Are Album Titles Italicized?
Purdue OWL’s MLA guidance distinguishes the album as the larger work, whose title is italicized, from an individual song, whose title is placed in quotation marks. Other style systems may use different conventions.
In MLA-style writing, italicize an album title; put an individual song title in quotation marks.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Title styling is a style convention rather than a universal grammar rule. Follow the required publication or house style when it differs.
Further guidance
Example
MLA-style example with invented titles: *Northern Lights* is the album; “First Train Home” is a song on it. The album takes italics and the song takes quotation marks.
Practical Application
In MLA-style prose, italicize the album as the larger independent work and place an individual song title in quotation marks.
Reader Check
Identify whether you are naming the whole album or one track. Then apply the required style guide rather than treating the typography as a universal grammar rule.
Recommendation
In MLA-style writing, italicize an album title; put an individual song title in quotation marks.
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.
- MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources (opens in a new tab)Purdue Online Writing Lab, Purdue University · Purdue OWL MLA guidance explicitly stating that album names are italicized while individual song titles are placed in quotation marks.