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How to Type the Title of a Short Story: A Complete Formatting Guide
Knowing how to correctly type the title of a short story is a fundamental skill for any writer, student, or book lover. The core rule is simple: short story titles are placed in quotation marks, but several other details ensure you get it right every time. Whether you're submitting a manuscript, writing a literary analysis, or simply discussing a story you love, using the proper formatting conventions shows professionalism and respect for the work. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, from basic punctuation to capitalization and beyond Still holds up..
The Golden Rule: Quotation Marks for Short Stories
The most important distinction in title formatting is between standalone works and contained works. A short story, being a single, contained piece of writing that is part of a larger collection (or stands alone but is not a full-length book), is always enclosed in quotation marks Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
- Correct: "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson
- Correct: I just finished reading "A Good Man is Hard to Find."
- Incorrect: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (This format is for the book or novel).
This rule applies universally across major style guides like the Modern Language Association (MLA), American Psychological Association (APA), and Chicago Manual of Style. The use of italics is reserved for the container—the book or anthology in which the story appears.
Step-by-Step Guide to Formatting a Short Story Title
Let's break down the process into simple, actionable steps.
1. Use Standard Quotation Marks Always use "double quotation marks" (") around the title. Avoid using single quotes (') unless they are part of the actual title itself (e.g., a story titled "It's a Wonderful Life") Still holds up..
2. Capitalization: Title Case is Standard The standard convention is to use title case capitalization. This means you capitalize the first and last words, as well as all principal words. Here are the specific rules:
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Capitalize the first and last word Still holds up..
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Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinate conjunctions (like "because," "until," "after") That's the part that actually makes a difference..
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Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor), or prepositions (in, on, at, by, with, etc.), unless they are the first or last word.
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Example: "The Road Not Taken" (Not: "the road not taken" or "The Road not Taken")
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Example: "Araby" by James Joyce (A single-word title is always capitalized) Simple, but easy to overlook..
3. Punctuation: The Title Goes Inside the Quotation Marks Any punctuation that is part of the story's title—such as a question mark, exclamation point, or ellipsis—must be placed inside the closing quotation mark Not complicated — just consistent..
- Example: "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love"
- Example: "The Tell-Tale Heart!" (if the title itself included an exclamation point).
Still, if you are adding punctuation to the sentence that contains the title (like a period or comma), that punctuation goes outside the quotation marks in American English style. Still, (The period is outside the quotes). * Example: I read "The Lottery" for class. * Example: The story "The Lottery" shocked the audience; its theme is still relevant today. (The semicolon is outside the quotes).
4. Italicizing the Container (The Book or Anthology) When you mention the larger work that contains the short story, you must format it differently. The container's title is italicized (or underlined if handwriting).
- Example: You can find the story "A Rose for Emily" in William Faulkner's collection Collected Stories of William Faulkner.
- Example: The anthology The Best American Short Stories 2023 includes a powerful piece titled "The Operator."
This clearly distinguishes the short story (in quotes) from the book it belongs to (in italics).
Short Story Title vs. Other Works: A Quick Comparison
To avoid confusion, it helps to know how other titles are formatted:
- Short Story: "The Yellow Wallpaper" (Quotation Marks)
- Poem: "The Raven" (Quotation Marks)
- Book/Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird (Italics)
- Film/Movie: Citizen Kane (Italics)
- TV Episode: "The One Where Ross Finds Out" (Quotation Marks)
- Album: Abbey Road (Italics)
- Song: "Hey Jude" (Quotation Marks)
The general principle is: shorter works get quotes; longer, standalone works get italics.
Special Cases and Common Mistakes
What if the title is very long? There is no strict rule against long titles. Simply enclose the entire title in quotation marks, applying title case capitalization as normal. For example: "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time."
What about self-published stories or blog posts? While formal style guides are best for academic and professional writing, the same principles apply for clarity. If you are posting a story on a blog or website, using quotation marks is still the most widely understood convention. If the story is published as a standalone ebook, it might be treated more like a novel and italicized, but the quotation mark rule remains the safest bet.
Mistake #1: Forgetting the quotes. This is the most common error. Always remember that a short story is not a book. Mistake #2: Using italics for the short story. This is incorrect unless you are handwriting the title, where underlining is used to represent italics. Mistake #3: Incorrect capitalization. Avoid capitalizing every word (all caps) or only the first word (sentence case) unless the title specifically calls for it.
Practical Application: In Text and Citation
When you write about a short story in an essay or article, you'll integrate the formatted title into your sentences.
- In-text mention: Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is a seminal feminist text.
- In a citation (MLA): Gilman, Charlotte. "The Yellow Wallpaper." The New England Magazine, vol. 14, no. 5, 1892, pp. 643-55.
Notice how the story title is in quotes and the magazine title (the container) is in italics within the citation Surprisingly effective..
Conclusion
Mastering the format of a short story title is a small but crucial detail that elevates your writing. And by consistently using quotation marks, applying title case capitalization, and remembering to italicize the container, you will communicate with precision and authority. It’s a simple rule—quotes for contained works, italics for standalone works—that ensures your writing is clear, professional, and respectful of literary tradition. So, the next time you write about a short story, you can do so with confidence.
