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Q: How do I format the title of a book in my paper?
A: Copy the title as it is written on the book's title page making sure to use Italicized Title Case. (See section 2.89 of The MLA Handbook 9th edition)
ex: Othermindedness: The Emergence of Network Culture was written by Michael Joyce, and first published in 2001.
| These types of materials have italicized titles*: | Examples: |
|---|---|
| Apps | Twitter, Spotify |
| Books & plays | Kiss of the Spider Woman, Hamlet |
| Court cases | Marbury v. Madison |
| Films & Movies | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
| Journals, magazines, periodicals, & newspapers | Media, Culture & Society, Harvard Business Review, The Boston Globe |
| Music albums or compilations | When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, The Ring Cycle |
| Podcasts & radio programs | Serial, All Things Considered |
| Television or streaming series | The Good Place, Good Omens |
| Video games (but not board or card games) | Ori and the Will of the Wisps |
| Visual and performing arts (do not italicize the type of visual art) | We Come in Peace (sculpture), The Nutcracker |
| Websites | Merriam-Webster, Nike, YouTube |
* See section 2.107 of the MLA Handbook (9th edition) for a complete list of materials that should be italicized.
Q: How do I format the title of an article in my paper?
A: Copy the title as it is written on the article itself making sure to use Title Case and place the "Title of the Article" in quotation marks.
ex: Melissa Healey's 2019 article in the Los Angeles Times, "Opioid Addiction can be Overcome with Mindfulness, Study Suggests," discusses ways in which individuals are treating their addictions.
| These types of materials have titles in quotation marks*: | Examples: |
|---|---|
| Articles (journals, magazines, periodicals, & newspapers) | "It's Not Such a Small World After All: Introducing Older Adults to Virtual Reality" |
| Book chapters | “The Caribbean, or the Feminine Face of Multiculturalism” |
| Encyclopedia entries | "Etruscan" |
| Episodes of television or streaming series | "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" |
| Lectures | "The Future of the Public Mission of Universities" |
| Poems | "The Hill We Climb" |
| Short stories | "The Lottery" |
| Songs & music videos | "What a Wonderful World" |
| Web pages | “Central America: Haiti” |
* See section 2.109 of the MLA Handbook (9th edition) for a complete list of materials that should be in quotation marks.
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