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Published May 22, 2017. Updated July 31, 2022.

Capitalization rules depend on what academic citation or paper-formatting style you are using. Most academic style manuals use two main capitalization styles: sentence-style capitalization and title-style capitalization (also called “headline-style”). However, style manuals differ on when to use the two capitalization styles.

Below are specific capitalization best practices for MLA format (9th ed.), APA 7 format, and Chicago/Turabian style.

Sentence-Style Capitalization

• Sentence style means capitalizing as you normally would when writing a sentence, by capitalizing the following:
  • the first letter of the first word of a sentence
  • names and initials for people
  • names for days and months
  • proper nouns
  • adjectives formed with proper nouns (e.g., Freudian psychoanalysis)
  • the subject pronoun I
  • titles that come directly before a person’s name (e.g., President Biden)

Sentence-Style Capitalization Examples:

In the text:

Professor Jones assigned two essays this month, one on the Civil War and one on Abraham Lincoln.

Use sentence-style capitalization for source titles in reference lists when following APA 7 style:

A consensus statement on trauma mental health: The New Haven competency conference process and major findings

Title-Style Capitalization or Headline-Style Capitalization

• Title-style capitalization means capitalizing the following:
  • the first word of the title
  • the last word of the title
  • other major words
• Though style manual specifics vary, generally, do NOT capitalize the following words unless they begin a title or directly follow a colon:
  • Articles, such as a, an, and the
  • Conjunctions, such as for, and, not, but, or, or yet (FANBOYS)
  • Prepositions, such as against, between, in, of, or to

Below are specific capitalization best practices for MLA format (9th ed.), APA 7 format, and Chicago/Turabian style.

Title-Style Capitalization Example:

Use title-style or headline-style capitalization for source titles in the text when following APA 7, MLA 9, or Chicago styles, and for source titles in the references in MLA 9 or Chicago:

A Consensus Statement on Trauma Mental Health: The New Haven Competency Conference Process and Major Findings

• MLA 9 – Capitalization Rules
  • In general, when writing an essay in MLA 9 format, use sentence case. Sentence case means capitalizing as you normally would when writing a sentence, by capitalizing the following:
    • the first letter of the first word of a sentence
    • names and initials for people
    • names for days and months
    • proper nouns
    • adjectives formed with proper nouns (e.g., Freudian psychoanalysis)
    • the subject pronoun I
    • titles that come directly before a person’s name (e.g., President Biden)
  • To format a source’s title in your essay or works-cited list in MLA 9, use title-case capitalization, by capitalizing the following:
    • the first word of the title
    • the last word of the title
    • other major words
  • For title case in MLA 9, do NOT capitalize the following words unless they begin a title or directly follow a colon:
    • Articles, such as a, an, and the
    • Conjunctions, such as for, and, not, but, or, or yet (FANBOYS)
    • Prepositions, such as against, between, in, of, or to
  • For additional details and examples of how to style a title in MLA 9, see the guide for formatting a book title.
• APA 7 – Capitalization Rules
  • In general, when writing an essay in APA 7 format, use sentence case. Sentence case in APA means only capitalizing specific words and terms, including the following:
    • the first letter of the first word of a sentence
    • the first letter of the first word following a colon if what follows the colon forms a complete sentence
    • names and initials for people
    • names for days and months
    • names of racial and ethnic groups (Asian, Black, White, Native American, etc.)
    • proper nouns
    • adjectives formed with proper nouns (e.g., Freudian psychoanalysis)
    • the subject pronoun I
    • titles that come directly before a person’s name (President Lincoln, Dr. Smith, etc.)
    • trade names and brand names that begin with a capital letter
    • university departments, academic institutions, official academic course titles
  • In APA 7 format, do NOT capitalize the following parts of speech unless they begin a sentence or title or directly follow a colon when what follows the colon forms a complete sentence:
    • Articles, such as a, an, and the
    • Conjunctions, such as for, and, not, but, or, or yet (FANBOYS)
    • Prepositions, such as against, between, in, of, or to
  • In APA 7 format, do NOT capitalize the following terms unless they begin a sentence, appear in a title, or directly follow a colon when what follows the colon forms a complete sentence:
    • disease and disorder names
    • job titles or positions when the title follows a name or is used generically (e.g., “Abraham Lincoln was president”)
    • therapy and treatment names
    • theories, concepts, models, statistical procedures
  • When writing a source title in the body of your essay in APA style, use title case.
  • When writing a source title in the reference list in APA style, use sentence case.
  • For additional details and examples of how to style a title in APA 7, see the guide for formatting a book title.
• Chicago/Turabian – Capitalization Rules
  • In general, when writing an essay in Chicago or Turabian format, use sentence case. Sentence case in Chicago/Turabian means only capitalizing specific words and terms, including the following:
    • the first letter of the first word of a sentence
    • the first letter of the first word following a colon if what follows the colon is
      • a proper noun
      • a question
      • a quotation
      • two or more complete sentences
    • job titles or positions directly before a name (Nurse Smith, Director Miller, etc.)
    • legislative and deliberative bodies’ full names (e.g., the United States Congress)
    • names and initials for people
    • names for days and months
    • names of racial and ethnic groups (Asian, Black, White, Native American, etc.)
    • proper nouns
    • adjectives formed with proper nouns (e.g., Freudian psychoanalysis)
    • the subject pronoun I
    • titles that come directly before a person’s name
    • trade names and brand names that begin with a capital letter
    • university departments, academic institutions, official academic course titles
  • In Chicago/Turabian format, do NOT capitalize the following parts of speech unless they begin a sentence or title:
    • Articles, such as a, an, and the
    • Conjunctions, such as for, and, not, but, or, or yet (FANBOYS)
    • Prepositions, such as against, between, in, of, or to
  • When writing a source title in the body of your essay or in the references/bibliography in Chicago/Turabian style, use title case.
  • For additional details and examples of how to style a title in Chicago/Turabian, see the guide for formatting a book title.