Skip to content
MAAS EdTech, Academic Success Partner
Consultation
Tiếng Việt
Back to BlogCitation & Formatting

How do you title an essay in APA, MLA and Chicago?

11 min read2,111 wordsNEW

Category: citation-formatting

Last updated: 2026-09-04

A student writes a strong essay, then capitalises the title the way it looks right and loses formatting marks for it. The title sits at the top of the page where a marker sees it first, and the 3 major styles disagree about which words get a capital letter. The disagreement is not cosmetic, because each style measures a different thing.

Direct answer: APA capitalises words of 4 letters or more. Chicago now capitalises prepositions of 5 letters or more. MLA ignores length entirely and capitalises by grammatical function. So the same title takes 3 different forms depending on which style your department publishes.

The rule that decides everything else. APA and Chicago count letters, while MLA counts function. The word "during" is capitalised under APA because it has 6 letters, and lowercased under MLA because it is a preposition in the middle of a title. Knowing which question your style asks removes most of the guesswork.

This guide covers title case against sentence case, the 3 style rules side by side, where the title physically sits on the page, and what research says about title length and question titles.

What is the difference between title case and sentence case?

Direct answer: Title case capitalises the major words of a title, while sentence case capitalises only the first word and any proper nouns. Both appear in the same APA paper, because APA uses title case in the body and sentence case in the reference list, which surprises most students.

The American Psychological Association (2022) defines the boundary by word class, treating "nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more" as major words. That last clause is the operative one, because it converts a grammatical question into a counting question.

The reverse rule is just as specific. APA instructs writers to "lowercase only minor words that are three letters or fewer in a title or heading", with exceptions for the first word of a title or subtitle (American Psychological Association, 2022). So "of", "in", "to" and "up" stay lowercase, while "With", "Between" and "From" take a capital.

Sentence case then applies where students least expect it. APA uses sentence case for "titles of articles, books, reports, webpages, and other works in reference list entries, even if title case was used in the original work" (American Psychological Association, 2022). If your References list looks over-capitalised, this is usually why. Our APA 7th referencing guide covers the rest of the entry format.

One more APA detail catches people out. Hyphenated major words take a capital on both halves, so the manual gives "Self-Report" rather than "Self-report" (American Psychological Association, 2022).

How do APA, MLA and Chicago differ on capitalisation?

Direct answer: APA capitalises any word of 4 letters or more. Chicago's 18th edition capitalises prepositions of 5 letters or more. MLA capitalises the first word, the last word and all principal words, and lowercases prepositions no matter how long they are. Verbs take a capital under all 3.

A comparison table showing how APA, MLA and Chicago differ on title capitalisation. APA counts any word of 4 or more letters, MLA capitalises by grammatical function regardless of length, and Chicago capitalises prepositions of 5 or more letters, while verbs are capitalised under all 3 styles.
APA counts 4+ letters, MLA counts function, Chicago counts 5+ letters

MLA states the rule as a formula rather than a threshold, instructing writers to "capitalize the first word, the last word, and all principal words" (MLA Style Center, 2021). Function decides everything, which is why MLA writes "Errors Found during Testing" while APA would capitalise "During" on a letter count.

MLA extends that logic to multi-word prepositions, holding that "a preposition that is not at the start or end of a title should be lowercased, no matter how many words compose it and no matter how long those words are" (MLA Style Center, 2019). That guidance page carries a notice that it relates to the 8th edition of the handbook, so check your current edition before quoting it in a formatting query.

Chicago changed its threshold recently, and the change is worth knowing if you are working from an older handout. Announcing the 18th edition, the press wrote that "in titles of works, prepositions of five or more letters will now be capitalized (A Room with a View but Much Ado About Nothing). And we will now refer to this as title case rather than headline style" (Chicago Manual of Style, 2024). The earlier rule lowercased every preposition regardless of length.

Chicago also decides some words by grammar rather than by length. Its Q&A treats "than" as a preposition when an object follows it and as a conjunction when a clause follows, capitalising it only in the second case (The Chicago Manual of Style Online, n.d.). Verbs are the one point of agreement, and even a 2-letter verb takes a capital, which gives "Life Is Beautiful".

Where does the title actually sit on the page?

Direct answer: APA puts the title on a dedicated title page, centred, in bold, 3 to 4 lines down. MLA usually has no title page at all and centres the title on the first page in plain text. Getting this wrong costs presentation marks before a marker reads a sentence.

APA is precise about placement, instructing writers to "place the title three to four lines down from the top of the title page. Center it and type it in bold font. Capitalize major words of the title" (American Psychological Association, 2022). A student title page carries 7 elements, namely the title, your name, your department and institution, the course number and name, the instructor, the due date, and the page number.

MLA takes the opposite default. Its formatting guidance says a research paper "does not normally need a title page", and where a paper is a group project you "create a title page and list all the authors on it instead of in the header on page 1 of your essay" (MLA Style Center, 2020). That handout reflects the 8th edition, so confirm against your department's current guide.

MLA is equally specific about what not to do. On the first page you "center the title" and "do not italicize or underline your title, put it in quotation marks or boldface, or type it in all capital letters" (MLA Style Center, 2020). The bold that APA requires is the bold MLA forbids, which is why copying a template from the wrong style is a reliable way to lose marks.

How long should a title be, and can it be a question?

Direct answer: Aim for 5 to 12 substantive words, and a question title is allowed but carries a measurable trade-off. Research finds question titles are downloaded more and cited less, so use one when engagement matters more than citation and avoid it when your department expects a formal register.

The USC Libraries research guide sets the working range, advising that a good title "is limited to 5 to 12 substantive words" and "contains the fewest possible words needed to adequately describe the content and purpose of your research paper" (Labaree, n.d.). It also warns against openings such as "A Study to Investigate the..." because "these phrases are obvious and generally superfluous unless they are necessary to covey the scope, intent, or type of study". That exception clause matters, because the advice is not absolute.

The evidence on length is weaker than it is usually reported. Letchford et al. (2015), in Royal Society Open Science, found that "for the top 20 000 most highly cited papers published in 2010, papers with shorter titles receive more citations" with a correlation of only 0.07. For 2011 to 2013 the association disappeared entirely once journal effects were accounted for, so treat short titles as a reasonable habit rather than a lever.

Question titles have a clearer and stranger pattern. Jamali and Nikzad (2011), in Scientometrics, found that "especially articles with question titles tended to be downloaded more but cited less than the others" across 2,172 papers from 6 PLoS journals. The same study reports that titles containing a colon "tended to be longer and receive fewer downloads and citations".

Question titles are also rising without becoming common. Ball (2009) examined "nearly 20 million scientific articles" and traced growth in question-mark titles across 40 years, attributing it to marketing pressure. Cook and Plourde (2016) then checked the pattern across 60 journals and concluded that "although patterns vary by discipline, titles with questions are posed infrequently overall".

Frequently asked questions

Does my essay title need to state my argument?
Not usually, but it should state your scope. A title that names the case, the population and the question does more work than a clever phrase, and markers read it as evidence that you narrowed the topic. Our guide to assignment command words covers reading the question that sits behind it.

Should I use a colon in my title?
Sparingly. A colon lets you pair a short hook with a precise scope statement, which is why the pattern is common in journals. Jamali and Nikzad (2011) found colon titles received fewer downloads and citations, so the device is not free.

Do I capitalise the word after a colon?
Yes in all 3 styles. APA treats the first word after a colon in a heading as capitalised regardless of length, and the same holds for the first word of a subtitle.

What if my department publishes its own rule?
Follow the department. Style manuals are defaults that faculties override, exactly as they do with referencing. Our guide to Harvard referencing shows how far a single named style can vary between schools.

Ready to start? Book a free 20-minute consultation. Bring your assignment brief and your department's style guide, and we will match you to a mentor in your discipline within 48 hours.

References

This article is part of the MAAS Journal series for Vietnamese international students. We guide students through worked examples, drafts and feedback so they format their own work to their department's guide, and we do not write or format assignments on students' behalf.

Share this articleFacebookLinkedInZaloEmail
Back to All ArticlesAsk a MAAS expert ▸
Want guidance like this?

From this article
to your dissertation.

A 15-minute discovery call: our PhD & Master experts translate this framework into your specific topic and supervisor expectations.

Book Free Discovery ▸Meet Our Experts →