do you italicize evidence in an essay

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Reference List: Basic Rules

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This resourse, revised according to the 7 th  edition APA Publication Manual, offers basic guidelines for formatting the reference list at the end of a standard APA research paper. Most sources follow fairly straightforward rules. However, because sources obtained from academic journals  carry special weight in research writing, these sources are subject to special rules . Thus, this page presents basic guidelines for citing academic journals separate from its "ordinary" basic guidelines. This distinction is made clear below.

Note:  Because the information on this page pertains to virtually all citations, we've highlighted one important difference between APA 6 and APA 7 with an underlined note written in red.  For more information, please consult the   Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , (7 th  ed.).

Formatting a Reference List

Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper. It provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite in the body of the paper. Each source you cite in the paper must appear in your reference list; likewise, each entry in the reference list must be cited in your text.

Your references should begin on a new page separate from the text of the essay; label this page "References" in bold, centered at the top of the page (do NOT underline or use quotation marks for the title). All text should be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay.

Basic Rules for Most Sources

• All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation.
• All authors' names should be inverted (i.e., last names should be provided first).
• For example, the reference entry for a source written by Jane Marie Smith would begin with "Smith, J. M."
• If a middle name isn't available, just initialize the author's first name: "Smith, J."
• Give the last name and first/middle initials for all authors of a particular work up to and including 20 authors ( this is a new rule, as APA 6 only required the first six authors ). Separate each author’s initials from the next author in the list with a comma. Use an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name. If there are 21 or more authors, use an ellipsis (but no ampersand) after the 19th author, and then add the final author’s name.
• Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work.
• For multiple articles by the same author, or authors listed in the same order, list the entries in chronological order, from earliest to most recent.
• Note again that the titles of academic journals are subject to special rules. See section below.
• 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.
• For example, you should use  PhiloSOPHIA  instead of  Philosophia,  or  Past & Present   instead of  Past and Present.
• This distinction is based on the type of source being cited. Academic journal titles have all major words capitalized, while other sources' titles do not.
• Capitalize   the first word of the titles and subtitles of   journal articles , as well as the   first word after a colon or a dash in the title, and   any proper nouns .
• Do not italicize or underline the article title.
• Deep blue: The mysteries of the Marianas Trench.
• Oceanographic Study: A Peer-Reviewed Publication

Please note:  While the APA manual provides examples of how to cite common types of sources, it does not cover all conceivable sources. If you must cite a source that APA does not address, the APA suggests finding an example that is similar to your source and using that format. For more information, see page 282 of the   Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association , 7 th  ed.

Home > Blog > Tips for Online Students > Knowing When To Underline Or Italicize: Your Go-To Guide

Tips for Online Students , Tips for Students

Knowing When To Underline Or Italicize: Your Go-To Guide

Updated: October 24, 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.

Italics Vs Underline: Clarifying The Confusion

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.

Proper formatting in an essay can be confusing for many students: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-blue-blazer-holding-white-paper-3727468/

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 novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, was published in 1847 under the pen name of Currer Bell.
• The movie Home Alone , released in 1990, made a worldwide total of $476,684,675 in box office revenue.

Titles Of Smaller Works

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.

• The chapter entitled “The Castaway” in Moby Dick describes the near-death experience of a character named Pip.
• Edgar Allen Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” was originally published in a Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine.
• The pilot episode of Friends , which was released on September 22, 1994, is called “The One Where Monica Gets A Roommate.”

Punctuation In Titles: Common Confusions

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 !

Commas and periods

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.

• “The Seinfeld Chronicles , ” the first episode of Seinfeld , had 15.4 million viewers in America.
• Among the short stories of James Joyce included in the collection Dubliners are “Araby , ” “The Sisters , ” and “The Encounter.”

Solidify your new skills by completing practice sentences: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-wearing-black-and-white-stripe-shirt-looking-at-white-printer-papers-on-the-wall-212286/

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.

• The Lazy Controller, chapter two of Thinking Fast and Slow, talks about multitasking and its effect on thinking.
• The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by Catherine Perkins Gilman, was originally published in The New England Magazine in January 1892.
• John Lennon’s album Imagine included favorites such as Gimme Some Truth, How Do You Sleep?, and, of course, Imagine.
• The premiere episode of Family Matters is called The Mama Who Came To Dinner, and relays the drama of Carl’s mother coming to live with him.
• The short story Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway was first published in a magazine called Transition, and was only later published in his book Men Without Women.

Why Is Proper Indentation Important?

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.

Landing your dream job  

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.

Proper writing is an important skill for any job: https://www.pexels.com/photo/writing-notes-idea-class-7103/

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.

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 thought to the importance of writing for your future education and success.

At UoPeople, our blog writers are thinkers, researchers, and experts dedicated to curating articles relevant to our mission: making higher education accessible to everyone. Read More

In this article

When to Use Italics

#scribendiinc

Learn how to properly use italics and emphasis

Have you ever found yourself questioning your use of italics in a term paper or essay? Does using italicized print worry you to the extent you just avoid italics altogether? When is the right time to use italics? This article will explain when to use those slanted letters and when it is best to leave them upright.

Seven instances when italics are appropriate in an essay

There are approximately seven instances when it is appropriate to use italics in academic writing . Italics will likely appear in papers ranging from the arts to the sciences and will serve many functions. To simplify things, we have defined when to use italics in Arts and Humanities papers (four instances) and when to use them in the Sciences (three instances).

Italics in the Arts  

There are many instances when humanities students find themselves unsure whether something they have just written deserves emphasis. If your situation doesn't fall under one of the following categories, use standard font.

When including a title that can stand alone, it should be italicized in almost every instance. This could be the title of a book, a story, a newspaper, or even your favorite television show. Here is an example of a properly written title:

Adam and I watched an episode of Family Guy yesterday; the whole thing was a parody of The Da V inci Code !

It is important to remember that if a punctuation mark (an exclamation or question mark) is included in the title, you must italicize it as well.

Titles that should not be italicized are those of religious texts. The Bible is not italicized, nor are the titles of the books within it. Shorter titles, such as short stories from an anthology, journal articles, and episodes of television shows, cannot stand alone and thus should not be italicized.

When italicizing titles in footnotes, citations, and bibliographies, remember to reference the style guide required by your professor.

When you really need to emphasize a word in writing, italics are the best way to do it. Italics can be used to ensure readers recognize the word requires emphasis. The effective use of italics in this manner can add flare to writing and indicate more poignant text:

Susan yelled, "I hate microeconomics!"

In this example, the italics serve to illustrate Susan's loathing of microeconomics. Without the emphasis, this sentence may not have stressed how much she truly despises the subject. A word of warning from the professionals at our essay editing service: Always use discretion when italicizing words for the purpose of emphasis in an academic essay. Professors are often annoyed by the overuse of emphasis.

Sounds reproduced as words

If you've ever tried to write a children's book, you may have come across this italics-worthy situation. If a bear growls and you want to present this auditory occurrence in a more immersive way, Grrrrrr! may find its way into your writing. Make sure the distinction between the name of the sound and the sound itself is clear. Meow is the sound a cat makes, but the word makes no attempt at reproducing the sound. On the other hand, should you write " Meeeeeooooowww went the grey barn cat," make sure the reproduced sound gets italicized.

Names of vehicles

When mentioning any vehicle in your academic writing, whether it's the Titanic or Apollo 13 , remember to italicize its name. The exception to this rule is the brand name of vehicles. So, if you're writing a paper that requires commentary concerning the Rolls-Royce that kills Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby , leave the italics off.

Italics in the Sciences

There are instances in scientific and technical writing where italics are necessary. These instances may cross over into the realm of Arts writing, but most often they will be seen within the context of technical writing. There are three common instances where italics should be used.

Words in a foreign language

When you are writing a lab report or scientific paper and must include a term written in a foreign language, italics are key. This is often seen in legal or medical papers in the form of Latin words. They appear quite often, and should be italicized to show readers they are in another language. Here is an example from a medical document:

"Three pills are to be administered to the patient ante cibum. "

While most people would not write "before meals" in Latin, this term is appropriate in a medical context and thus must be written in Latin, as well as be italicized.

Introducing a term

When a new term is introduced in a scientific essay, it is common practice to write the word in italics upon first use. When readers see a term in italics, they automatically know this is the first time the word has been used and should therefore pay attention to its meaning.

Physical quantities and mathematical constants

When measures of quantity or a mathematical constant are written, they should be placed in italics. A mathematical constant is the letter used to represent a particular static mathematical standard such as:

"When we measured the particle velocity, v , recorded in the experiment…"

The "v" represents the constant in a mathematical equation and thus must be written in italics.

When in doubt, ask for help

Should a time arise when you aren't sure whether to use italics, simply refer to this article to see if your situation falls into any of the categories listed above. If it does, use italics; if it doesn't, it's probably best to use standard font. If you're still unsure, feel free to submit your document to our essay editors for a professional review.

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To Italicize or Not to Italicize? A Rule of Thumb

Writers need to know what types of terms are put in italics.

Think in terms of relative size. Shorter works are not italicized but go in quotes. A short story would be in quotes, but a short story anthology with many stories would have an italicized title. Songs, poems, unpublished works, articles are in quotes. An epic poem is in italics, though, so I suppose it’s up to you to decide if it’s sufficiently long enough to merit the italics.

Here’s a partial list of the things that need to be italicized:

• Titles of photographs • Titles of art exhibits • Titles of blogs (the main title used each time, not the web url) • Title of podcast programs • Title of a painting • Title of a book • Title of a movie • Title of a play • Title of a pamphlet or report • Title of a music album or CD • A foreign term (if you use it repeatedly, only italicize it the first time. Do not italicize a foreign name like Fifi LaPlant or a foreign city or street name.)

Note: the name of a website is just in regular headline style: “I like to browse Technium.com for new tech tips.”

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56 Comments

Names of ships.

Since I write a lot of space opera, you’d be amazed at how often that comes up.

Oh, I NEEDED this (if I could have, I probably would italicized that instead of capitalizing….

Thanks, Becky

Not sure where the other parenthesis went. Here you go. )

When you are writing online, particularly emails for promotions, it’s always a good idea to write a title in all caps as well as italicize because italics disappear with remarkable frequency. This is particularly true if you are promoting a book.

This is ture. However, the Say What section is aimed at teaching correct style for editing in the US, so these rules apply to the body of your text.

If the title of a thesis is written in CAPS and it includes a published work of an author, for example: DYSTOPIA IN SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN. Does the work, in this case FRANKENSTEIN, needs to be Italicized? Thanks

Yep, whether you use the full title or a partial, you’d italicize the words (don’t use all caps in fiction).

If you are listing awards that an author has earned, would they be italicized?

No. “He won the Nobel Peace Prize.”

I’m writing a personal essay and I was wondering if i needed to italicize Epcot, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. (names of parks in Disney World) As well as Disney World itself please email me back asap! ([email protected])

I’m confused! Everything I have read says names of places are not italicized. Is it only real places? In Fiction are places just capitalized and not italicized? What about ALL CAPS or “quotations”? EX: Frank pulled his car into the parking lot of his usual haunt, Joe Schmo’s Bar. His car stopped in front of a strip club with a neon sign that read, TEASERS. Or “TEASERS” Short named places look weird not being in ALL CAPS and most actual signs are in ALL CAPS! Speaking of… What about street signs and other types of signs? Most if not all are in ALL CAPS!

EX: He didn’t notice the sign that stated, ALL VEHICLES WILL BE TOWED AFTER 1:00 AM. OR He didn’t notice the sign that stated, “All Vehicles Will Be Towed After 1:00 AM.”

EX: At the crossroads he saw a sign that read, Hilltop Cemetery 3 Miles, but he turned in the other direction. OR At the crossroads he saw a sign that read, “Hilltop Cemetery 3 Miles”, but he turned in the other direction.

EX: The chapel’s marquee read, Funeral Service for John Smith. OR The chapel’s marquee read, “Funeral Service for John Smith.”

EX: Tin cans were tied to his back bumper and it was adorned with a Just Married sign. OR Tin cans were tied to his back bumper and it was adorned with a “Just Married” sign. OR should Just Married be italicized? (For some reason it won’t let me do it on here?)

What about a person who is reading a note/message? EX: Bill picked up the note Susan had left on the counter. Tears filled his eyes as he read, “I’m sorry Billy, but I just can’t do this anymore.” OR Looking through the microfilm, his eyes stopped on a newspaper article entitled, “Tragic Accident Takes the Life of Local Youth.”

All of the above are examples that I am dealing with in my fictional short story. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. LOL Seriously though, any and all help would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you for your valuable time. Aaron

Names of places are not italicized. “I live in Los Angeles.” We don’t italicize the name of our town or country. With signs, you can use all caps if the sign is all caps, but that isn’t required or even always desired. You could just write: The sign said “Keep Out!” With signs, you do use quotes. Or if it’s a generic, you would say: He slowed at the Stop sign. And you don’t use a comma after the verb: The sign said “Keep Out!” Same rules with a note or letter. Newspaper article titles are in quotes. The name of the newspaper is in italics.

First ride today is the Avatar Flight of Passage –

watched the show Frozen again –

The ride is set in the world of Avatar.

please send me an email

thank you so much

When writing an essay, do you italicize a course name? The internet offers two conflicting opinions on the topic.

Do I need to italicize The Huffington Post?

All newspaper titles are italicized, but the titles of blogs are not. Their sections or titled pages would go in quotes (CMOS 8.191).

Do I need to italicize a foreign prize name? I’m writing the below sentence and wondering whether or not to italicize the prize name, Kyo no Shinise. Or, should I use double quotation marks for it?

We received a prize Kyo no Shinise (a long-established company in Kyoto) from the governor of Kyoto prefecture.

*Kyoto is a prefecture in Japan.

Usually prizes would have a proper name, like the Pulitzer or Nobel Peace Prize, so would be capitalized.

Thanks! Then, no need to italicize the word Kyo No Shinise (<–capitalized) although it's a foreign word?

Usually you italicize a foreign word or phrase, so I probably would. I don’t know if there are definitive rules about this specifically.

Thank you, your advices are helpful.

Thank you! Your advices have been helpful.

If I am referring to Edward Scissorhands the character (comparing his scissorhands to a cat’s paw movements) and not the movie, is it italicized? It’s confusing when the movie title (which should be italicized) is also the name of the character.

A person’s name is never italicized. Movie names are.

How about literary events eg. I have read at Open Up Readers Series? Do I italicize this or leave it as is? Thank you!

Normally events have names and they’d be in quotes. There is a difference between “Open Up” Readers’ Series and “Open Up, Readers” Series and “Open Up Readers’ Series.” So the quotes will help make the name and meaning clear.

Title of a song (not album) usually comes with double quotation marks e.g. “Strawberry Fields Forever”, but if the song title is a foreign word e.g. “Arigatou”, then should it be italicized with double quotation marks? I’m writing a credit of a music album.

That’s a good question, and I’m not sure of the answer? You could Google that. Usually, you would not italicize, just as you wouldn’t a street or restaurant name in the US that is a foreign word, such as Bonjour Lane (if there was something like that). Let me know what you find out.

Thanks for the reply. I have Googled and found no plain rules, but similar cases (foreign word title of a song) are not italicized. So I would only use double quotation marks for the title. Thanks!!

How would you manage a reference to a best seller list such as this:

TIME’s Best New Books to Read This Summer (June 2018)

I’m thinking the following,but it’s awkward I think:

TIME’s (italics) “Best New Books to Read This Summer” (June 2018)

Hi, you wouldn’t put Time in all caps. Titles of magazines are in italics. I’d put the list in quotes to make it clear it’s a list.

How about the name of a film festival? I have a French film festival I’m referring to. It has an accented letter in it. Would it be in italics?

As far as I know, titles of festivals are not italicized, regardless of the language. But I’ll have to see if I can find out anything on this.

Please advise on the treatment for titles of movements (No Child Left Behind, Black Lives Matter, etc), particularly when used in a list. Ex: “Becoming a teacher at the beginning of No Child Left Behind, the National Reading Panel, and Reading First could have set the tone for her entire career…” It seems that italics would help distinguish those as titles for the reader.

I’ve not ever seen them italicized. Having them in caps makes it pretty clear it’s a proper name or title.

I’m writing a discussion post for a class I am taking, and the subject I am talking about is a podcast. Are podcast titles italicized? if not what is the proper way to write it out?

so would the short stories of mark twain be italicized? like life on the Mississippi and the notorious jumping frog.

Short stories are in quotes, whereas a title of a book of short stories would be italicized.

I’m editing a memoir with a lot of foreign place names. The table of contents is the first place most of these appear. Are they italicized here and not in the actual text? Or should they be italicized in the first time they appear in the body of the work and not thereafter?

Places aren’t in italics, so you don’t need to worry. We don’t italicize either the Americanized or the actual foreign name–for instance: Florence, Italy or Firenze, Italy.

Good morning.

I am assisting someone on writing her grant. She insists on hand writing it, and that her grammar shows who she truly is. I feel it needs to be correct where applicable. She has already hand written it, and I thought that the name of the club should either be underlined, since it cannot be italicized, or have quotes around it. I am not finding the name of clubs as a rule. Can you please advise?

The sentence..

I started the first Cooking Something Delicious Club on Valentine’s Day last spring.

Thank you very much for your time.

The name of a club would just have caps: I joined the Denver Radical Skiiers club, for example. You usually don’t cap the word club unless it’s actually part of the name.

Would you italicize the name of a television special like How the Grinch Stole Christmas?

Yes, any movies or TV specials or mini series or the like would be italicized. An episode of a show would not be (would be in quotes). Think: big things are italicized, and smaller pieces of those big things are in quotes. Blog titles though are just regular font, title caps, but the posts on the blog would be in quotes. Live Write Thrive has a post called “To italicise or Not to Italicize.” (example)

Yes, TV specials are movies, not episodes within a series. Make sense?

What about companies, do they need to be in italics? Example:

Franklin & Jones, LLC ? Lowes? Rust-Oleum?

In a novel, do I italicize the whole name with the title or just the title or neither? Like Signora Arelli or Dottore Martino?

You italicize the title of the book. Not the author’s name.

Genus and species of scientific names should be italicized, with the genus always capitalized, but not the species.

In a novel do I need to use italics for drinks – ie. Cinzano Bianco and Gordon’s Gin?

So, I can see right off in this post/reply that anything I did italicize, is not that I can see. This italicizing business can be so confusing. I’ve been researching the correct and not correct way of italicizing: names, street names, places, etc. that are written in a foreign languages such as French, Italian, and German. I’m a writer, and in my manuscript I have foreign languages, French, Italian and German. After my editor went through it, practically everything in a foreign language she made a Professional Edit to ‘not italic’. I have foreign conversations, then with the English translation behind as noted below. To me, if I were to ‘not italicize’ those foreign words, it does not bring attention to the readers eyes. They might as well skim right over. THEN, why even bother writing anything in a foreign language with it italicized. Does it not come down to the author’s preference and what also looks decent for the reader that captures their attention? This whole thing with italics has been a sore spot with me. I get the whole style thing with CMOS, AP and all the others. I’ve been researching many of them. So if I decide to italicize, is someone going to get really TICKED! So, I’m just asking your thoughts here. Is there a law or something that basically forbids us from using the italic?

Ex: “Regardez votre ventre de bébé!” (Look at your baby belly!) She exclaimed as she looked at Talia’s stomach, Ex: “It is lovely to meet you, Mademoiselle Skye . . . Ex: the street named Schönbeinstrasse, Ex: One young woman turned around and said, “Nous pouvons regarder, tout comme les hommes nous regardent. Ils sont tous les deux très beaux. On ne porte pas d’alliance, il faut donc être à la recherche.” (We can look, just like men look at us. They are both very handsome. One does not wear a wedding ring, so he must be up for grabs.) The girls giggled, thinking it was funny. Ex: Jéan-Paul headed for the Hotel Spalentor in Basel. Ex: “So I just checked the address for the Feuerwehrmuseum, and it’s a short walk.” Looking at Skye, she added, “It’s the Fire Brigade Museum. Ex: . . . to see the Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel, or as it says here, Toy Museum.” Ex: . . .her family’s favorite, GramPi’s, a cozy little place known for its delicious Swiss cuisines. Ex: . . .the Gornergrat Railway was 120 years old and shared its name with the Gorner Glacier. Arriving at the Gornergrat Summit, passengers exited and headed toward the Kulmhotel Gornergrat

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Italics: The Dos and Don’ts

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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.”

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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:

• Café au lait
• Fleur-de-lis

(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 .

A happy ProofreadingPal client wrote to Julia:

Thank you so much for your great editing work. BTW, excellent shoes.

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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