MOS:TITLES

MOS:TITLES

The Manual of Style for Titles (MOS:TITLES) is a guideline within the broader Wikipedia Manual of Style that provides recommendations on how to format titles of works, such as books, films, songs, and other creative works, in Wikipedia articles. The guideline aims to ensure consistency and clarity across Wikipedia articles, making it easier for readers to understand and navigate the content.

Overview

The MOS:TITLES guideline covers several key aspects of title formatting, including capitalization, italicization, and quotation marks. It provides specific instructions on how to handle different types of works and their titles, ensuring that editors apply a uniform style across the encyclopedia.

Capitalization

Titles of works should generally follow the standard capitalization rules of the language in which the work was originally published. For English-language works, this typically means capitalizing the first and last words of the title, as well as all major words (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions). Minor words, such as articles ("a," "an," "the"), prepositions ("in," "on," "at"), and coordinating conjunctions ("and," "but," "or"), are usually not capitalized unless they are the first or last word of the title.

Italicization

The titles of longer works, such as books, films, television series, albums, and plays, should be italicized. This helps to distinguish them from shorter works and other elements within the text. For example:

• To Kill a Mockingbird (book)
• The Godfather (film)
• Friends (television series)

Quotation Marks

Shorter works, such as articles, poems, short stories, songs, and episodes of television series, should be enclosed in quotation marks. This differentiates them from longer works and provides clarity in the text. For example:

• "The Road Not Taken" (poem)
• "Bohemian Rhapsody" (song)
• "The One Where No One's Ready" (episode of Friends)

Special Cases

Certain works may have unique formatting requirements due to their nature or the conventions of their genre. For instance, legal cases, musical compositions, and artworks may have specific guidelines that differ from the general rules. Editors should refer to the relevant sections of the Manual of Style for guidance on these special cases.

Also see

• Wikipedia:Manual of Style
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Text formatting
• Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Proper names