If you have ever found yourself staring at a blank document and wondering, do you underline the name of a poem, you are not alone. On the flip side, instead, poem titles are placed inside quotation marks, while longer works such as novels, anthologies, and films are italicized. Think about it: the short answer is no: in standard academic and professional writing, you do not underline the title of a poem. Formatting titles is one of the most common points of confusion for students, writers, and educators alike. Understanding this distinction will help your essays look polished, follow established style guidelines, and avoid unnecessary distractions for your readers.
And yeah — that's actually more nuanced than it sounds.
The Short Answer: No, You Do Not Underline Poem Titles
When you mention a poem in an essay, article, or research paper, the title should appear in quotation marks. Plus, for example, you would write Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” rather than Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken or Robert Frost’s <u>The Road Not Taken</u>. Underlining a poem title is generally considered incorrect in modern writing conventions, especially in typed documents.
This rule exists because poems are classified as short works. Worth adding: just as you would put a short story, a newspaper article, or a song title in quotation marks, you do the same with a poem. Underlining was once used as a substitute for italics in the era of typewriters, but it has largely disappeared from formal writing now that word processors make italics easy to apply Took long enough..
Quotation Marks vs. Italics: The General Rule
To remember whether to use quotation marks or italics, it helps to think about the length and independence of the work.
Use quotation marks for short works, including:
- Individual poems
- Short stories
- Essays and articles
- Songs
- Individual episodes of television shows
- Chapters within a book
Use italics for long, standalone works, including:
- Novels and full-length books
- Poetry collections or anthologies
- Movies and films
- Albums
- Plays
- Newspapers and magazines
To give you an idea, if you are discussing a single poem from a collection, you would write: “In Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” celebrates the individual and the collective.” Notice that the book title Leaves of Grass is italicized because it is a complete collection, while the poem title “Song of Myself” appears in quotation marks because it is one piece within that larger work But it adds up..
What About Underlining?
Underlining is not entirely extinct, but its role has changed dramatically. Writers underlined text to signal to typesetters that certain words should be italicized in the final printed version. Before personal computers became widespread, typewriters could not produce italics. Today, underlining in a typed document often looks like a hyperlink or an editing mark, which can confuse readers That's the part that actually makes a difference..
Counterintuitive, but true.
There is one limited exception: handwritten work. So if you are writing an essay by hand and cannot produce italics, some instructors allow you to underline the titles of long works such as books or films. Even in handwriting, however, poem titles usually remain in quotation marks because they are short works. Underlining a poem title by hand is still not the standard convention and may be marked incorrect by teachers who follow MLA, APA, or Chicago style Nothing fancy..
Style Guide Breakdown
Different academic disciplines follow different style guides, but the major ones agree on the treatment of poem titles Small thing, real impact..
MLA Style
The Modern Language Association style, commonly used in humanities and English courses, requires quotation marks for the titles
