How to Write Book Title in Essay?

When writing an essay with a book title, the basic rule is simple: use italics for full-length works (like novels) and double quotation marks for shorter works (like chapters). So, you’d write To Kill a Mockingbird, but “The Ethics of Ambiguity.”

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How to Put the Title of a Book in an Essay in APA Style?

Writing book titles in essays can be a bit confusing, especially when different citation styles have different rules. But if you’re working with APA format, it’s actually pretty simple once you know the basics. The key is to remember two things: italics and capitalization. 

Let’s walk through how to properly format book titles in essays using APA Style.

Italics 

First off, you always italicize the entire book title. No matter where you mention the book in your essay — whether it’s in the introduction, body paragraphs, or even in your in-text citations — make sure the title appears italicized. 

For example, if you’re talking about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, you would italicize it exactly like that. No punctuation mark, no underlining — just italics. 

Capitalization

Now, let’s talk about capitalization. When writing a book title in APA style, capitalize all the major words. This means you capitalize the first word of the title, any word that follows a colon, and all the significant words. 

For example, The Catcher in the Rye follows these rules: "The," "Catcher," and "Rye" are capitalized because they are important words, but "in" is not, because it’s a short preposition. So when writing book titles in essays, remember to pay attention to which words get capitalized.

More examples

It gets even easier when you break it down:

• Always capitalize the first word of the title and the subtitle (if there is one).
• Capitalize any important words, like nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns.
• Don’t capitalize short prepositions, articles (like "the" or "a"), or conjunctions ("and," "but," "or"), unless they’re the first word of the title or subtitle. For example, with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, only the major words like "Lord," "Rings," "Fellowship," and "Ring" are capitalized.

Let’s look at another example. If you’re discussing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby, you’ll notice the book title is in italics and the important words are capitalized. But if you’re mentioning a chapter or article title, those go in quotation marks, like “The Valley of Ashes” in The Great Gatsby.

Writing the Name of the Author in APA Style

If you’re wondering how to write a book title and author in an essay using APA style, it’s all about getting the details right. First, when you mention the author, use their last name followed by their initials. No full first names here! It’s a small detail, but it’s what APA style calls for, and it helps maintain a consistent, clean look throughout your essay.

• Let’s say you’re discussing The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In your essay, you’d write the author’s name as "Fitzgerald, F. S." Simple enough, right?
• Now, if the book you’re citing has more than one author, things change a bit. For two authors, list both last names separated by an ampersand (&) along with their initials. Here’s an example: Introduction to Psychology by James W. Kalat and Michelle N. Voss would look like this: "Kalat, J. W., & Voss, M. N."
• If the book has three or more authors, you still list the first author’s name followed by “et al.” This saves you from having to type out a long list of names. For instance, if you’re citing Understanding Human Behavior by Smith, Jones, Lee, and Carlson, it would appear as: "Smith, A., et al."

Here’s another tip: if the same author is cited multiple times in your essay, you only need to use their full name the first time. After that, you can just use their last name for all subsequent references. So, after mentioning "Fitzgerald, F. S." once, you can simply write "Fitzgerald" later in your essay.

How to Write a Book Title in an Essay in MLA Style?

The big thing to remember? Always italicize the book title. This rule is consistent throughout MLA style, whether you’re referencing a classic novel or the latest bestseller.

For example, if you’re writing about Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, you would simply italicize the title like this: Pride and Prejudice. No quotation marks or underlining — just italics. 

In MLA style, you capitalize all the main words in the title, which means you’re focusing on the important parts like proper nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Words like “and,” “of,” “in,” or “the” are lowercase unless they happen to be the first word of the title or subtitle. For example, if you’re referencing The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, “The” and “How” are capitalized because they’re the first words of the title and subtitle.

When mentioning the author for the first time in your essay, include both their first and last name. For example, if you’re referencing Beloved, you would write: "In Beloved, Toni Morrison explores the haunting legacy of slavery." After the first mention, you can simply use the author’s last name: "Morrison’s use of magical realism adds depth to the narrative."

How to Write a Book Title in an Essay in Chicago Style?

Now let’s take a look at how to write a title of a book in an essay using the Chicago manual:

1. Italics for Titles: Always italicize the title of the book. For example, The Road should be in italics whether it appears at the start of a sentence or in the middle of your essay.
2. Capitalization: Capitalize all major words in the title, just like you would for any proper noun. That means you should capitalize nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. For example, One Hundred Years of Solitude is capitalized like that, with small words like “of” staying lowercase.
3. Comma Usage: When you mention the author’s name directly after the title, you should place a comma after the book title. For instance, Beloved, by Toni Morrison, follows the correct structure. You don’t use “by” or “and” to introduce the author; just the comma will do.
4. Punctuation in Italics: If the title includes punctuation, like a colon, make sure that’s italicized too. For example, The Elements of Style: A Practical Guide should have both the title and punctuation italicized.

Writing a Book Title in an Essay: General Rules

Whether you're using MLA, APA, or Chicago style, the general rules are pretty consistent, and once you know them, you'll never have to second-guess yourself when needing to write a good book title in an essay:

1. Italics for Book Titles: Anytime you mention a standalone book, make sure to italicize the title. This applies to novels, anthologies, or anything that can stand on its own. For example, if you're talking about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, italicize it just like that. 
2. Quotation Marks for Parts of a Book: If you're referencing a chapter or a short story from a larger collection, put the title in quotation marks instead. For instance, “The Yellow Wallpaper” from The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman needs quotation marks for the short story but italics for the collection.
3. Capitalize the Important Words: Remember to capitalize all the major words in the title. This means nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Small words like "of," "and," or "the" stay lowercase unless they're the first word.
4. Titles Within Titles: When you have a title inside another title, things can get tricky. Keep the formatting consistent: italicize the main book title and use quotation marks for the part that’s inside. A good example is: Understanding "The Great Gatsby": An Analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Classic. Italics for the book title, quotation marks for the part inside.
5. Keep It Consistent: The most important tip? Whatever format you're using, stick with it throughout your essay. Don’t mix italics with underlining, or switch between quotation marks and italics randomly. Consistency makes your essay look more professional and easier to read.

Quick Reference Guide:

Should We Underline or Italicize Book Titles?

When you write the title of a book in an essay, the rule is to italicize, not underline. Underlining was used back when typewriters and handwritten documents were common, but today, italics are the standard across all modern styles like MLA, APA, and Chicago.

To Sum It Up

The main rules for writing a book title in an essay are simple: italicize book titles, use quotation marks for chapters or short stories, and always capitalize the important words. Keep it consistent, and your essay will look polished and professional.

If you're still feeling unsure or just need a bit of extra help, WritePaper can assist with any type of essay. From formatting to content, our team has you covered, making the writing process stress-free and easy.