When writing titles for creative works, the distinction between italics and quotation marks often causes confusion. This rule applies across major style guides like MLA, APA, and Chicago. The short answer is yes, you put short stories in quotation marks. On the flip side, understanding why this rule exists and how it interacts with other formatting conventions—such as anthologies, collections, and digital publications—will ensure your writing looks polished and professional every time Still holds up..
Most guides skip this. Don't Not complicated — just consistent..
The Fundamental Rule: Short Works vs. Long Works
The governing principle behind title formatting is the distinction between short works (parts of a whole) and long works (standalone wholes).
- Short works (short stories, poems, articles, essays, songs, episodes, chapters) go in quotation marks.
- Long works (novels, books, movies, TV series, albums, journals, newspapers, plays) go in italics.
A short story is almost always a component of a larger publication—a literary magazine, an anthology, a collection by a single author, or a textbook. Still, because it is a "part" of a "whole," it receives quotation marks. The container (the book or magazine) receives italics Most people skip this — try not to. Still holds up..
Correct: I read "The Lottery" in The New Yorker. Correct: My favorite story in Dubliners is "The Dead." Incorrect: I read The Lottery in The New Yorker. Incorrect: My favorite story in Dubliners is The Dead Took long enough..
How Major Style Guides Handle Short Stories
While the core rule remains consistent, minor variations exist depending on which citation style you are following. If you are writing for a specific class or publication, always defer to their required guide.
MLA Style (Modern Language Association)
MLA 9th Edition is explicit: Use quotation marks for short stories.
- In-text: In "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," the grandmother’s hat symbolizes her fragile moral code.
- Works Cited Entry: O’Connor, Flannery. "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories, Harcourt, 1955, pp. 117–134.
APA Style (American Psychological Association)
APA 7th Edition also mandates quotation marks for short stories in the reference list and in-text citations. Note that APA uses sentence case for the story title in the reference list (only the first word and proper nouns capitalized) but title case in the text And it works..
- In-text: The theme of isolation dominates "The Yellow Wallpaper" (Gilman, 1892).
- Reference List: Gilman, C. P. (1892). The yellow wallpaper. The New England Magazine, 5(1), 647–656.
Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)
Chicago style aligns perfectly: Short stories take quotation marks. This applies to both the Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date systems Worth knowing..
- Footnote: 1. Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart," in The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe (New York: Vintage, 1975), 189.
- Bibliography: Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Tell-Tale Heart." In The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, 189–194. New York: Vintage, 1975.
AP Style (Associated Press)
Used primarily in journalism, AP style differs slightly because it does not use italics at all (due to historical wire service limitations). AP puts everything in quotation marks: book titles, movie titles, and short story titles alike.
- Example: She reviewed "The Metamorphosis" for the literary section.
The "Container" Concept: Nesting Titles Correctly
Modern citation styles (especially MLA 8/9) underline the "container" system. A short story rarely exists in a vacuum; it lives inside a container. You must format both the story (the source) and the container correctly.
Formula: "Title of Short Story" in Title of Container.
Common Container Scenarios
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Anthology (Multiple Authors):
"The Veldt" appears in The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. (Wait—Bradbury is a single author collection. See below.) "The Lottery" appears in The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson. "Cathedral" appears in Best American Short Stories 1983.
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Single-Author Collection: Even if the book contains only that author's stories, the book title is italicized, and the individual story titles are in quotes.
"Hills Like White Elephants" is in Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway.
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Literary Magazine / Journal:
"Orientation" was published in The New Yorker.
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Textbook / Course Reader:
"Everyday Use" is anthologized in The Norton Introduction to Literature Not complicated — just consistent. That alone is useful..
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Standalone Publication (Rare): Occasionally, a famous short story is published as a slim, standalone physical book (e.g., a chapbook or a gift edition of "The Metamorphosis" or "A Christmas Carol"). In this specific physical format, the work becomes the container. You would italicize the title: The Metamorphosis. That said, if you are citing the original publication or the story as a concept, it remains in quotes. When in doubt, treat it as a short work (quotes) Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
Punctuation Mechanics: Where Do the Marks Go?
Knowing that to use quotes is only half the battle; knowing where to put the punctuation relative to the quotes is essential for clean copy.
American Convention (Standard in US Education/Publishing)
Periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation marks, regardless of logic.
- Correct: The story "A Rose for Emily," explores decay.
- Correct: Have you read "The Cask of Amontillado"?
- Correct: The ending of "The Gift of the Magi" is ironic.
Colons and semicolons go outside Which is the point..
- Correct: She analyzed three stories: "The Necklace," "The Jewelry," and "The False Gems."
Question marks and exclamation points go inside if they are part of the story title; outside if they belong to your sentence. Consider this: * Title has mark: "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? " is a classic.
- Your sentence is a question: Did you read "The Swimmer"?
British Convention (Logical Punctuation)
British English places punctuation logically. If the punctuation is part of the quote, it stays in; if it belongs to the sentence, it stays out.
- UK Style: The story 'The Lottery', explores mob mentality. (Comma outside).
- UK Style: Have you read 'The Lottery'? (Question mark outside because the title isn't a question).
Pro Tip: Stick to one convention consistently. If you are writing for a US audience or using MLA/APA/Chicago, use the American convention (commas/periods inside) Nothing fancy..
Single vs. Double Quotation Marks
- US Standard: Use double quotation marks (" ") for short story titles.
- UK Standard: Often uses single quotation marks (' ') for short story titles, reserving double quotes for direct speech or quotes within quotes.
If you are nesting a short story title inside a direct quote (dialogue), you flip the marks:
- US: He asked, "Have you read 'The Lottery'?"
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