Rulebase

Capitalization and Quotation Marks in Titles

The Quotation Mark

Rulebase Summary

Capitalize the first and last word of all titles regardless of formatting. Capitalize all other words except short prepositions, short conjunctions, and the articles a/an/the. Use quotation marks around titles of complete or lengthy works (though italics are also acceptable). Use quotation marks around titles of works that are part of a larger whole or are brief (articles, chapters, songs, poems).

BGGP Quotes.1 · p.103 BGGP Quotes.4 · p.104 BGGP Quotes.5 · p.104

Examples

A. I read an article called "the cost of doing business in america."

A. I read an article called "The Cost of Doing Business in America."

Capitalize first/last words and all major words in titles.

A. The chapter was titled "A overview Of the findings."

A. The chapter was titled "An Overview of the Findings."

Short prepositions (of) stay lowercase; first/last words are capitalized.

Transcript Notes

In court reporting, titles of films, TV shows, books, and scripts are common. Some reporters use all caps instead of quotes to avoid the 'bulky' look of frequent quotation marks. Italics are another option. Whichever style you choose, be consistent throughout the transcript.

Style Guide References (3)

BGGP

Quotes.1 Page 103

BGGP

Quotes.4 Page 104

BGGP

Quotes.5 Page 104
See also (2)