When writing on paper, the question of whether to underline the title of an article or not can be a confusing one. After all, you may be writing about a book or movie, or referring to an author’s bio or blog post. In this case, you probably want to draw attention to the title and make it easy for the reader to find out more about the work.
Traditionally, underlining was used to represent titles that were too long for the typewriter or computer screen, but italics became the preferred method of indicating titles in modern writing. In fact, italics are so commonly used that they’re often the default formatting style in MLA style manuals and other style guides.
Italics are most commonly used when referring to book titles, songs or other full-length works, but there are some exceptions. For instance, if a song is part of a musical, it’s not always necessary to italicize the title; however, you should consider it if the musical is a series of related works.
Some writers prefer italics when mentioning an author’s name because it can be more legible. Others use italics to indicate the title of a poem or short story, while still others use italics when mentioning the names of specific characters in a play or musical.
If you’re writing on a computer, it’s easy to change the formatting with the click of a button. In contrast, it’s not always easy to do this when handwriting, especially if you write in cursive.
As a result, many style guides and manuals now omit underlining as an option. They also recommend that you follow your editor’s guidelines, which often involve sticking to a single style across all of your writing.
The rule of thumb for most people is to italicise the title of any book or song, regardless of its length. That rule is generally accepted and adhered to unless you’re following a style guide that says otherwise.
Italics are not a good choice for titles that contain punctuation, like commas and question marks, because they’ll be more confusing to readers. It’s also not a good choice for hyperlinks, which typically use underlining in digital publications.
In addition, it’s important to remember that not all style guides agree on how to format a title. For example, APA style does not italicize the title of a journal article but will enclose it in quotation marks.
Other formats, such as MLA and Chicago, do italicize the title of a paper or article. They do this because articles are parts of a larger work, such as a journal or magazine.
If you’re writing for a magazine or newspaper, it’s best to enclose the title in double quotation marks and use regular font on the rest of the page. Similarly, if you’re writing for an online database, you should italicize the title of the database but set the rest in regular font.
While it’s not the most professional practice, underlining is acceptable when you’re handwriting a document and don’t have access to word processing software or an MLA style guide. But in all other cases, italics are more appropriate and considered more professional.
