Writing & StyleStyle guide

Are Conference Titles Italicized?

Conference-title formatting is house-style dependent. Colorado State University uses capitalization without italics or quotation marks, while Northern Michigan University places conference titles in quotation marks, so the governing style should control the choice.

Quick answer

Not universally. Some house styles use plain roman type for conference titles, while others use quotation marks.

Key details

Core Issuewhether the formal name or title of a conference should be italicized
Registeracademic, institutional, edited, and style-governed writing
RuleHouse styles differ: Colorado State University says conference and symposium titles are capitalized but neither italicized nor quoted, while Northern Michigan University places conference titles in quotation marks.

Important caveats

Scope Boundary

Do not confuse the conference name with the title of an individual paper, talk, or presentation, which can receive different formatting in the same style system.

Further guidance

Recommendation

Follow the governing house or publication style; conference titles are not governed by one universal italics rule.

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.

  1. Writers Style Guide A–Z — conference titles (opens in a new tab)Colorado State University · Colorado State University house style: conference and symposium titles are capitalized but not italicized or enclosed in quotation marks.
  2. Editorial Style — titles (opens in a new tab)Northern Michigan University · Northern Michigan University house style placing conference titles in quotation marks, demonstrating that conference-title treatment is house-style dependent.

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