APA & MLA Formats: Title vs. Sentence Case
- Tomas Elliott (Ph.D.)
- Published on 12/08/2023
American Psychological Association (APA) and the Modern Language Association (MLA), use specific conventions for capitalizing titles. Understanding the nuances between title case and sentence case is essential for creating accurate and compliant citations.
- APA – Sentence case for book titles, webpage titles, and journal article titles. Title case for website titles, journal titles and in-text citations (parenthetical & narrative).
- MLA – Title case for book titles, webpage titles, website titles, journal titles, and article titles.
APA STYLE
The APA style uses sentence case for certain types of titles and title case for others. Sentence case, where only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized, is used for book titles, webpage titles, and journal article titles in APA format. In contrast, title case, where the first letter of each major word is capitalized, is applied to website titles, APA in-text citations (both parenthetical & narrative), and journal titles.
Generate APA citations for books, webpages, and journals effortlessly with the APA citation generator.
MLA STYLE
MLA uses a uniform approach to capitalization, employing title case for all titles across different source types. Whether it be a book title, webpage or website title, or a journal title or article title, or all MLA in-text citations. MLA format dictates the capitalization of the first letter of each major word.
Use the MLA citation generator to generate accurate citations for MLA books, webpages, and journals.
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Special Cases in Title Case: When using title case, be attentive to special cases such as conjunctions and prepositions. While these are typically lowercase, they may be capitalized if they are the first or last word in the title. Punctuation in Sentence Case: In sentence case, remember that only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. Take care to apply this rule even when titles include punctuation marks like colons or em dashes. Use Online Tools for Verification: Citation generators specific to APA or MLA to verify the correct capitalization of titles. These tools can help ensure accuracy and adherence to style guidelines. |
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TITLE & SENTENCE CASE
| EXAMPLE |
TITLE CASE |
SENTENCE CASE |
|
No other punctuations |
A Comparative Analysis of Literary Movements Exploring Cultural Diversity in Urban Spaces |
A comparative analysis of literary movements Exploring cultural diversity in urban spaces |
|
Hyphens – No effect on capitalization. It is as if the hyphens weren’t there.
|
Golfer Hits Hole-in-One Self-Reported Cases If the hyphens weren’t there the capitalization would be: Golfer Hits Hole in One Self Reported Cases |
Golfer hits hole-in-one Self-reported cases If the hyphens weren’t there the capitalization would be: Golfer hits hole in one Self reported cases |
|
Brackets ( ) No effect on capitalization. It is as if the brackets weren’t there. |
Captain America (Untold Stories) The United States’ (War on) Terror If the brackets weren’t there the capitalization would be: Captain America Untold Stories The United States’ War on Terror |
Captain America (untold stories) The United States’ (war on) terror If the brackets weren’t there the capitalization would be Captain America untold stories The United States’ war on terror |
|
Em-dashes — Do effect capitalization. Capitalize the first word after an em-dash. |
History — The Truth at Last If the dashes weren’t there the capitalization would be: History the Truth at Last (‘the’ no longer capitalized) |
History — The truth at last If the dashes weren’t there the capitalization would be: History the truth at last (“the no longer capitalized) |
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Tomas Elliott (Ph.D.)
Tomas Elliott is an assistant Professor of English at Northeastern University London. His research specialisms include the history of theatre and film, European modernism, world literature, film adaptation, transmedia studies and citation practices. He read English and French Literature at Trinity College, Oxford, before completing a PhD in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania.