Point 11: Titles

The title of your own work needs no special formatting. Just type it at the top of the page unless it includes a quotation or the title of another work, in which case you should follow the normal rules for punctuating quotations and titles. Use your title, if possible, to give a witty introduction to the argument of your essay. Give it serious thought. Nobody wants to spend an evening reading a dozen papers called “An Analysis of David Copperfield.”

When referring to other works, underline or italicize titles of full-length works, including paintings and films: speak of Moby-Dick or Citizen Kane. Put titles of short essays, poems, and stories in quotation marks, as in "The Lady of Shalott."