Writing & StyleStyle guide

Are Magazine Titles Italicized?

In MLA-style conventions, the magazine publication title is italicized, while the title of an individual magazine article is placed in quotation marks. This is a style convention rather than a grammar rule. Follow another required style manual or house style when it differs.

Quick answer

Italicize the magazine’s publication title in MLA-style prose; put an individual article title in quotation marks.

Key details

Core Issuehow to style the title of a magazine when it is mentioned in prose
Registeracademic, edited, and style-governed writing
RuleIn MLA-style conventions, the magazine publication title is italicized, while the title of an individual magazine article is placed in quotation marks.

Important caveats

Scope Boundary

This is a style convention rather than a grammar rule. Follow another required style manual or house style when it differs.

Further guidance

Recommendation

Italicize the magazine’s publication title in MLA-style prose; put an individual article 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. Quotation Marks with Titles — Purdue OWL (opens in a new tab)Purdue OWL · Purdue OWL guidance listing songs, short poems, book chapters, and other shorter works as titles normally enclosed in quotation marks.
  2. Should the initial article in periodical titles be retained in both prose and works-cited-list entries? (opens in a new tab)Modern Language Association · MLA guidance demonstrating periodical publication titles, including newspaper titles, styled as periodical titles in prose and works-cited entries.

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