Titles - italicisation
When considering how to mark the title of a source in academic work (or, in any writing, to give the title of a published work), we divide them into two groups. First are ‘the heavyweights’, pieces of a certain length and importance, for example:
- books – factual or fiction, plays, operas and films;
- journals and newspapers;
- major poems, of a length over, say, 50 pages
- titles of sequences, e.g. of song-cycles, paintings and poems
The 'heavyweights' are italicised, in our current conventions. (For an older convention, click here.)
Second are smaller pieces, often component parts of members of the first group. These include:
- chapters of books, short stories, and articles in Journals;
- short poems, songs and 'pieces', for example in operas;
- individual pictures.
The 'lightweights' are enclosed within single inverted commas (' ')in AWE.
The precise memberships of these groups is largely a matter of judgement and taste. In general, try to adapt your practice to a consistent view of what constitutes a long and what a short piece of work. Over time, it will change; and there will always be borderline cases which will be disputed by pedants.
Be aware that different publishers and different academic departments and subjects have different rules for how to mark titles. Follow the appropriate guidelines for your current purposes.
