Ampersands in Titles
An ampersand is meaningful text, not merely decorative punctuation. Chicago normally limits ampersands in edited prose but preserves them in established terms, corporate names, verbatim quotations, and work titles that use the symbol.
If a title or protected name genuinely contains “&,” preserve it. Do not silently rewrite an ampersand to “and” merely to run a capitalization rule.
Key details
Important caveats
Automation boundary
Known names and verbatim titles take precedence over normalization.
Further guidance
Capitalization
The words on either side still follow the relevant title-case rules; the ampersand itself is passed through unchanged.
Practical Application
First decide whether the ampersand is part of the actual title or protected name. If it is, preserve it exactly; then apply the relevant capitalization rules to the surrounding words rather than normalizing “&” to “and.”
Preservation
Chicago allows an ampersand when mentioning a work title that contains one and preserves it in established company or brand names.
Reader Check
Are you reproducing an established title/name or inventing editorial wording? Preserve established text; use the publication’s style for wording you control.
Worked Example
If a book is titled “Research & Practice,” preserve the ampersand in the title. Do not change it to “Research and Practice” merely because prose elsewhere prefers the word “and.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Headlines and Titles of Works — Chicago Q&A (opens in a new tab)The Chicago Manual of Style / University of Chicago Press · Chicago title-case rules and current-edition updates
- Title case capitalization (opens in a new tab)American Psychological Association · APA title-case rules
- How should I capitalize the title of a handout? (opens in a new tab)MLA Style Center / Modern Language Association · MLA title-style capitalization
- Chicago guidance on ampersands (opens in a new tab)The Chicago Manual of Style · Ampersands in names, quotations, and titles