Titles

When to Use Quotation Marks in Titles

Use quotation marks for the titles of short works. Short works are items that are usually published in a larger work or collection. Common examples include songs, poems, pages from websites, and articles from periodicals (journals/magazines/newspapers).

• Example for a Journal article: "Empathetic Approaches to Nursing"
• Example for a Song: "Bad to the Bone"
• Example for a Poem: "A Supermarket in California"
• Example for a Web page: “Eleven Secrets to Improving Your Essay”

Use italics for standalone works such as books, plays, online databases, periodicals (journals/magazines/newspapers), and websites.

• Example for a Book: Moby Dick
• Example for a Play: Fences
• Example for a Website: CNN.com
• Example for a Periodical: The New Yorker