Title of Source.

The examples found in the MLA section are based on the manual MLA Handbook, 9th ed., 2021.

  • Write down the title as given in the source.
  • Include the sub-title if present and use a colon to separate the title and subtitle.
  • Be sure to capitalize the first letter of all major words.
  • The title is followed by a period.

Click on the section of your choice to learn how to format a title.

Format

Books, films, plays, television series, etc. are works that are not part of a larger work. They are considered to stand on their own.

  • The title of sources that stand on their own is written in italics.

Examples:

Book title: Packaged Pleasures: How Technology & Marketing Revolutionized Desire.

Film: It’s a Girl’s World.

Format

Sources that are part of a larger work include journal articles, magazine articles, pages from websites, essays in books, and episodes in television series.

  • The title of sources that are part of a larger work is placed in quotation marks.

Examples:

Web page:  “First World War.”

Journal article:  “Perceptions of Weight and Body Image Among Preschool Children: A Pilot Study.”

Essay in a book:  “In the Belly of the Beast: Struggling for Nonviolent Belonging.”

Format

  • Give a short description of the source without italics or quotation marks.
  • Capitalize the first word and any proper nouns.

Example:

Photograph of a dress.

Format

  • In a short message with no title, such as a tweet or online comment, include the full message, without any changes, in place of the title.
  • Enclose the message in quotation marks.

Example:

“Cities can be designed & managed in ways to enable healthy behaviours & #UrbanHealth outcomes http://bit.ly/1UOYY8t.”