You do not italicize individual songs, short stories, or poems; instead, these are placed inside quotation marks. The Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (AP), and the Chicago Manual of Style all have specific protocols that writers must follow.
Italicize Book Titles: Your Essential Style Guide
Common Title Formatting Rules Work Type Formatting Example Books Italicize To Kill a Mockingbird Songs Quotation Marks "Blinding Lights" Television Series Italicize Breaking Bad Articles Quotation Marks "The Future of AI" Plays Italicize Hamlet Podcast Episodes Quotation Marks "The Interview" Contextual Usage and Underlining Generally, the rule of thumb is to italicize the titles of standalone works. The visual shift provided by italics creates a clear boundary between the title and the surrounding sentence, allowing the reader to immediately recognize it as a significant title rather than a common noun.
This is because they are considered parts of a larger whole, such as an album, anthology, or journal. Understanding these nuances is essential for writers, students, and professionals who want to communicate with precision and adhere to established standards of formal writing.
Italicize Book Titles Style Guide
Navigating Style Guides and Exceptions Even with the general rule established, the answer to do you italicize titles can vary based on the style guide required for your work. For example, you would write "Bohemian Rhapsody" when referencing the song by Queen, but you would italicize the album title, *A Night at the Opera*, that contains it.
More About Do you italicize titles
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