How to Write a Book Title in an Essay: Tips and Guidelines [2025]

When writing an essay, properly formatting a book title is more than just a matter of style – it’s a crucial aspect of academic integrity and professionalism. As someone teaching essay writing for years, I’ve seen countless students struggle with this seemingly simple task.

When writing an essay, it is important to know how to properly write a book’s title within your text. How you write the title can vary depending on the title type, citation style rules, and any exceptions that may apply. A book in an essay can be written in various ways, such as using quotation marks around the title, italicizing the book’s name, or simply writing it in standard font with no added emphasis. 

In this article, I’ll explain how to write a book title in an essay, covering various style guides and common pitfalls to avoid. We will also explore the different types of titles, the punctuation rules that apply, when to use quotation marks around the title, and any exceptions to the standard formatting.

By the end, you will clearly understand how to write a book title in an essay according to proper grammar and formatting guidelines. 

General Rules for Formatting Book Titles

Before we dive into specific style guides, let’s discuss some general rules that apply across most writing styles. When you mention a book title in your essay, you typically need to set it apart from the surrounding text. This is usually done by either using italics or quotation marks. The choice between these two often depends on the style guide you’re following and the context in which you’re mentioning the book.

For longer works like books, novels, and full-length plays, the general rule is to italicize the title. We usually use quotation marks for shorter works such as poems, articles, or short stories. However, these rules can vary depending on the specific style guide stylestyle guide you’re using, so always double-check your assigned guide.

Now that we’ve covered the basics let’s explore how different style guides handle book titles. We’ll start with one of the most commonly used styles in humanities: MLA.

MLA Style Guide for Book Titles

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is widely used in humanities and liberal arts. When following MLA style, you should italicize the titles of books in your essay. This applies whether you’re mentioning the book in the main text of your essay or your works cited list.

For example, if I were writing about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel, I would write it as The Great Gatsby. Notice how the title is italicized, including the articles (“The” in this case).

It’s important to note that while we italicize full book titles, we use quotation marks for titles of shorter works or parts of a book, such as chapter titles. So, if I were referencing a specific chapter, I might write Chapter 3, “The Party,” in The Great Gatsby.

Moving on from MLA, let’s examine APA, another popular style guide used in many academic fields.

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APA Style Guide for Book Titles

You’ll follow slightly different rules if you’re writing in the social sciences or other fields that use APA style. The American Psychological Association (APA) also recommends italicizing book titles in the text of an essay.

When you cite a book in APA style, you must include the author’s last name and the publication year in parentheses after mentioning the book. For instance, Fitzgerald’s exploration of the American Dream (The Great Gatsby, 1925) remains relevant today.

In your reference list at the end of your essay, you’ll also italicize the book title. However, in APA style, only the first word of the title and proper nouns are capitalized. So, your reference might look like this:

Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Scribner.

Now that we’ve covered MLA and APA let’s look at another common style guide: Chicago.

Chicago Style Guide for Book Titles

The Chicago Manual of Style is often used in history and some humanities disciplines. Like MLA and APA, Chicago style also recommends italicizing book titles in an essay.

When citing a book title in Chicago style, use footnotes or endnotes for your citations. In these notes, the book title should be italicized. For example, your footnote might look like this:

F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (New York: Scribner, 1925), 68.

In your bibliography, you’ll also italicize the book title. Chicago style is unique in that it allows for two different citation systems: notes and bibliography or author-date. Make sure you know which one your instructor prefers.

Now that we’ve covered the main style guides, let’s examine how to use book titles in different contexts within your essay.

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Handling Book Titles in Different Contexts

How you format a book title can vary depending on where it appears in your essay. As we’ve discussed, you’ll typically italicize the title in the main text. However, if you’re writing a title with an italicized book title, you’ll need to set the book title in regular type.

For example, if I were writing an essay titled “Symbolism in The Great Gatsby,” I would not italicize “The Great Gatsby” in the essay title because the entire title is already italicized.

The formatting of your works cited or references page may differ slightly depending on your style guide. Always refer to your specific guide for the most up-to-date rules.

Regarding handwritten essays, where italics aren’t an option, the convention is to underline book titles instead. So, if you’re writing by hand, you would underline “The Great Gatsby” rather than italicizing it.

Now, let’s talk about an important aspect of writing book titles: capitalization.

Capitalizing Book Titles

Proper capitalization is crucial when writing book titles, regardless of the style guide you’re following. Generally, you should capitalize the first letter of:

• The first word of the title
• The last word of the title
• All principal words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions)

However, you typically don’t capitalize:

• Articles (a, an, the) unless they’re the first word of the title
• Short prepositions (in, on, with, at) unless they’re the first or last word
• Coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor)

For example: The Catcher in the Rye

Remember, these rules vary slightly between style guides, so always check your specific guide.

Next, let’s address a common issue: dealing with subtitles.

Dealing with Subtitles

Many books have subtitles, and it’s important to know how to properly include these when citing the full title in your essay. Generally, you should include the subtitle after the main title, separated by a colon. Both the main title and subtitle should be italicized.

For example: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

When capitalizing subtitles, follow the same rules as for main titles: capitalize the first word and all principal words.

Now, let’s look at how to handle book series and editions.

Formatting Book Series and Editions

There are additional considerations when referencing books that are part of a series or specific editions. If you’re mentioning a book part of a series, you typically don’t need to include the series name unless it’s relevant to your discussion.

Include the edition number after the title in your citation for editions other than the first. For example:

Strunk, William, and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th ed., Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

As we wrap up, let’s look at some common mistakes to avoid.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced writers can make errors when formatting book titles. Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for:

1. Inconsistency: Use the same formatting style throughout your essay.
2. Overuse of italics or quotation marks: Remember, only use these for titles, not for emphasis in your writing.
3. Incorrect capitalization: Double-check that you’ve capitalized all the right words in your titles.
4. Forgetting to italicize or use quotation marks: It’s easy to forget, especially with longer titles, but it’s important for clarity and professionalism.
5. Using quotation marks for full-length book titles: Remember, quotation marks are typically reserved for shorter works.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of properly formatting book titles in your essays is a valuable skill that will serve you well throughout your academic and professional writing career. Whether you’re following MLA, APA, Chicago, or another style guide, consistency and attention to detail are key.

Remember, these formatting rules aim to make your writing clear and professional. By properly formatting your book titles, you show respect for the works you’re citing and demonstrate your attention to detail and academic integrity.

As you continue to write and cite books in your essays, these rules will become second nature. Keep practicing, and don’t hesitate to refer to your style guide. Happy writing!

FAQs: How to Write a Book Title in an Essay

Herman Bailey

With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.