CAPITALIZATION OF TITLES
IN APA, MLA, AND TURABIAN
Alden David Martinez
Summer 2014
CAPITALIZATION OF TITLES IN APA
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th
Edition
Capitalization of Titles in APA
• Capitalize the first, last, and major words in titles of books and articles within the body
of the paper
• All verbs (including linking verbs), nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns are major
words. When a capitalized word is a hyphenated compound, capitalize both words.
Also, capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash in a title.
• In her book, History of Pathology
• The criticism of the article, “Attitudes Toward Mental Health Workers”
• “Ultrasonic Vocalizations Are Elicited From Rat Pups”
• “Memory in Hearing-Impaired Children: Implications for Vocabulary
Development”
Capitalization of Titles in APA
• EXCEPTION: In reference lists, capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon
or em dash, and proper nouns. Do not capitalize the second word of a hyphenated
compound.
• Liu, D., Wellman, H.M., Tardif, T., & Sabbagh, M. A. (2008). Theory of mind
development in Chinese children: Ameta-analysis of false-belief understanding
across cultures and languages. Developmental Psychology, 44, 523—531.
Doi:10.1037/0012-1649.44.2.523
Capitalization of Titles in APA
• DO NOT capitalize conjunctions (FANBOYS, etc.), articles (a, an, the), or short
prepositions (of, at, by, etc.). These three type of words are not considered major
words. HOWEVER, capitalize ALL words of four (4) letters or more.
• Capitalize major words in article headings and subheadings.
• EXCEPTION: In indented paragraph (Levels 3, 4, and 5) headings, capitalize only
the first word and proper nouns.
• Capitalize major words in table titles and figure legends. In table headings and figure
captions, capitalize only the first word and proper nouns.
Capitalization of Titles in APA
• Capitalize references to titles of sections within the same article.
• as explained in the Method section
• Capitalize exact, complete titles of published and unpublished tests. Words such as
test or scale are not capitalized if they refer to subscales of tests.
• Advanced Vocabulary Test
• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
• Stroop Color-Word Interference Test
• the authors’ Mood Adjective Checklist
BUT
• MMPI Depression scale
Capitalization of Titles in APA
• Do not capitalize shortened, inexact, or generic titles of tests.
• A vocabulary test
• Stroop color test
CAPITALIZATION OF TITLES IN MLA
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Edition
Capitalization of Titles in MLA
• When citing a title of a published work in your research paper, take the title from the
title page. Do not reproduce any unusual typographic characteristics, such as
special capitalization or lowercasing of all letters. A title page may present a title
designed like one of the following examples:
MODERNISM & NEGRITUDE
READING SITES
Social Difference and Reader Response
Turner’s early sketchbooks
Capitalization of Titles in MLA
• The titles on the previous slide should appear in a research paper as follows:
• Modernism and Negritude
• Reading Sites: Social Difference and Reader Response
• Turner’s Early Sketchbooks
Capitalization of Titles in MLA
• In a title or subtitle, capitalize the first, last, and all principal words, including those
that follow hyphens in compound terms:
• Nouns – flowers, as in The Flowers of Europe
• Pronouns – our, as in Save Our Children; that, as in The Mouse That Roared
• Verbs – watches, as in America Watches Television; is, as in What Is Literature?
• Adjectives – ugly, as in The Ugly Duckling; that, as in Who Said That Phrase?
• Adverbs – slightly, as in Only Slightly Corrupt; down, as in Go Down, Moses
• Subordinating conjunctions – after, although, as if, as soon as, because, before,
if, that, unless, until, when, where, while, as in One If by Land and Anywhere That
Chance Leads
Capitalization of Titles in MLA
• Do not capitalize the following parts of speech when they fall in the middle of a title:
• Articles – a, an, the, as in Under the Bamboo Tree
• Prepositions – against, as, between, in, of, to, as in The Merchant of Venice and
“A Dialogue between the Soul and Body”
• Coordinating conjunctions – and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet, as in Romeo and Juliet
• The to in infinitives – How to Play Chess
Capitalization of Titles in MLA
• When the first line of a poem serves as the title of the poem, reproduce the line
exactly as it appears in the text.
Dickinson’s poem “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—” contrasts the everyday
and the momentous.
CAPITALIZATION OF TITLES IN TURABIAN
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, 7th Edition
Capitalization of Titles in Turabian
• Headline-style capitalization is intended to distinguish titles clearly from surrounding
text. In this style, capitalize the first letter of the first and last words of the title and
subtitle and all other words, except as follows:
• Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), the coordinating conjunctions (and, but,
or, nor, for, so, yet), or the words to and as unless such a word is the first or last
word in the title or subtitle.
• Do not capitalize prepositions (of, in, at, above, under, and so forth) unless they
are emphasized (through in A River Runs Through It) or used as adverbs (up in
Look Up), adjectives (on in The On Button), or conjunctions (before in Look Before
You Leap).
Capitalization of Titles in Turabian
• Headline-style capitalization is intended to distinguish titles clearly from surrounding
text. In this style, capitalize the first letter of the first and last words of the title and
subtitle and all other words, except as follows:
• Do not capitalize the second part (or subsequent parts) of a hyphenated
compound unless it is a proper noun or adjective.
• Do not capitalize parts of proper nouns that are normally in lowercase (van in
Ludwig van Beethoven).
• To Have and to Hold: A Twenty-first-century View of Marriage
• The Economic Effects of the Civil War in the Mid-Atlantic States
• Four Readings of the Gospel according to Matthew
• Still Life with Oranges
Capitalization of Titles in Turabian
• Although many short words are lowercase in this style, length does not determine
capitalization. You must capitalize short verbs (is, are), adjectives (new), personal
pronouns (it, we), and relative pronouns (that), because they are not among the
exceptions listed above. Use lowercase for long prepositions (according) since they
are among the exceptions.
• Two kinds of titles should not be presented in headline style even if you use it for
all other titles:
• For titles in languages other than English, use the sentence-style
capitalization.
• For titles of works published in the eighteenth century or earlier, retain the
original capitalization (and spelling), except that words spelled out in all
capital letters should be given with an initial capital only.
Capitalization of Titles in Turabian
• Sentence-style capitalization is a simpler, though less distinct, way of presenting titles
than headline style. In this style, capitalize only the first letter of the first word of the
title and subtitle and any proper nouns and proper adjectives thereafter.
• Seeing and selling late-nineteenth-century Japan
• Natural crisis: Symbol and imagination in the mid-American farm crisis
Capitalization of Titles in Turabian
• Sentence style is also used for titles of works in foreign languages. Foreign languages
have capitalization principles different from English, so if you are uncertain about
these principles in a particular language, consult a reliable authority.
• Speculum Romanae magnificentiae
• Historia de la Orden de San Gerónimo