Italics

Italics

Italics are used to emphasise important information or offer direction and structure within lengthy materials. It is important to note that use of italics can differ between each style guide; even between documents. Always check your style guide or style sheet for directions on italics.

Remember to never italicise punctuation unless it is a part of the phrase being italicised.

Note: While this site has been italicising examples, this section will use plain roman type in examples to better demonstrate italics.

emphasis

Italics are often used for emphasis.

She always forgets his birthday.

If italics are present in speech or a phrase and a particular word needs to emphasised, use roman type for emphasis.

She always forgets his birthday.

foreign words

Choose a dictionary when deciding if foreign word needs to be italicised. If a term is italicised or if it is not included, use italics.

‘Que sera, sera,’ he sighed.

Hard work was her raison d’être.

When a foreign word or expression has been absorbed into English it is not italicised.

I work at the café around the corner.

He did the interview ad lib.

Note: When writing foreign words, always keep accents above or below letters. It is ‘café’, not ‘cafe’.

Titles

Books and Periodicals

Have you read Friction by Virginia Peters?

The article was published in The Age.

Plays and Long Poems

Have you read Mrs Dalloway?

A Midsummer’s Night Dream is performing at the Princess Theatre tonight.

Musical Compositions

The Swan Lake ballet was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Did you see the Wicked musical?

Films, Videos, and Television and Radio Programs

Memento is an iconic film.

She follows the MasterChef series closely.

A lot of people thought Orsen Welles’ The War of the Worlds was really happening!

Works of Art

My favourite piece at the NGV is Edwin Long’s Queen Esther.

Legislation and Legal Cases

The Western Australian Young Offenders Act 1994 makes provision for …

The Lakes Ordinance 1995 was introduced to …

The Names of Ships, Aircraft and Other Vehicles

Vehicles are normally italicised. The name of the types of vehicles are not.

Perhaps the most famous ship of the line was the HMS Victory, launched in 1765

Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space, circling the earth in his vehicle Vostok 1.

Scientific Names of Animals and Plants

For animals, the scientific names at the genus, species and subspecies level are italicised. With botanical names, italics are used for the genus, species, subspecies, variety, subvariety, form and subform levels. 

Heavily grazed areas were characterised by Cassia nemophila var. coriacea.