the past, but lately, I have been using italics (again, for everything). I don’t remember why I changed. But your rule is very simple and makes sense to me, so I think I am adopting it from now on. Thank you very much!

I have another doubt about titles: do you capitalize every word in a title? Or just the first word? Maybe every word, except for prepositions and conjunctions? I’d love to read a post about that!

Hi, Andressa! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

That’s a great question about titles, and there are a lot of different answers—different style guides say different things. Here’s a quick summary:

– Always capitalize the first word in a title. – Always capitalize the last word. – Capitalize all the important words.

That last point is where things get dicey. Chicago style does NOT capitalize articles, prepositions, and conjunctions. AP style DOES capitalize all words of four letters or longer.

I sometimes cheat and use an online title capitalization tool like this one to capitalize titles for me.

You’re right—there’s more than enough material for a post here. I’m taking note! 🙂

Hi! Thank you very much for replying! I’m taking notes here. Thank you for the helpful link, too! I’ll keep an eye out for a post on the topic. 😉

Thank you for this handy reminder.

The standards you describe appear identical to those used in Australian English.

Most national Englishes have their own standards, so it is important to know which authority is accepted for your own version of English.

So for Australian English, the official standard is the Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers published by Wylie. I understand that the Sixth Edition (published 2002) is still current.

The Style Manual is accepted by the Australian Government and various authorities to be the official standard for Australian English. It is a dry, but to me, nonetheless fascinating resource. I keep a copy on or next to my desk at all times.

This is very interesting. I’m not British, but we use British English in my country. I wonder if there is a style manual I can access.

I understand British English uses The Oxford Manual of Style. You may want to Google local retailers.

That’s so true—it’s important to follow the style guide for your type of writing. In the United States, we use several different style guides depending on the discipline and purpose of writing. AP style is used in journalism, for example, and Chicago style is used by book writers. Even between styles, there can be dramatic differences; check out this comparison of AP and Chicago style . (It’s a little out of date, but but still helpful.)

For this post, I’ve focused mainly on Chicago style guidelines for indicating titles. But of course, for any kind of formal writing, you’ll want to double-check the style guide that’s relevant to you.

Can titles of long or large works like books be in bold instead of italics? I often use italics to indicate thoughts. Is this the right way?

You’re not alone in using italics to indicate thoughts; that’s a very common way of writing them. When you write the title of a book within those thoughts, it’s actually not italicized for contrast:

I’ve never read Gone With the Wind , but maybe I should , she thought.

If you’re writing something less formal, like a post on your own blog or a letter to a friend, you could choose to use bold instead of italics. Just remember to be consistent within that work so that your readers understand that’s what you’re doing, since it’s not how we’re used to seeing titles.

I was taught to put titles of major books in bold, but has that changed to italics now?

I usually use quotation marks. It makes it easier. Thank you. This was really helpful!!

You’re welcome! I’m glad it’s been helpful.

I tend to type book titles in caps when I’m writing for emails, email lists, and various forms of promotion because a huge amount of time, the italics disappear. Sure, it’s wrong, but it beats having the book title disappear in a sea of text.

Thanks for sharing, my mother language, as you probably already noticed is not English, I published my first novel (in Spanish) and now I want to publish it in English, one of the first things I have to decide is if I use Italics, Capitalize all or it or what :-(. The title is “TAU 6 AND THE INVASION” it is a 300 pages science fiction novel. Can you make any recommendations? Best regads

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