Do You Underline Book Titles?
Writing has long been both a form of creativity and a means of documentation, and it has evolved considerably over the years. One of the most significant stylistic changes concerns the way we highlight titles. Whether you are a student or a professional writer, you have probably asked yourself the following question: “Should book titles be underlined?”
At one time, the answer would have been yes by default because there were no other formatting options. Especially when writing by hand, underlining is quick and easy; it’s a simple way to draw attention to important words. This was also true in the days of typewriters, which did not support italics. As technology evolved, new formatting options such as italics, bold, and quotation marks appeared, causing confusion. So, in modern writing, should book titles be underlined? Today, the answer is — it depends.
🙋 If you need to style digital text quickly for social media or informal notes, you can use our underline text generator.
Given that underlining and italics serve the same purpose, some wonder why underlining has become a subject of debate. Many authors still ask, “Are book titles italicized or underlined?” as they adapt to digital standards. The best explanation is that technology has rendered the underlining option obsolete.
🔎 For a deeper dive into choosing the right emphasis for your writing, check out our article, “When to Bold or Italics: The Art of Visual Volume”.
Italics are generally considered more professional. Although it is possible to write in italics by hand, this often makes the text difficult to read. Early writers used underlining because it was the most practical way to highlight important elements. Today, however, italics have become the professional standard. Since writers once used these styles interchangeably, guidelines were eventually established to impose italics as the accepted form for titles of books and other important works.
🙋 You can also use our italic text generator to see how your titles look in a digital format.
While italics are the standard for emphasizing an element, the most important rule is to remain consistent. Bold, underlining, and quotation marks are governed by sets of guidelines rather than strict official rules. Some authors may still prefer the old methods and choose to underline book titles.
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If you choose to use underlining rather than the professional method of italics, you must maintain that choice throughout your document. To check your work, ask yourself the following question: “Which sentence uses the underlined word correctly according to the style I have chosen?” Do not switch between styles, especially in ongoing publications such as blogs or book series.
In academia, you should always follow your professor’s guidelines. Although the general consensus favors italics, some professors may still prefer traditional underlining. If you are wondering, “Should I underline my title in MLA format?”, the modern MLA standard actually requires italics for book titles and quotation marks for articles or short works. However, if the specific instructions for your assignment require you to underline, you must comply with that requirement. For more on proper citations, read our guide on “How to Underline Text?”
💡 When formatting your papers, you may also need to adjust the casing of your headings. It is helpful to understand the “Sentence Case vs. Title Case” distinctions. If you accidentally typed your entire heading in caps, our uppercase to lowercase converter can fix it instantly.
Deciding whether to underline a book title or a specific word depends primarily on your writing medium and the level of emphasis you need:
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When writing by hand: You should underline a book title when writing with a pen or paper to indicate it is a title, as italics are difficult to replicate by hand.
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Using limited technology: If you are using a typewriter or a medium that does not offer an italics feature, it is acceptable to underline book titles that would otherwise be italicized.
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As secondary emphasis: In digital word processing, a font-style underline is often reserved as a second level of emphasis; for example, to highlight a specific word within a passage that is already in bold.
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In academic exercises: You might be instructed to use underlining for specific grammatical tasks, such as to underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences to identify parts of speech. (See our small game below for an example.)
Let’s play a quick game!
Can you underline the adjective phrases in the following sentences?
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The man with the golden umbrella walked down the street.
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A cat of many colors sat on the porch.
For this exercise, you can use our underline text generator to perfectly style those phrases for your notes or digital assignments! Click the link in the introduction to go directly to our underline text generator.
No, you don’t underline article titles. But you do emphasize article titles with quotation marks instead. While you use italics for book titles, quotation marks are used for shorter works like articles, poems, or short stories.
The answer to “Do you underline movie titles?” is similar to books — not really. In typed text, you do emphasize movie titles with italics. If you are writing by hand, you would then literally underline movie titles to set them apart.
In most modern bibliographies, the question “Are book titles italicized or underlined in a bibliography?” is answered by italics. However, always check if your specific guide requires you to underline book titles.
This article was written by Claudia Herambourg and reviewed by Steven Wooding.