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Are Encyclopedia Titles Italicized?

Yes for the title of an encyclopedia in MLA-style citation contexts; an individual encyclopedia entry title is put in quotation marks. This answer is style-scoped: distinguish the whole reference work from an individual entry, and follow another required citation style when applicable.

ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionWriting & Style
Quick answer

Yes for the title of an encyclopedia in MLA-style citation contexts; an individual encyclopedia entry title is put in quotation marks.

Key details

Core Issuewhether the title of an encyclopedia or the title of an encyclopedia entry should be italicized
Registeracademic, institutional, edited, and style-governed writing
RulePurdue OWL’s MLA examples treat an encyclopedia as a book-level container: the encyclopedia title is italicized, while an individual reference-work entry title is placed in quotation marks.

Important caveats

Scope Boundary

This answer is style-scoped: distinguish the whole reference work from an individual entry, and follow another required citation style when applicable.

Further guidance

Recommendation

In MLA-style work, italicize the encyclopedia title and put a cited entry 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.

  1. MLA Works Cited Page: Books (opens in a new tab)Purdue OWL · MLA-oriented guidance and examples treating an anthology or collection as a whole book/container title, supporting italics for the anthology title.

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