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Humanities LibreTexts

5.2: Titles and Authors

  • Page ID
    235747
    • Rachel Bell, Jim Bowsher, Eric Brenner, Serena Chu-Mraz, Liza Erpelo, Kathleen Feinblum, Nina Floro, Gwen Fuller, Chris Gibson, Katharine Harer, Cheryl Hertig, Lucia Lachmayr, Eve Lerman, Nancy Kaplan-Beigel, Nathan Jones, Garry Nicol, Janice Sapigao, Leigh Anne Shaw, Paula Silva, Jessica Silver-Sharp, Mine Suer, Mike Urquidez, Rob Williams, Karen Wong, Susan Zoughbie, Leigh Anne Shaw, Paula Silva, Jessica Silver-Sharp, Mine Suer, Mike Urquidez, Rob Williams, Karen Wong, and Susan Zoughbie
    • Skyline College

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    • The student’s essay title is centered above the introductory paragraph and is appropriate, creative and draws in reader interest.
    • The names of the texts are properly formatted (names of longer works are italicized or underlined, and titles of shorter works are in quotes)
    Using italics vs. Quotation Marks for Titles

    Italicize or underline longer works
    (italicizing is more commonly used to avoid confusion with hyperlinks)

    • Books
    • Plays
    • Periodicals (newspapers, journals, and magazines)
    • Films
    • Television or web series
    • Albums (CDs)
    • Long or epic poems
    • Court cases
    • Computer and video games
    • Orchestral works
    • Paintings, sculptures and other works of visual art

    Use quotation marks for shorter texts and for works that are part of a larger work:

    • Chapters in books
    • One Act Plays
    • Articles in periodicals (newspapers, journals, and magazines)
    • Short Stories
    • Episodes of television or a web series
    • Song titles
    • Short Poems
    • Essays
    • Titles of sections from longer works
    • Other literary works shorter than a three act play or complete book
    • For titles, only put them in quotes, underline OR italicize them—NEVER a combination of styles. WRONG: Gene’s favorite book is “Geek Love.”
    • All words in titles are capitalized except the following (when they aren’t the first word in the title): articles (a, an), prepositions (in, of), conjunctions (and, but, so), and the “to” in infinitives (How to Sing)
    • In reading-based writing, introduce the text(s) and author(s) being written about in the introductory paragraph.
    • When first introducing a text, provide the full name of the author and afterwards, refer to the author by last name (never by first name)
    • Don’t confuse characters in stories/poems and authors as being the same person as often they are not.
    Practice: Find Formatting Errors

    Find the TEN FORMATTING ERRORS in the first page of the following essay:
    Lachmayr 1

    Rachel Bell
    Professor Lucia Lachmayr
    21 May 2013

    Revision of Essay #1

    In the novel “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,it is revealed how this long and brutal control of human beings was partly accomplished through control over literacy. The control and limitations over reading and writing during slavery sought to make slaves like Fred ignorant, powerless, and therefore more easily controlled, and this control over literacy and education is still happening in the world today.

    In his narrative, Fredd exposes how being denied education was one of the main tactics used to keep so many blacks trapped within generations of enslavement. Freddie lived in Baltimore for 7 years as a house slave and was forbidden by his masters Mr. and Mrs. Hugh to read or write.

    Answer

    TEN FORMATTING ERRORS:

    1. The font is too large
    2. The font is unconventional
    3. In essay information in the top left, the class title is left out
    4. The page numbering in the top right has the professor’s last name, not the student’s
    5. The title “Revision of Essay #1” is generic, not creative and does not draw in reader interest
    6. When the novel is introduced, it needs to also list the author
    7. The title of the novel is in quotes when it should be italicized
    8. The main character is referred to by different informal nicknames not used in the text and one is misspelled. Always be accurate and consistent with character and author names and be sure they are spelled correctly.
    9. There is an extra space after the first paragraph.
    10. Both paragraphs need to be indented.

    FORMATTING ERRORS CORRECTED IN VERSION BELOW:

    Bell 1

    Rachel Bell
    Professor Lucia Lachmayr
    English 100
    21 May 2013

    Education Denied: a Recipe to Control Human Beings

    In Frederick Douglass’s novel Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Douglass reveals how this long and brutal

    control of human beings was partly accomplished through control over literacy. The control and limitations over reading and writing during

    slavery sought to make slaves like Douglass ignorant, powerless, and therefore more easily controlled, and this control over literacy and

    education is still happening in the world today.

    In his narrative, Douglass exposes how being denied education was one of the main tactics used to keep so many blacks trapped within

    generations of enslavement. Douglass lived in Baltimore for 7 years as a house slave and was forbidden by his masters Mr. and Mrs. Hugh to read

    or write.