Writing & StyleStyle guide

Are Newspaper Titles Italicized?

In MLA style, a newspaper’s publication title is treated as a periodical title and italicized, while an individual newspaper article title is placed in quotation marks. The newspaper title and an article title are different levels of work. Follow the required style guide when a publication uses another convention.

Quick answer

Italicize the newspaper’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 newspaper when it is mentioned in prose
Registeracademic, edited, and style-governed writing
RuleIn MLA style, a newspaper’s publication title is treated as a periodical title and italicized, while an individual newspaper article title is placed in quotation marks.

Important caveats

Scope Boundary

The newspaper title and an article title are different levels of work. Follow the required style guide when a publication uses another convention.

Further guidance

Recommendation

Italicize the newspaper’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. 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.
  2. 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.

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