How to Write a Book Title in an Essay MLA: Full Guide


Writing book titles in papers always raises numerous questions, and unknowledgeable students make many mistakes that may result in poor grades. Sometimes they even do not suspect what their mistake was and why the tutor evaluated their work so unfairly. Those who do not want to risk their academic success prefer to turn to an expert paper writing service and get a desirable paper of perfect quality within time limits. 

We strive to assist diligent students uncertain about the rules of presenting a book title in their papers. So, it is high time to dig deeper and find out the critical aspect and principles of correct writing of the book name in the body of the text and how to highlight it!

Writing a Book Title in an Essay: General Rules

When working on the essay, you may need to mention the book title you refer to or write about. You are mistaken if you think this knowledge is only crucial in a Literature essay. Not only describe your favorite book or character from it, but you have to write a book title. You may need to indicate referred books or short stories when you write scientific research or article, biography of famous people, dissertations, and other work types. 

There are generally accepted rules that should be observed in all citation formatting styles, but also some typical features for different styles will be described down the line. It must be mentioned that for most styles, is common italicization but not using quotation marks for in-text references to the book. Be attentive to the correct spelling and author’s name when writing your essay. Turn to professionals, “Write my paper for me,” to get top results. 

Writing Various Types of Titles

Since there may be different title types, you should consider some rules depending on where you use the authors of books or short stories in your paper. So, if you indicate an author or ed in an essay, there are two variants of connecting them with a book title. Remember, there is no need to add quotation marks.

  1. The name of the author goes after the book. In this case, add a preposition by plus name after a book name. For instance: White Fang by Jack London.
  2. Autor’s name before the book’s. Use possessive case in such a title presentation. For instance: Jack London’s White Fang

However, be careful since book title writing has numerous peculiarities depending on the required citation formatting style. You may prefer to appeal to writing services by requesting,” Write my essay, please!” and relaxing and waiting for stunning results. But you may follow the tips and easily handle assignments of any difficulty. 

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

Modern Language Association, better known by its abbreviation MLA is a set of writing standards with the latest 9th edition issued in 2021. As a rule, it is applied to humanities and literary studies papers. According to this style, you should capitalize in the following cases:

  • The first word and the last in the full title.
  • Nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and other principal words. 
  • Proper names
  • Subordinate conjunctions like unless, although, because, etc.
  • Capitalize conjunctions, articles, and prepositions only if they are in the initial position.

Another essential issue of MLA style is the italicization of the book name. For instance, The American Tragedy. Moreover, a subtitle in the full title must also be italicized and detached by a colon from the main title. If you need to refer to short stories, poems, or chapter titles, add quotation marks but not italicizations. 

How to Write a Book Title in an Essay: APA Style

American Psychological Association, better known as APA, may also boast the latest 7th edition issued in 2019. This formatting style is especially popular for social sciences and has some distinct rules for writing a book title in papers. According to this style, you should use an upper case on the following occasions:

  • Title’s first word and last one.
  • Proper names
  • All the principal words
  • Over four letters words
  • Words after dash, semicolon, or colon

All the book titles are italicized but do not use quotation marks. However, if you note a chapter title from a referred book, you should put quotation marks. 

How to Write a Title of a Book in an Essay: Chicago Style

The latest edition of the Chicago manual was issued 17th edition published in 2017 and is often used in publishing. It is not as popular as previous styles, but your tutor may ask you to present your essay in this style, so you should know how to present the book’s title in your writing. The main capitalization rule is to use an upper case for all the words except for prepositions, articles, and conjunctions, no matter how long they are. Remember to capitalize the first word, no matter what speech part it is. Do not use quotation marks for referring to the book. However, when appealing to the chapter, use quotation marks but not italics that are applied to the head title.

Should We Underline or Italicize Book Titles?

Of course, some students may want to emphasize the title, but the only right way is to italicize the name on the title page of the book you refer to. Some styles, like Associated Press (AP) Styles book, suggest applying quotation marks with the title but avoid italicizing it. However, there is not a single mention of underlining. So, we do not advise breaking the rules and demonstrating your creativity in such a way. 

How to Put a Book Title in an Essay According to Citation Styles

If you want or need to mention the books or short stories you refer to or describe in your essay, you should first consider the writing style you need, whether it is APA, Chicago, or MLA style. Look at the title page of the book. There you may find the full and correct name. When writing about a chapter from the book, you should stick to another rule of adding quotation marks and emphasizing the head title. Remember to add prepositions by and the author’s name if you need, but it should not be italicized.

Why is Using The Correct Format so Important?

Proper formatting is crucial since you demonstrate your knowledge and ability to follow the requirements of any assigned style. In addition, it helps the knowledgeable audience find needed information at once and not be confused about defining the bounds of a book title you write about. Moreover, it demonstrates that you differentiate the rules of citation and know how to cite using quotation marks and how to mention the book without in-text citation. 

Summarizing

Diligent students do not care whether it is an MLA style or Chicago or any other since it is essential to know the critical peculiarities of each one. Do not hesitate to turn to style manuals for required information concerning presenting a book title in your paper. Keeping all the requirements, you get high grades and develop yourself as a universal writer capable of handling any assignments.