When to Use Italics or Quotation Marks​

Quotation marks and italics are often mixed up, especially when both appear in the same text, and you have to decide which one actually fits better. Many writers only realize the confusion when revising their work and asking themselves what the rules are supposed to be. After reading this article, you’ll know:

• When to use italics or quotation marks;
• When you should use quotation marks; and
• In what circumstances are italics necessary?

Italics and quotation marks are used to draw attention to the text, but they serve different purposes. For example, italics are used to highlight key terms and expressions when defining words or phrases, as well as to format certain parts of reference list entries (e.g., book and journal titles). Quotation marks are used to present linguistic examples and the titles of book chapters and articles in the text.

Keep reading to learn their differences in detail!

We know it might be hard to determine when to use quotes or italics, so here’s a sort of guide to help you choose.

When to use quotation marks

This section explains how to use quotation marks in situations other than direct quotations. Double quotation marks are typically used in the following cases:

1. To refer to a letter, word, expression, or sentence as a linguistic example or as itself:

   • The letter “q” rarely appears without a following “u”.
   • She answered “no” to the question.
   • The students wrote “I promise to abide by the honor code” at the top of the test page.

2. To present experimental or survey stimuli in the text (long lists of stimuli may be better presented in a table, where quotation marks are not necessary):

   • The stimulus set included “rain”, “traffic”, “emails”, and “deadlines”.

3. To reproduce the content of a test item or the word-for-word instructions given to participants:

   • The first question was “How confident do you feel in your decision?”
   • The second question was “How often do you exercise?”

4. For the first occurrence of a word or expression used ironically, as slang, or as a coined term:

   • He described the delay as “efficient”, despite the two-hour wait.

5. Around the title of a journal article or book chapter when the title is used in the text (do not use quotation marks in the reference list):

   • Sherman’s (2019) article entitled “The Art of Giving Feedback” discussed how nurses can give effective feedback.

Beyond these cases, quotation marks primarily exist to enclose quoted material, but their use clearly extends beyond quotations themselves.

When not to use quotation marks

Do not use double quotation marks to highlight a key term for which you will provide a definition; this is a classic case of when to use italics vs. quotes instead.

1. To highlight a key term or expression (for example, around a term for which you will provide a definition). Use italics instead:

   • Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort required to process information.

2. To identify the anchors of a scale. Use italics rather than quotation marks:

   • Scores ranged from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 7 (very satisfied).
   • Responses followed a Likert scale from 1 (never) to 5 (always).

3. To refer to a number as such, because its meaning is clear enough without quotation marks:

   • The number 8 appeared in the top-right corner of the screen.

4. To nuance or minimize the meaning (do not use punctuation with these expressions):

   • Correct: The teacher rewarded the class with tokens.
   • Incorrect: The teacher “rewarded” the class with tokens.

Understanding when to use quotes or italics helps keep your academic writing on point. This section explains when to use italics, when to avoid them, how to use them for emphasis, and when to use reverse italics.

When to use italics

Use italics in the following cases:

1. First use of key terms or expressions, often accompanied by a definition:

   • Mindfulness is defined as “the act of noticing new things, a process that promotes a flexible response to environmental demands”.

2. Titles of books, reports, web pages, and other stand-alone works:

   • The Great Gatsby.

3. Titles of periodicals and volume numbers of periodicals (but without commas between them):

   • Journal of Behavioral Science, 42(3), 215–229.

4. English letters used as statistical symbols or algebraic variables:

   • M, SD, t, d.

5. Anchors of a scale (but not the associated number):

   • Ranged from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

6. First use of words, phrases, or abbreviations from another language when readers may not be familiar with them. However, if the term appears in a dictionary of the language in which you are writing, do not italicize it:

   • The concept of ubuntu emphasizes shared humanity and community.

If you want to learn more about the use and history of italics, check out our article: “When to Use Italics?”.

When not to use italics

Do not use italics in the following cases:

1. Titles of book series:

   • The Harry Potter series.

2. Punctuation marks after a word or phrase in italics or between items in a reference list entry (e.g., the comma after the title of a periodical or issue number, the period after the title of a book):

   • Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(6), 510–516.

3. Words, phrases, and abbreviations of foreign origin that appear in dictionaries:

   • A posteriori.
   • A priori.
   • Per se.

Italics for emphasis

In general, when deciding when to use italics or quotation marks, avoid using italics for emphasis. Instead, rewrite your sentence to emphasize what is important. For example, place important words or phrases at the beginning or end of a sentence rather than in the middle, or break long sentences into several shorter ones. However, use italics if the emphasis would otherwise be lost or if the text could be misinterpreted.

Reverse italics

When words that would normally be italicized appear in text that is already italicized, those words should be written in standard (non-italic) type, known as reverse italics. For example, if an italicized symbol appears in the title of a table (which is also italicized), use standard type for the symbol:

• Demographic characteristics of study participants: N = 250.

First, it is essential to understand the nuances between quotation marks and italics. Not only to avoid potential mistakes (such as putting dialogue in italics or an Italian word in quotation marks), but also to avoid literary pleonasm: the simultaneous use of quotation marks and italics.

Linguists do not entirely condemn this fairly common practice. However, remember that it can be considered redundant, since both quotation marks and italics highlight words or phrases.

Surprise: as with many rules, there are exceptions! In some cases, when used together, they do not give the impression of redundancy. Among the most common examples is dialogue, which is obviously placed in quotation marks, but in a foreign language: in this case, italics are always required despite the presence of quotation marks. For example:

• “C'est la vie”, she said.

In this specific example, knowing when to use quotes vs. italics together can be pretty significant.

Deciding when to use italics vs. quotes gives you more stylistic freedom than you might think. On the one hand, quotations and dialogues are generally enclosed in quotation marks, as are definitions of words and those marked by irony. On the other hand, several titles and terms in foreign languages, or technical terms, are italicized. For thoughts and non-standard English words (including linguistic inventions), it is up to you to choose either quotation marks or italics.

Despite all these rules, the use of quotation marks and italics gives you more stylistic freedom than you might think. You can put the foreword, afterword, passages in the past or future tense, letters, or dreams in italics... even break a few rules (without overdoing it!).