The question of whether to underline the title of a poem is a common dilemma for students, writers, and educators. Day to day, the short answer is that it depends on the medium you are using and the specific style guide you are following. Historically, underlining was the standard way to denote titles, but in the modern digital age, the rules have shifted significantly. Understanding the nuances of poem title formatting ensures your work looks professional and adheres to academic or publishing standards.
Some disagree here. Fair enough Simple, but easy to overlook..
The Traditional Rule: Underlining
In the past, underlining was the universally accepted method for indicating the title of a poem, a book, or any other standalone work. This tradition originated from the typewriter era. Even so, before the advent of word processors and digital fonts, typists had no way to slant text to create italics. The only way to point out a title and set it apart from the rest of the text was to press the underscore key and draw a line beneath it Most people skip this — try not to. No workaround needed..
If you are writing a poem title by hand, underlining remains the correct and expected practice. That said, when you handwrite a title, underlining serves as the visual equivalent of italics. It signals to the reader that the words represent a specific, titled work rather than just a random phrase. So, if you are taking notes, filling out a worksheet, or writing an essay by hand, you should absolutely underline the title of the poem.
The Modern Standard: Italics
When typing on a computer or typewriter, the rules have evolved. In modern writing, italics have replaced underlining as the standard method for formatting poem titles. Most style guides, including the Modern Language Association (MLA) and the Chicago Manual of Style, explicitly state that titles of standalone poems should be italicized when typed.
The shift from underlining to italics occurred because underlining now carries a different connotation in digital media. On a website or in a digital document, underlined text almost always indicates a hyperlink. If you underline a poem title in a digital essay, a reader might instinctively try to click on
