Titles of Books, Plays, Articles, etc.: Underline? Italics? Quotation Marks?
Prior to computers, people were taught to underline titles of books and plays and to surround chapters, articles, songs, and other shorter works in quotation marks. However, here is what The Chicago Manual of Style says: When quoted in text or listed in a bibliography, titles of books, journals, plays, and other freestanding works are italicized; titles of articles, chapters, and other shorter works are set in roman and enclosed in quotation marks.
Below are some examples to help you:
Example: We read A Separate Peace in class. (title of a book)
Example: That Time magazine article, “Your Brain on Drugs,” was fascinating.
Note that the word “magazine” was not italicized because that is not part of the actual name of the publication.
Example: His article, “Death by Dessert,” appeared in The New York Times Magazine.
Note that the and magazine are both capitalized and set off because the name of the publication is The New York Times Magazine.
Newspapers, which follow The Associated Press Stylebook, have their own sets of rules because italics cannot be sent through AP computers.
Posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 2:33 am
33 Responses to “Titles of Books, Plays, Articles, etc.: Underline? Italics? Quotation Marks?”
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His article, ‘Death by Dessert,’ appeared …
His article, “Death By Dessert”, appeared …
Are these both wrong? Should the comma not be placed after “
It should be as follows: His article, “Death by Dessert,” appeared. The comma is placed inside the quotation mark.
No it is “Death by Dessert”, appeared…
Get it right.
I got it right. The Associated Press Stylebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, and my Rule 1 of Quotation Marks all state that periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.
I find that this is one of the most common mistakes, due in part to the fact that in the British press the rule is the opposite of the American press.
British: His article, ‘Death by Dessert’, appeared …
American: His article, ‘Death by Dessert,’ appeared …
{[("'Grammar'")]}/ seemed rather hasty and rude to admonish with, “Get it right.”
I’m trying to find out how to punctuate a book with a subtitle. I’ve normally seen subtitles with a colon; however, there is no punctuation in the actual title of the book on the cover since it is on a separate line. In writing the title with both on the same line, how should I separate the two?
Thanks!
I’m not sure that I understand your question. I would recommend a colon to separate the title from the subtitle, particularly if both are on the same line.
What about when its a section, etc., within a larger document like policies or bylaws? For example, what would be correct if you were to type the following sentence? At the meeting, Policy 102 Dress Code, was revised as the committee requested.
Thanks for your help.
My boss (attorney) always wants to put quotation marks around the titles of his pleadings when he references them in the text of the document. Is this correct?
Yes, this is correct. However, capitalizing the titles of pleadings may be considered enough in terms of setting them off from the rest of the text.
I am writing an essay that includes the title of a film. Should this be in quotation marks and, if it appears at the end of the sentnce, should the period be inside the quotation marks?
e.g. I was viewing the film “Spirited Away”.
Quotation marks are fine; however, place the period inside the final quotation mark: “Spirited Away.”
I stumbled over this site when looking for the rule on puntuation of titles. As usual, when the site isn’t directly related to professional resources, I discovered an error. Jane said to put the comma and /or the period INSIDE the quotes. How WRONG! Now really, do you think the comma – or the period – is PART of the quote?!? Jane must not have been paying attention in her grammar classes. Also; since when does the use of computers change the rules of anything? They are merely tools of people. People need to learn what has been established as correct, especially when they turn to self-proclaimed experts for advice.
It can be very deflating to find out that a rule that we had once studied hard to learn is no longer valid. This may even result in outrage and “shooting the messenger.” Note that the period is inside the quotation marks. Languages evolve over time; rules governing grammar and punctuation change. That’s why we consult our “professional resources” before advising readers on the rules. Here is a typical entry from just one such respected source, The Associated Press Stylebook:
“Follow these long-established printers’ rules:
–The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks.
–The dash, the semicolon, the question mark and the exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.”
Hi Jane, I understand the rule says, and has said, as long as I can remember, that the comma or period go inside the quotation marks, but like the (rather rude?)response above, I agree that perhaps it should not. I feel that only the material which is actually being quoted should go inside and this rule has always, always annoyed me. Any chance this will change over time?
Some people certainly are annoyed that the rule for question marks with quotation marks follows logic, but commas and periods with quotation marks is just a rote rule. The English language, including grammar and punctuation, is constantly changing, but it is anybody’s guess as to when or if the rule will change over time.
If I’m stating the title of a chapter within a book, would I need to italicize, underline, or put quotation marks around it?
Our blog “How to Reference Books and Articles in Text” addresses this issue. Current style manuals recommend italicizing book titles and magazine names and using quotation marks around articles and chapters.
Thank you for your insight Jane. Grammar Ericson, I have never seen a period placed after quotation marks nor have I ever seen a semicolon follow the word also.
Thanks for this article! It’s very helpful.
Just to confirm, are the following sentences wrongly punctuated?
While watching “Captain America”, I noted each of the cliches that passed before my eyes.
I couldn’t believe that she said in the same sentence “cheesy” and “Inception!”
Yes, both sentences are punctuated incorrectly but there is another error as well. According to The Chicago Manual of Style (8.185), “Titles of movies and of television and radio programs and series are italicized. A single episode in a television or radio series is set in roman and enclosed in quotation marks.” Therefore, italics are used instead of quotation marks in reference to the movies Captain America and Inception.
Using quotation marks to delineate the two words in question in the second sentence is acceptable. To clarify the proper position of the exclamation point, The Chicago Manual of Style’s rule (6.74) regarding exclamation points with quotation marks says, “An exclamation point should be placed inside quotation marks, parentheses, or brackets only when it is part of the quoted or parenthetical matter.” Since the exclamation point in the second sentence is not part of the quoted material, it is placed outside the quotation marks.
While watching Captain America, I noted each of the cliches that passed before my eyes.
I couldn’t believe that she said in the same sentence “cheesy” and “Inception“!
Do manuals and handbooks go by this rule as well? The name of the manual is Drainage Design Manual.
What if I wanted to write about a specific volume and mention a specific table? How would it look like within the text?
If it is a published manual or handbook, it should go by the same rule. The title is written Drainage Design Manual. If the specific volume or table has a title, the title is enclosed in quotation marks. If it has a number, it would be referred to as vol. 1, table 3, “Parking Lot Drainage Requirements,” for example.
I’m referring to an earlier section of a book within that same book (We begin with the section called Getting Started.) Should the section title, Getting Started, be in ital or quotation marks?
Also, how about if referring to parts of a book (When you finish with Part One go on to Part Two.)Should Part One and Part Two be in ital?
Many thanks.
Titles of chapters in books should be in quotation marks (“Getting Started”). When referring to parts of a book, you do not need to use any special punctuation unless the parts have a title (“Part One: The Adventure Begins”).
Hi! Thanks for this, it helped a lot.
Just want to know if this sentence is grammatically incorrect.
“The Three Musketeers” was written by Alexandre Dumas.
Do we use “was” written by, or “is” written by when refering to book authors? And also if the book is in quotation marks or italics.
Since the book was written in the past, I recommend using was written. Book titles are italicized.
The Three Musketeers was written by Alexandre Dumas.
I’m assuming that websites are treated like magazine and newspaper publications in that they are also italicized and pieces within them are put between quotation marks. Is this assumption correct? Does the purpose (for example, if it’s a web store with “.com” in its title, e.g. Overstock.com) or content have an effect on this rule?
The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that general titles of websites are written without quotation marks or italics. Titled sections, pages, or special features on a website should be placed in quotation marks. Please note that not all style manuals follow the same rules.
Examples:
Overstock.com
Facebook
Grammarbook.com
“Prounouns” section of Grammarbook.com
Jane,
I am in the process of writing a work of fiction and want to be clear on quotation marks.
Song titles are NOT italicized, but should be in quotes, correct? What about song lyrics?
Song titles and lyrics are both enclosed in quotes. AP Stylebook recommends slashes at the end of each line of lyrics and capitalization of the word starting each line.
“Crazy Love”
“I can feel her heartbeat for a thousand miles/And the heavens open up everytime she smiles/”
Is this correct?
If you are wanting to write this using the convention for song lyrics, there should be a space after the first slash to separate it from the next line of lyrics. The slash after smiles would indicate that another line of lyrics follows. Also, every time is two words:
“I can feel her heartbeat for a thousand miles/ And the heavens open up every time she smiles/”
If you were writing this as prose, it would be: “I can feel her heartbeat for a thousand miles, and the heavens open up every time she smiles.”