Italic, title case
Italic, sentence case
Part of a greater whole
(e.g., journal article, book chapter, e-book chapter, newspaper article, magazine article, blog post, television episode, webisode, webpage, tweet, Facebook update, encyclopedia entry, Wikipedia entry, dictionary entry, song)
Inside double quotation marks, title case
“Longitudinal Impact of Parental and Adolescent Personality on Parenting”
Not inside any quotation marks, sentence case
Longitudinal impact of parental and adolescent personality on parenting
More on Italics Versus Nonitalics
As you can see in the table above, the titles of works that stand alone (such as a book or a report) are italicized in both the text and the reference list. In contrast, the titles of works that are part of a greater whole (such as an article, which is part of a journal, or a book chapter, which is part of a book) are not italicized in either place, and only in the text are they put inside quotation marks. If you are having difficulty determining whether something stands alone (such as a webpage that may or may not be part of a greater website), choose not to italicize.
More on Capitalization: Title Case Versus Sentence Case
APA Style uses two kinds of capitalization to format reference titles, which are also mentioned in the table above: title case and sentence case. APA’s title case refers to a capitalization style in which most words are capitalized, and sentence case refers to a capitalization style in which most words are lowercased. In both cases, proper nouns and certain other types of words are always capitalized . Here are more detailed directions for implementing title case and sentence case .
Text Examples
As shown in the table above, title case is used for the titles of references when they appear in the text of an APA Style paper. Here are some examples of titles written in title case (of an article and a book, respectively), as they might appear in a sentence in the text of a paper:
The article “Psychological Distress, Acculturation, and Mental Health-Seeking Attitudes Among People of African Descent in the United States: A Preliminary Investigation” (Obasi & Leong, 2009) makes an important contribution to the mental health and acculturation literature. |
Students read stories of visual agnosia in (Sacks, 1985). |
Reference List Entry Examples
In contrast, sentence case is used for titles of references when they appear in reference list entries. See how the book and article titles look when capitalized in sentence case in these example reference list entries:
Obasi, E. M., & Leong, F. T. L. (2009). Psychological distress, acculturation, and mental health-seeking attitudes among people of African descent in the United States: A preliminary investigation. 227–238. doi:10.1037/a0014865 |
Sacks, O. (1985). . New York, NY: Harper & Row. |
We hope this helps you understand how to capitalize and format reference titles in APA Style.
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I noticed that proper nouns, such as names of theorems or techniques are often set in italics in scientific writing but not always. Are there rules about it, for example each proper noun should be set in italic the first time it occurs?
A contrived example
There are many different methods for adding two numbers:
Very Simple Addition (VSA) works by calculating a+b .
Unnecessary Complicated Addition (UCA) works by calculating -(-a-b) .
VSA is the method used by everyone but the British who use UCA because of tradition along with their foot-inch based measurement system.
The Style Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 2009, pp. 104-106) is very clear on the use of italics. Note especially the bold section (bold emphasis mine):
Use italics for titles of books, periodicals, films exception: italic words in the title (reverse italicization) genera, species, and varietes introduction of a new technical term (after a term has been used once, do not italicize it) a letter, word, or phrase cited as a linguistic example ("words such as big and little ") words that could be misread ("the small group", meaning a designation, not group size) letters used as statistical symbols or algebraic variables some test scores and scales periodical volume numbers in reference lists anchors of scale ("health ratings ranged from 1 ( poor ) to 5 ( excellent )") Do not use italics for foreign phrases and abbreviations common in English chemical terms trigonometric terms nonstatistial subscripts to statistical symbols or mathematical expressions Greek letters mere emphasis. (Italics are acceptable if emphasis might otherwise be lost; in general, however, use syntax to provide emphasis.) Incorrect: it is important to bear in mind that this process is not proposed as a stage theory of developments. letters used as abbreviations
I've been writing both in APA and MLA style, and I have never needed to emphasize words. Scientific discourse is encouraged to be neutral and self-constrained, and there are other, semantic, means to direct the reader's attention.
Italics are a common way to emphasize words. As such, it's best to use italics sparingly. A text where every proper noun is italicized gets very annoying to read; it'd be like listening to a commercial. If you're writing for a specific publication, check their style guide.
Italics are used to emphasize words in general writing, but in technical writing you may have to use them for other forms of distinctive treatment. For that reason, I do not use italics (or bold) for emphasis. Generally, I use bold to highlight terms that I think the reader won't know. I only use italics when my style guide calls for them. I generally ignore Chicago, MLA, and so forth for rules regarding distinctive treatment, unless my own style guide doesn't say anything. Even then, I discuss the style rules I use with the other people on my team before I put them into force.
Remember that concise, clear, and consistent documentation is our goal. Correct style is subservient to that goal. Other technical writers may question your choice, but readers won't be conscious of it.
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For APA Style, on the References page :
See the APA Help guide for examples. Click on APA Citation Examples - References & In-Text .
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You may have wondered in the middle of typing up a research project : Do I italicize a song title? What about a painting? Even the most experienced writers have a problem remembering the proper punctuation for certain types of titles. Books are italicized (or underlined) and articles are put in quotation marks. That's about as far as many people can remember.
Many teachers require students to use Modern Language Association style for research papers and essays covering language arts, cultural studies, and the humanities . There is a trick to remembering how to treat titles in MLA style, and it works well enough that you can commit most types of titles to memory. It's the big and little trick.
Big things and things that can stand on their own, like books, are italicized. Little things that are dependent or that come as part of a group, like chapters, are put into quotation marks. Think of a CD or an album as a major (big) work that can be divided into smaller parts, or songs. The individual song names (small part) are punctuated with quotation marks .
For example:
While this is not a perfect rule, it can be helpful for determining whether to italicize or surround an item in quotation marks when you have no resources at hand.
Furthermore, italicize or underline any published collection, like a book of poetry. Put the individual entry, like a poem, in quotation marks. However: a long, epic poem that is often published on its own would be treated like a book. The Odyssey is one example.
Creating a work of art is an enormous task. For that reason, you can think of art as a big accomplishment. That might sound a bit corny, but it will help you remember. Individual works of art, like paintings and sculptures, are underlined or italicized:
Note that a photograph—although not any less significant or important—is often much smaller than a work of created art, and is placed in quotation marks. Following are guidelines for punctuating titles according to MLA standards.
Works to put in italics include:
When deciding how to handle smaller works, put quotation marks around:
Some titles are merely capitalized and not given additional punctuation. These include:
In academic writing, use italics to indicate specific items within your text.
APA recommends using italics for the following:
Item within your text | Example sentence |
---|---|
Titles of books, journals, movies, and more | The is a helpful tool for students to use in their scholarly writing. |
Introducing a new term | A group of words working together that contains a subject and a verb is called a . |
Measurements on a scale | Participants could choose between and on the survey. |
General/scientific names, species, and varieties | Humans are |
Letters in statistical symbols and algebraic values | = 35 |
The first use of a word, phrase, or abbreviation from another language when readers may not be familiar with it | The phrase is sometimes used to wish someone a fast recovery from a health problem. |
Additional Resources:
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A title page is required for all APA Style papers. There are both student and professional versions of the title page. Students should use the student version of the title page unless their instructor or institution has requested they use the professional version. APA provides a student title page guide (PDF, 199KB) to assist students in creating their title pages.
The student title page includes the paper title, author names (the byline), author affiliation, course number and name for which the paper is being submitted, instructor name, assignment due date, and page number, as shown in this example.
Title page setup is covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 2.3 and the Concise Guide Section 1.6
Student papers do not include a running head unless requested by the instructor or institution.
Follow the guidelines described next to format each element of the student title page.
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Paper title | Place the title three to four lines down from the top of the title page. Center it and type it in bold font. Capitalize of the title. Place the main title and any subtitle on separate double-spaced lines if desired. There is no maximum length for titles; however, keep titles focused and include key terms. |
|
Author names | Place one double-spaced blank line between the paper title and the author names. Center author names on their own line. If there are two authors, use the word “and” between authors; if there are three or more authors, place a comma between author names and use the word “and” before the final author name. | Cecily J. Sinclair and Adam Gonzaga |
Author affiliation | For a student paper, the affiliation is the institution where the student attends school. Include both the name of any department and the name of the college, university, or other institution, separated by a comma. Center the affiliation on the next double-spaced line after the author name(s). | Department of Psychology, University of Georgia |
Course number and name | Provide the course number as shown on instructional materials, followed by a colon and the course name. Center the course number and name on the next double-spaced line after the author affiliation. | PSY 201: Introduction to Psychology |
Instructor name | Provide the name of the instructor for the course using the format shown on instructional materials. Center the instructor name on the next double-spaced line after the course number and name. | Dr. Rowan J. Estes |
Assignment due date | Provide the due date for the assignment. Center the due date on the next double-spaced line after the instructor name. Use the date format commonly used in your country. | October 18, 2020 |
| Use the page number 1 on the title page. Use the automatic page-numbering function of your word processing program to insert page numbers in the top right corner of the page header. | 1 |
The professional title page includes the paper title, author names (the byline), author affiliation(s), author note, running head, and page number, as shown in the following example.
Follow the guidelines described next to format each element of the professional title page.
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Paper title | Place the title three to four lines down from the top of the title page. Center it and type it in bold font. Capitalize of the title. Place the main title and any subtitle on separate double-spaced lines if desired. There is no maximum length for titles; however, keep titles focused and include key terms. |
|
Author names
| Place one double-spaced blank line between the paper title and the author names. Center author names on their own line. If there are two authors, use the word “and” between authors; if there are three or more authors, place a comma between author names and use the word “and” before the final author name. | Francesca Humboldt |
When different authors have different affiliations, use superscript numerals after author names to connect the names to the appropriate affiliation(s). If all authors have the same affiliation, superscript numerals are not used (see Section 2.3 of the for more on how to set up bylines and affiliations). | Tracy Reuter , Arielle Borovsky , and Casey Lew-Williams | |
Author affiliation
| For a professional paper, the affiliation is the institution at which the research was conducted. Include both the name of any department and the name of the college, university, or other institution, separated by a comma. Center the affiliation on the next double-spaced line after the author names; when there are multiple affiliations, center each affiliation on its own line.
| Department of Nursing, Morrigan University |
When different authors have different affiliations, use superscript numerals before affiliations to connect the affiliations to the appropriate author(s). Do not use superscript numerals if all authors share the same affiliations (see Section 2.3 of the for more). | Department of Psychology, Princeton University | |
Author note | Place the author note in the bottom half of the title page. Center and bold the label “Author Note.” Align the paragraphs of the author note to the left. For further information on the contents of the author note, see Section 2.7 of the . | n/a |
| The running head appears in all-capital letters in the page header of all pages, including the title page. Align the running head to the left margin. Do not use the label “Running head:” before the running head. | Prediction errors support children’s word learning |
| Use the page number 1 on the title page. Use the automatic page-numbering function of your word processing program to insert page numbers in the top right corner of the page header. | 1 |
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APA has specific guidelines for the use of italics. You can find them in APA 7, Section 6.22. As a general rule, use italics sparingly.
According to the manual, italics are appropriate for:
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is… In the show Friends , Rachel and Ross… The American Journal of Psychology includes…
The term zone of proximal development means.... Adolescents labeled high risk should...
Scores ranged from 0 ( never ) to 5 ( continuously )
Equus caballus
Italics are inappropriate for:
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I spend a lot of my editing hours at ProofreadingPal dealing with wayward italics, so let’s talk about times when they are used properly and when they aren’t.
Do: Some Titles
Some titles are italicized, and some are put in quotation marks. My handy rule of thumb is to think of titles in terms of being heavy and light.
A play is heavy: Waiting for Godot . An act is light: “Act 2: The Judgment.”
A magazine/journal is heavy: Fox and Hound . An article is light: “Better Oral Horse Health.”
Get a free sample proofread and edit for your italics. Two professional proofreaders will proofread and edit your italics.
Movies and TV shows are heavy: The Fugitive . An episode is light: “Viking Bikers from Hell” (extra points if you can name the TV show for that one).
A series of reports is heavy: US Treasury Dept. Reports on Global Finance . A single report is light: “Iran Economics.”
Don’t: Vocal Emphasis
This is the #1 misuse of italics. Fortunately, I’ve got a whole other post on how you should use sentence structure to create emphasis, not italics, bold, all-caps, and the like.
To put it briefly, the idea is that people shouldn’t need italics to get the meaning of what you’re saying. Besides , cuing the readers over and over that they should stress this word and then this word gets irritating .
Let the words do the talking, not the font.
Do: References (MLA, APA, Chicago)
Reference styles vary greatly with MLA , APA , and Chicago , but they do tend to follow the idea that “heavy” titles get italicized.
Don’t: Comparison Emphasis
Similar to vocal emphasis, this use of italics assumes readers are too stupid to figure out the important words on their own.
It’s clear when I say that being candid is quite different from being genuine which two words are being compared. Italicizing them does nothing. See for yourself:
Being candid is quite different from being genuine .
Do: Introducing/Defining a Term
APA and increasingly Chicago call for a term to be italicized when you’re introducing/defining the term, though this should be done only once.
For example:
There are three basic types of color work in knitting. Slip stitching involves knitting with one yarn color for two rows then switching to another color for the next two rows. Fair isle knitting brings two or more colors along for the ride on all rows. Intarsia involves knitting with alternate yarns on the same row by using separate yarn skeins. Intarsia can get quite complicated compared to fair isle, which is also called stranded color work .
Don’t: Common Non-English Terms
Almost all of English comes from some other language, though some words seem more “foreign” than others. Once a French, Spanish, German, Latin, or whatever term becomes commonly used, you don’t put it in italics anymore, such as:
(The exception is some scientific names no matter how often they’re used.)
Do: The Written Word
This is primarily for fiction writing. When you have a character read a sign or a letter, it’s traditional for the words to be italicized.
She walked out of the door marked Private .
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Don’t: Epigraphs
It can be fun to put little thoughts and quotes at the beginning of chapters and long passages, but don’t put them in italics.
Do: Thought-Speak
Again, this is a fiction thing. While spoken dialogue goes in quotation marks (unless you’re James Joyce ), when characters are thinking to themselves or telepathically communicating with someone else, the words get italicized.
The lights in the bedroom began to flicker. Great , Dean thought. That’s either a bad bulb or some showboating ghost .
In a related vein, dialogue that’s “off screen” goes into italics as well, such as a voice on the other end of a phone or the announcer’s voice on TV.
Don’t: Long Passages
Finally, italics are hard to read. A page full of that slanted script is severely off-putting. You need to figure out ways around that when you can. If a whole chapter is going to be a letter, have mercy on the readers’ eyes and use plain text. Bend the rules if you’re writing need to. Got a heated argument among fifteen telepaths? Figure something out.
And it’s worth repeating: don’t use italics for simple emphasis unless you really, really need to.
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Home > Blog > Tips for Online Students > Tips for Students > Knowing When To Underline Or Italicize: Your Go-To Guide
Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students
Updated: June 19, 2024
Published: May 27, 2021
Knowing when to underline or italicize can be confusing. But it doesn’t have to be! In this article, we’ll lay out all the basics, plus a few common difficulties that confuse many writers, so you’ll be an expert in no time.
At the end of the article, you’ll get the chance to practice your hand at some sample sentences, so you’ll be sure that you know the ins and outs of using italics and underlines.
In the past (before computers and MLA handbooks), italics and underlines were used to emphasize certain words or titles within the text. It let the reader know what was important, or what was separate from the rest of the sentence. They were both used interchangeably, as long as they were consistent.
Now, with the ability to change formatting with the click of a button, italics are generally used to indicate titles, and only sometimes for emphasis. Meanwhile, underlining is mostly reserved to replace italics in handwritten papers. Manuals and guidebooks, such as the MLA handbook, are now widely used in large institutions or according to the country’s standards, so that specific writing conventions, grammar rules, and formatting styles have become uniform.
With that said, the general rule is that italics are used for titles of books, movies, TV and radio shows, magazines, works of art, and long poems. As mentioned before, underlining is a substitute for italics when writing titles by hand.
Titles of long works.
Titles that should be italicized are longer works. These include titles of books, movies, TV and radio shows, journals and magazines, and long poems. In the next section, we’ll see how these works differ from titles of shorter works which are put in quotations instead.
The titles of smaller works are put in “quotations” in order to differentiate them from longer works. These smaller works include titles of chapters, short stories, TV or radio show episodes, articles, and short poems.
In the examples below, note how you can recognize the difference between the shorter works and larger works just by seeing how they are emphasized in the sentence. This makes it impossible to confuse the title of a chapter with the book that it belongs to, or the episode from its TV show.
Question marks.
Confusion can come up when a title includes a question mark or an exclamation mark in the title itself. For example, the book Who Has Seen the Wind? includes a question mark in it.
The way to deal with these titles is to italicize the question mark as well, just as it is above. By doing so, you can differentiate this title from an actual question, such as writing: Have you read Gone With the Wind ?
The same idea applies to exclamation marks — for example, the movie Mamma Mia! , which includes an exclamation mark in the title. Note the italicization, and the difference between writing Mamma Mia! , the movie, and writing: I can’t believe that you never watched The Parent Trap !
The confusion of commas and periods when it comes to quotations is a debate between different handbooks and countries. According to the MLA (Modern Language Association) handbook, commas and periods are placed inside of quotation marks.
Let’s practice.
Try your hand at your new skills! Below are five sentences without any italics or quotations. Italicize the longer works and put the shorter works in quotations. If you get stuck, check back in the article, and you’ll be an expert in no time. Be sure to pay attention to tricky commas, periods, and question marks.
College essays .
No matter what you study in college, most students write a lot of essays during their school years. While some degrees may put more of an emphasis on writing proper essays , most teachers and professors will expect a certain level of basic grammar and formatting knowledge. Before you even step foot into college, you’ll most likely be expected to write an application essay . It’s important to put your best foot forward, and small formatting rules can go a long way in making a good first impression.
In addition to college essays, prospective employers and job positions will require and look for basic (or advanced, depending on the position) writing skills. Whether you think your dream job requires writing skills or not, writing is a part of everyday life and work, from emails and text messages, to presentations and reports. Having good writing skills will help you make a good first impression, land your dream job, and do your best work.
Having a successful career.
Though different students earn a degree for different reasons, many are hoping to work toward a successful career. In order to do this, the right preparation is key. Preparation may be earning a degree, gaining specific skills, or having the right guidance along the way.
University of the People prepares our students for successful careers by providing program advising , mentorship , and an emphasis on career development . We know that these extra details, much like formatting in an essay, make a big difference for the future success of our students. University of the People is a tuition-free online university that offers degree programs in business administration, computer science, health science, and education.
Now you know when to underline or italicize, and much more. To wrap up, italics should be used for the titles of longer works such as movies, books, and TV shows, and underlining for handwritten papers.
In addition, we hope you’ve learned the more tricky rules such as question marks and commas, and that you’ve given some thought to the importance of writing for your future education and success.
In this article
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When to use italics. In APA Style papers, use italics for the following cases: Mindfulness is defined as "the act of noticing new things, a process that promotes flexible responding to the demands of the environment" (Pagnini et al., 2016, p. 91). American Journal of Nursing, 119 (9), 47-53. Their favorite term of endearment was mon petit ...
Use quotation marks around the title if it is part of a larger work (e.g. a chapter of a book, an article in a journal, or a page on a website). All major words in a title are capitalized. The same format is used in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. Place in quotation marks. Italicize.
On an APA-style reference page, the rules for titles are a little different.In short, a title you would italicize within the body of a paper will also be italicized on a reference page. However, a title you'd place in quotation marks within the body of the paper (such as the title of an article within a journal) will be written without italics and quotation marks on the references page.
Italicize titles of longer works (e.g., books, edited collections, names of newspapers, and so on). Do not italicize, underline, or put quotes around the titles of shorter works such as chapters in books or essays in edited collections. Basic Rules for Articles in Academic Journals. Present journal titles in full. Italicize journal titles.
Book titles are italicized. Chapter titles are not italicized. Artwork: The title of the artwork is italicized. Webpage on a Website: The title of the webpage is italicized. For more information, see the APA Style's Reference Examples This link opens in a new window. MLA Style. Longer works like books, journals, etc. should be italicized and ...
Article titles are written using sentence case and are not italicized. Webpages and websites are italicized and written using sentence case. Examples: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (book title, American Psychological Association is a proper noun so it is capitalized) Student perspective of plagiarism (book chapter ...
Titles. Italicize titles of journals, magazines and newspapers. Do not italicize or use quotation marks for the titles of articles. ... Do not include the name of a database for works obtained from most academic research databases (e.g. APA PsycInfo, CINAHL) because works in these resources are widely available. ... The APA Sample Paper below ...
Italics. APA has specific guidelines for the use of italics. You can find them in APA 7, Section 6.22. As a general rule, use italics sparingly. According to the manual, italics are appropriate for: Titles of books, journals and periodicals, webpages, reports, films, videos, and other stand-alone works. The Publication Manual of the American ...
The formatting of the titles of sources you use in your paper depends on two factors: (a) the independence of the source (stands alone vs. part of a greater whole) and (b) the location of the title (in the text of the paper vs. in the reference list entry). The table below provides formatting directions and examples: Independence of source. Text.
Italicize the magazine title and volume number, but not the issue number in parentheses. If a magazine has a month and/or date, you may include that. In-text Citation. Parenthetical Citation: Approximately 20 million Americans have been recruited for clinical trials each year (Rodgers, 2009).
Although the title of a journal article or book chapter is not usually italicized, sometimes words within the title may be italicized. These include book or movie titles, letters or words as linguistic examples, statistics, scientific names for animals, and other items that would be italicized in text, per APA Style guidelines. Examples.
Use italics for. titles of books, periodicals, films exception: italic words in the title (reverse italicization) genera, species, and varietes; introduction of a new technical term (after a term has been used once, do not italicize it) a letter, word, or phrase cited as a linguistic example ("words such as big and little") words that could be ...
Italics and quotation marks are used to draw attention to text. For example, italics are used to draw attention to key terms and phrases when providing definitions and to format parts of reference list entries (e.g., titles of books and periodicals). Quotation marks are used to present linguistic examples and titles of book chapters and ...
To write the name of a journal/magazine title in the body of your paper:. The title of the journal should be in italics - Example: Journal of the American Medical Association; Capitalize all of the major words. To write the the name of an article title in the body of your paper:. The title of the article should be in quotation marks - E xample: "Tiger Woman on Wall Street"
For APA Style, on the References page:. The title of a book is in italics.; The title of a journal is in italics.; The title of a journal article is not in italics or in quotation marks.; See the APA Help guide for examples. Click on APA Citation Examples - References & In-Text.. In the body of your paper:. The name of a journal/magazine article should be in quotation marks.
No, typically you don't italicize article titles. Instead, you may enclose article titles in double quotation marks (MLA 9: "Article Title") or simply use regular font without quotation marks (APA 7: Article title). The exact format for article titles depends on the style guide you're using. Different academic disciplines use different ...
Books are italicized (or underlined) and articles are put in quotation marks. That's about as far as many people can remember. Many teachers require students to use Modern Language Association style for research papers and essays covering language arts, cultural studies, and the humanities .
In academic writing, use italics to indicate specific items within your text. APA recommends using italics for the following: Item within your text. Example sentence. Titles of books, journals, movies, and more. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is a helpful tool for students to use in their scholarly writing.
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. ... Are article titles italicized or placed in quotation marks? Article titles, along with shorter works like chapters and poems, should be placed in quotation marks rather than ...
Paper title. Place the title three to four lines down from the top of the title page. Center it and type it in bold font. Capitalize major words of the title. Place the main title and any subtitle on separate double-spaced lines if desired. There is no maximum length for titles; however, keep titles focused and include key terms.
Italics. APA has specific guidelines for the use of italics. You can find them in APA 7, Section 6.22. As a general rule, use italics sparingly. According to the manual, italics are appropriate for: titles of books, journals and periodicals, webpages, films, and videos. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is….
Do: Some Titles. Some titles are italicized, and some are put in quotation marks. My handy rule of thumb is to think of titles in terms of being heavy and light. A book is heavy, and a chapter is light. The title of a book is italicized because it's leaning under that weight: Living Right. A chapter just gets quotation marks: "Chapter 2 ...
Wrapping Up. Now you know when to underline or italicize, and much more. To wrap up, italics should be used for the titles of longer works such as movies, books, and TV shows, and underlining for handwritten papers. In addition, we hope you've learned the more tricky rules such as question marks and commas, and that you've given some ...