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
