How to Write a Title in an Essay: Books, Songs, TV Shows, Plays & Movies

One of the most frequent queries about formatting that students have is regarding the use of italics or quotation marks for a title. This query is solved by one simple rule; the title of an independent and lengthy work is italicized, while that of a shorter work which is included in a larger body is enclosed in quotation marks. Novels, films, TV series, albums, complete plays, websites, and epics are usually included into the first group, while chapters, episodes, songs, short stories, essays, single poems, and web pages into the second one. But MLA, APA, Chicago, and AP styles can have their own rules for capitalization and formatting titles, which are especially important for reference lists and professional writing. 

This guide will help you to learn about title formatting on various types of media and to find all needed examples.

The Simple Rule: Long Works vs. Short Works

Understanding the format of a title will be easier if we initially look at the relationship between two works. In most cases, a complete work is a self-standing work, whereas a smaller one appears within a more extended publication.

The above-mentioned classification is quite helpful in many cases, especially when using MLA and Chicago styles.

However, this is just a recommendation that one should not take as an inviolable rule, as all the styles have different traditions of formatting. For instance, according to AP style, one is supposed to use quotation marks to denote various creative pieces rather than italics.

Formatting Specific Media Types

Once you get this key point about longer vs. shorter items clear, things become easy to apply. The following will cover media title formatting rules for commonly referenced types in essays.

Book Titles

It is typical to use italics for the book title in academic writing when using MLA or Chicago styles. However, a chapter title within that book is considered differently, since it is only a piece of the overall item.

Rule: Use italics for the full book title.

Example: Racial discrimination is addressed in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

Alternatively, you may say:

One of the often examined novels in American classes is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. However, for a chapter, put the title between quotation marks.

In-Text Example: “The Sound of the Shell” is the opening chapter of Lord of the Flies.

Another important detail is introduced by APA, due to different requirements to capitalization of title depending on the source.

Song Titles

The titles of songs are normally enclosed in quotation marks in academic writing. Also, the album in which the song is contained is regarded as a confined elongated piece, and is generally italicized.

Rule: title of individual songs are italicized. Individual song titles should be in italics.

Example: The Beatles' "...Jude" is still one of the band's better known songs.

If you mean the whole album, make the title of the album italicized.

Sample: Abbey Road is one of the most known Beatles albums.

The difference becomes simpler to recall when considering the linkage of the two. The song is a facet of the album, and the album is a manifestation of the collection.

TV Shows and Episodes

Broken down in writing it can be difficult to tell whether a TV title is for a whole series or a single program.

Formatting makes more sense when you realize, which one you really mean to talk about.

Rule: Avoid writing in the first or second person. 

Example: Italicize television series (i.e. The Sopranos or The Twilight Zone). 

For individual episodes in the styles like MLA or Chicago, use quotation marks. (i.e. "Playing the Game").

Example: The episode "The One with the Embryos" is one of the most memorable episodes of Friends.

In this case here, Friends is the term for the series altogether, while "The One with the Embryos" is the term for one instant of a larger series.

As AP style, which you would use if you're applying AP style, the formatting is different as AP generally uses quotation marks for T.V. shows,

Movie Titles

In the MLA, APA, and Chicago style of academic writing, movie titles are written in italics.

A movie is usually treated as a stand-alone item. That means its title is formatted in the manner of a name of a larger work.

Rule: the titles of movies are italicized when following a style that uses italics for the complete works.

Example: Christopher Nolan's Inception. Inception deals with...

We tend to view our docs in the same light.

Example: Won't You Be My Neighbor? Examines the life of Fred Rogers.

For example, when writing in AP style, remember AP style puts the titles of movies in quotation marks.

Play Titles

Plays in their entirety generally would be considered entire works, and are italicized in both MLA and Chicago. It becomes more complicated when you are talking about one scene in a play or a piece that is not very long.

Rule: For a separate work like a film, book, or play, capitalize, and italicize the title.

Example: This is a worthy addition to the American theater, like Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

It is an easy trap to fall into to assume that all one-acts automatically receive quotation marks, but...

Given the style guide and how the work is being addressed, other treatment is also possible.

Follow your instructor's instructions (if any) for a definite style, rather than the general long-work rule.

Poem Titles

In most cases, individual poems should be enclosed in quotation marks. However, longer poems such as epic poems that act as whole books are normally italicized.

Rule: Italicize epic or book-length poems, while the other individual poems are quoted using quotation marks.

Example: “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a famous poem in American literature.

When it comes to an epic poem, things change.

Example: Both the Odyssey and the Iliad are considered long, standalone poems.

That’s why stating that all poems should be in quotation marks is incorrect.

Article Titles (Magazines, Journals, Newspapers)

Titles of articles are usually classified as smaller works since they are found within the body of some larger work.

The entire publication can also be presented according to your choice of style guide.

Rule: Article titles are enclosed in quotation marks in MLA and Chicago papers.

Example: The article “The Future of Medicine” was published in The New York Times Magazine.

Journal articles are no exception to this rule.

Example: The article “Advances in Cardiology” was published in JAMA.

APA differs from MLA and Chicago in its treatment of titles in reference lists; article titles are usually not enclosed in quotation marks. It's another reason why students should not blend style guides.

Website Titles

The title of a website demands a bit more thought since a website in its entirety is not the same as a single webpage or article written on that website. Consider the website to be the larger source and the webpage to be one part of the whole website.

Rule: In MLA, a website in its entirety can be italicized while a single webpage or article on the website would usually be put in quotes.

Example: As per Wikipedia, the article "Citation Styles" provides different styles for academic writing.

Website citations can vary depending on APA and other formats. It all depends on what exactly you are citing.

Artwork Titles (Paintings, Sculptures, Photographs)

Works of art should be italicized using the MLA and Chicago styles. These works may include paintings, sculptures, photos, and other independent works of art.

Rule: Italicize titles of artwork when you are using a style which considers these to be independent works of art.

Example: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa continues to be one of the most well-known paintings in the world.

As always when formatting titles, make sure that you know what style you are supposed to use.

Style Guide Variations (MLA, APA, Chicago, AP)

Being aware of the rule may come in handy but you should not ignore what your task requires. There are unique guidelines for MLA, APA, Chicago, and AP styles and therefore you can easily get it wrong if you combine them.

MLA Style (Modern Language Association)

The format is commonly used in areas of study such as literature, language, and other areas under the humanities umbrella. In the case of MLA format, the title rules help distinguish between major works and the minor works that appear in major sources.

Title Rule: Italics should be used when writing titles for major works, for example, novels, films, plays, television programs, and music albums. Quotation marks should be used in minor works, such as songs and chapters.

Examples:

• The Great Gatsby
• “The Tell-Tale Heart”
• “Hey Jude”
• Breaking Bad

Headline-style capitalization of English-language titles in MLA.

APA Style (American Psychological Association)

APA citation style is primarily used in psychology and education fields, among other subjects, which heavily depend on research. The APA guidelines for titling in the reference list can be quite different from those of the MLA.

Titling guideline: Book and journal titles should be italicized in the reference list, while article and chapter titles should not be italicized.

APA also requires using the sentence case for most titles.

For instance:

• The art of citation

It does not use title case like The Art of Citation in MLA.

Chicago Style (Chicago Manual of Style)

The Chicago citation style is widely employed in fields such as history, humanities, and publishing among others that require documentation. With respect to titles, it uses the familiar dichotomy of complete work and shorter work.

Title rule in Chicago Style is that longer works are italicized whereas shorter works like articles, chapters, and individual songs are placed within quotation marks.

Examples of titles include:

• Death of a Salesman
• "The Road Not Taken"
• "Hey Jude"

There are also extensive rules regarding capitalization, punctuation, titles of titles, and unusual sources.

AP Style (Associated Press)

AP style is largely linked with journalism, news reporting, and professional writing, not with traditional essays in an academic sense. It's helpful to know the rules regarding titles because they are quite different from the MLA formatting taught to most students.

Title rule: AP generally places quotation marks around many creative works.

For example:

• “The Great Gatsby”
• “Inception”
• “Death of a Salesman”

AP generally avoids italics for these creative titles, making its approach noticeably different from common academic styles.

Quick Style Guide Comparison Table

You can use the table as a guideline; however, keep in mind that there are other guidelines in APA style according to how the source is being referenced within the document.

Special Cases and Exceptions

In most cases, the title formatting questions can be answered based on the basic guideline; however, there are also some sources that require special attention. It is important to know them as they sometimes act differently from regular books, articles, and films.

Sacred Texts (Bible, Quran, Torah)

The handling of sacred texts is somewhat different from the normal publication of literature in most styles. These texts are usually mentioned only by their names without using quotation marks and italics.

For instance: She read from the Book of Psalms at the service.

Editions and versions may be handled differently, depending on the writing style and context, so you should consult the particular guide where needed.

Series and Franchise Names

There are special styles in formatting legal documents as opposed to the usual way that applies to fictional publications. In case you mention a law, a constitution, an act, or any other legal document in your essay, please refer to the required style guide.

Example: The Constitution provides some vital concepts of American government.

Don’t forget to format the name of the legal document just because it has a formal title.

Self-Contained Works Within a Collection

Works which are small in nature and found in an anthology will be presented in a different way than that of the anthology. This is true for various types of literary pieces such as short stories, poems, essays and other forms of literature that are compiled together.

Example: The short story “The Lottery” is found in the anthology The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson.

Titles Within Titles

Sometimes, one title may include another title, leading to an appearance that the formatting is more complicated than it usually is. When this occurs, take each work on its own and apply the correct rule to each title.

For example: In The Great Gatsby, a character refers to the book The Rise of the Colored Empires.

If you are uncertain about how to deal with nested headings, refer to your style guide for your paper, not your gut instincts.

Punctuation and Capitalization Rules

Using italics or quotation marks is just one way of ensuring that a title is formatted properly.

The capitalization and punctuation will also have to be consistent with your chosen style.

MLA and Chicago usually require headline capitalization for English titles, but APA follows sentence case for a lot of titles within reference entries.

Commas and periods will generally be placed within quotation marks under American English rules.

Example: “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, is a famous poem.

Incorrect: “The Road Not Taken”, by Robert Frost, is a famous poem.

Note that question marks and exclamation points may be different because of how they affect the sentence structure.

Quick Reference Table: Italics vs. Quotation Marks

This is the case if you are working on an essay and require a rapid response; this table provides a good starting point. However, the official style manual of your lecturer will always be your first choice whenever there is a conflict with the guidelines stated here.

Downloadable Resources (PDF Concept)

The use of a brief reference chart will save time for students whenever they want to refer to the proper title formatting guidelines while writing an essay. Rather than browsing through the entire manual, a brief guide will give the most essential rules in one document.

Such resources may include:

• Reference Sheet: One-page information on when to use italics and quotation marks.
• Style Guide Comparison Chart: MLA, APA, Chicago, and AP Style Guide guidelines in comparison.
• Common Mistakes: A brief list of typical title formatting mistakes made by students.
• Practice Exercise: Sample titles that students should format and then check.

Such sources will help students prepare for formatting prior to submission of an essay or research paper.