When writing a paper, do I use italics for all titles?
Answer
Simply put: no.
APA's Publication Manual (2020) indicates that, in the body of your paper, you should use italics for the titles of:
- "books, reports, webpages, and other stand-alone works" (p. 170)
- periodicals (journals, magazines, newspapers)
Beyond APA's specific examples, know that certain types of titles are almost always written in italics.
A general rule of thumb is that within the text of a paper, italicize the title of complete works but put quotation marks around titles of parts within a complete work.
The table below isn't comprehensive, but it's a good starting point
| Titles in Italics | Titles Placed in "Quotation Marks" |
| Title of a periodical (magazine, journal, newspaper) | Title of article in a periodical |
| Title of a book | Title of a chapter in a book |
| Title of a movie or play | Name of an act or scene in a movie or a play |
| Title of a television or radio series | Title of an episode within a tv or radio series |
| Title of a musical album or CD | Title of a song |
| Title of a long poem | Title of a short poem |
| Names of operas or long musical composition | |
| Names of paintings and sculptures | |
|
Title of a short story
|
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.
Here are some examples:
Smith's (2001) research is fully described in the Journal of Higher Education.
Smith's (2001) article "College Admissions See Increase" was published in the Journal of Higher Education after his pivotal study on the admissions process.
Visit the APA Style's "Use of Italics" page to learn more!
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