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This page addresses when to use italics, when to avoid italics, how to use italics for emphasis, and when to use reverse italics. Additional cases and examples are provided in the Publication Manual; users’ most common questions are addressed here.
- Italics and Quotation Marks
Italics are used to draw attention to key terms and phrases...
- Italics and Quotation Marks
Italics are used to draw attention to key terms and phrases when providing definitions and to format parts of reference list entries. Quotation marks are used to present linguistic examples and titles of book chapters and articles in the text.
Aug 19, 2024 · This page addresses when to use italics, when to avoid italics, how to use italics for emphasis, and when to use reverse italics. Additional cases and examples are provided in the Publication Manual; users’ most common questions are addressed here.
- Dana Johnson
- 2020
In creative writing, italics are commonly used to emphasize a particular word, simulating the emphasis you would give a word if you read the sentence aloud. You see that all the time, right? But the APA Publication Manual recommends using careful syntax, rather than italics, for emphasis.
Nov 4, 2021 · APA Style (7th ed.) According to the American Psychological Association (2020), "do not use double quotation marks . . . to highlight a key term or phrase (e.g., around a term for which you are going to provide a definition; instead, use italics" (p. 158).
APA has specific guidelines for the use of italics. You can find them in APA 7, Section 6.22. As a general rule, use italics sparingly. According to the manual, italics are appropriate for: Titles of books, journals and periodicals, webpages, reports, films, videos, and other stand-alone works.
In academic writing, use italics to indicate specific items within your text. APA recommends using italics for the following: Item within your text. Example sentence. Titles of books, journals, movies, and more.
