When Should You Underline A Title? | Formatting Rules

Writers run into the same question again and again: when should you underline a title? School instructions, online articles, and style guides do not always match, so it is easy to feel unsure every time you write the name of a book or film.

This guide clears up that confusion with rules and a checklist. You will learn when underlining still makes sense, when italics or quotation marks work better, and how to keep your titles consistent across homework, essays, and digital content.

When Should You Underline A Title In Modern Writing

On a computer or phone, underlining a title is rare. Most current style guides treat italics as the normal way to mark the titles of long works and quotation marks as the signal for short pieces. Underlining appears only when italics are not possible or when instructions require it.

In practice, you underline a title only in a few clear situations:

• You write by hand and need a way to show the title of a long work.
• You type in a place that cannot show italics, such as an older text box or form.
• Your teacher, professor, or workplace style sheet tells you to underline specific titles.

Outside those cases, italics or quotation marks keep your page clear and match the expectations of most readers and editors.

Type Of Work	Standard Format On Screen Or In Print	Underline In Handwriting Or Plain Text?
Book Or Novel	Italicize the title.	Yes, in handwriting.
Play Or Long Poem	Italicize the title.	Yes, when italics are missing.
Film Or TV Series	Italicize the name.	Yes, if you cannot use italics.
Journal, Magazine, Or Newspaper	Italicize the publication name.	Yes, in handwritten work.
Article, Chapter, Or Short Story	Use quotation marks.	No, keep quotation marks only.
Song Or Track	Use quotation marks.	No.
Web Page Or Blog Post	Follow your style; often plain text.	No, underlining suggests a link.

This table shows the larger pattern: underlining stands in for italics when tools are limited, not as a style choice on its own. Once you can apply italics, you rarely need an underline for a title.

Underlining A Title In School Papers And Handwriting

Many students first meet the rule about underlining titles in school. Worksheets or handouts sometimes tell you to underline book titles and use quotation marks for short stories. In that setting, your main goal is to follow the instructions you receive.

Following Teacher Instructions

If your teacher says to underline titles of books, plays, or films, treat that note as your rule for the assignment. Even if a guide book might prefer italics, your grade depends on matching the format your teacher expects in that classroom.

Some teachers now write instructions such as “Italicize titles of long works; underline only if you write by hand.” In that case, match the first option when you type a paper and reserve underlining for pen and paper tasks.

Handwritten Assignments And Exams

Handwritten essays, in-class responses, and exam booklets still rely on underlining, because you cannot tilt letters on a lined page. When you need to show a long work in that setting, underline every word in the title and leave the author’s name unlined.

Say you write, “In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how children learn about justice.” Here the title stands out through the underline, while the author’s name stays in regular handwriting.

Why Italics Replaced Underlined Titles

Underlining grew out of the needs of typewriters and early printers. When keyboard characters could not tilt, writers drew a line under titles so typesetters knew which words needed special treatment in print. Once digital tools made italics easy on screen and on the page, underlining faded from everyday typed documents.

Modern style guides lean heavily toward italics for titles of long works. In guidelines for writing about literature, Purdue OWL explains that book and play titles should appear in italics in typed work, while underlining is acceptable when a document is handwritten.

The MLA Style Center also notes that writers may use underscores to stand in for italics when digital tools cannot show slanted letters. In that guidance, the line tells the reader, “this should be italics,” not “this needs a different kind of emphasis.”

Because readers now meet underlined text mainly as a sign of a hyperlink, many editors avoid underlining for emphasis of any kind in digital formats. Italics keep titles clear without suggesting that a click should open a new page.

Digital Writing And Hyperlinked Titles

On websites, in emails, and inside learning platforms, underlined words usually point to a link. If you underline a title in that space, readers may hover or tap, then feel confused when nothing happens. That small moment of friction is easy to avoid if you commit to italics instead.

Use italics for the titles of long works and quotation marks for short ones in blog posts, modules, and course pages. If a title itself links to another page, the browser or theme will already mark that link with color and an underline. You do not need to add a second underline to obey title rules.

Many writing centers and online guides now recommend that students avoid underlining for emphasis in digital documents, partly to keep links clear and partly to help readers who use screen readers. Screen readers usually announce a link, but they do not pause or change tone for underlined text.

When you draft an online article or course handout, ask yourself whether a reader might mistake an underlined title for a link. If the answer is yes, switch to italics or plain text instead.

Style Guides On Underlining Titles

Each major academic style guide handles titles slightly differently, yet they share the same general pattern. Italics carry the titles of long works, quotation marks enclose shorter pieces, and underlining steps in only when italics are not an option.

MLA Style

In Modern Language Association style, titles of books, plays, films, and other long works appear in italics in both the main text and the works cited list. Guidance from Purdue OWL notes that italics replace older underlining practice in printed and digital documents and that underlining remains suitable only for handwritten work.

MLA also treats titles of shorter works, such as poems, short stories, and essays, as items that belong in quotation marks instead of italics. You would not underline these titles, whether you type or write by hand, because the quotation marks already set them apart.

APA Style

APA style directs writers to italicize titles of books, reports, and web pages in reference lists, but to leave article titles in standard text. APA no longer relies on underlining for any of these items in typed documents. If someone writes an APA style paper by hand, an instructor might allow underlining in place of italics, yet that would count as a practical workaround instead of a core rule.

Chicago Style And Other Guides

Chicago style follows the same broad pattern by italicizing book and periodical titles and using quotation marks for shorter works. Many journalism guides, such as the AP Stylebook, avoid italics in print or plain text feeds and use quotation marks for many titles. In those cases, underlining rarely enters the picture, so the safest approach is to follow the guide that applies to your assignment or workplace.

The shared message across these guides is clear: underlining has a narrow role. It stands in for italics when tools or settings stop you from using them, not as a default style for every title.

Practical Checklist For Title Formatting

By this point, the rules behind when should you underline a title? should feel more concrete. To make decisions even faster, use this short checklist each time you write a title in a new piece of work.

Writing Situation	Best Choice For Titles	Should You Underline?
Typed Essay Or Report	Italicize long works; use quotation marks for short ones.	No.
Printed Academic Paper	Follow the required style guide.	No, unless told to replace italics.
Handwritten Homework Or Exam	Underline long work titles; use quotation marks for short ones.	Yes.
Online Article Or Blog Post	Italicize long works; keep short works in quotation marks.	No.
Email Or Message	Use quotation marks or italics.	Only when italics are not available.
Plain Text Legal Or Technical Document	Match local practice.	Maybe, if your field replaces italics.
Presentation Slides	Italicize titles inside bullets or notes.	No.

Common Mistakes With Underlining Titles

Writers who grew up with typewriters or older worksheets sometimes carry underlining habits into settings where they no longer fit. A quick sweep through recent work helps catch these patterns before a teacher, editor, or hiring manager notices them.

Underlining In Online Articles

On a web page, underlining a book or film title inside a sentence can confuse readers who expect a link. Some may think the link is broken when nothing opens. Instead of underlining, use italics and let actual links carry their usual underline and color.

Mixing Italics And Underlining

Another common slip appears when a writer uses italics for some titles and underlines others in the same document without a clear reason. That mix makes the page look uneven and distracts from the content. Choose one main method for each setting and stick with it.

Underlining Short Works

Short works such as poems, songs, chapters, and articles normally belong in quotation marks, not italics. Underlining these titles goes against the pattern used in MLA, APA, and Chicago style. If you notice underlined short work titles in older notes, trade those lines for quotation marks when you revise.

Ignoring Style Instructions

Every course, workplace, or discipline may apply shared rules about titles. When you ignore those rules and underline titles in your own way, graders and editors may read your work as careless. Checking one short guide or assignment sheet at the start of a project saves time and keeps your formatting on track.

When Should You Underline A Title? Final Thoughts

Across modern writing, underlining has a narrow job. It marks the titles of long works only when italics are out of reach or when a teacher or style guide tells you to use a line instead of slanted letters.

For typed essays, reports, and online content, treat italics as your main tool for long titles and quotation marks as your signal for short ones. Reserve underlining for handwritten assignments, rare plain text systems, and any case where clear instructions call for it. If you follow that pattern, your titles will look steady across your work.