Do You Underline Book Titles?

In contemporary practice, underlining is generally not considered a standard way of distinguishing book titles in your writing. Having said that, there are style guides that prefer enclosing book titles in quotation marks over italics, so it's always a good idea to check this.

Do you underline a book title in a sentence?

When typing, book titles—in fact, the titles of any full-length works—should always be italicized. Titles of shorter works, such as a poem or short story, should be put in quotation marks. You should only underline the titles of full-length works if your essay is handwritten (as italics aren't an option).

Should book titles be underlined or italicized?

Titles of books, plays, films, periodicals, databases, and websites are italicized. Place titles in quotation marks if the source is part of a larger work. Articles, essays, chapters, poems, webpages, songs, and speeches are placed in quotation marks.