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AP Style for Titles of Works

1. Why AP Style for Titles of Works Matters

A writer who mishandles titles looks unprofessional, inconsistent, or outdated.

A writer who follows AP Style presents entertainment content that is clean, modern, and newsroom‑ready.

Correct title formatting improves:

  • Clarity
  • Professionalism
  • Reader trust
  • SEO consistency
  • Editorial accuracy
  • Brand credibility
  • Contributor confidence

Every Total Apex contributor must master AP Style titles because they appear constantly in entertainment, gaming, lifestyle, news, reviews, features, and guides.

2. AP Style Basics for Titles of Works

AP Style answers the question:

Is this a major work, a minor work, or a digital work — and how should it be formatted?

AP Style uses:

  • Quotation marks for most titles
  • No italics
  • No underlining
  • Capitalization rules based on type of work

AP Style is simple: quotation marks, not italics.

3. Titles That Go in Quotation Marks

AP Style uses quotation marks for:

A. Books

  • “The Hunger Games”
  • “Dune”
  • “The Great Gatsby”

B. Movies

  • “Barbie”
  • “Oppenheimer”
  • “Spider‑Man: Across the Spider‑Verse”

C. TV Shows

  • “Stranger Things”
  • “The Last of Us”
  • “Game of Thrones”

D. Episodes

  • “The Red Wedding”
  • “Pilot”
  • “The One Where…”

E. Songs

  • “Bad Guy”
  • “Anti‑Hero”
  • “Bohemian Rhapsody”

F. Video Games

  • “Elden Ring”
  • “Fortnite”
  • “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”

G. Poems

  • “The Raven”
  • “Ode to Joy”

H. Articles

  • “How to Write Better Hooks”
  • “The 10 Best Games of 2025”

If it’s a standalone creative work, it goes in quotation marks.

4. Titles That Are NOT in Quotation Marks

AP Style does not use quotation marks for:

A. Newspapers & Magazines

  • The New York Times
  • The Washington Post
  • Time magazine
  • Rolling Stone

B. Reference Works

  • Wikipedia
  • Merriam‑Webster Dictionary
  • Encyclopedia Britannica

C. Software & Apps

  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Spotify
  • Steam
  • Discord

D. Websites

  • YouTube
  • Netflix
  • Hulu
  • Amazon

E. Major Musical Works

  • Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5
  • Mozart’s Requiem

These are capitalized normally — no quotation marks.

5. Capitalization Rules for Titles

AP Style capitalizes:

  • The first word
  • The last word
  • All major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns)

AP Style lowercases:

  • Articles (a, an, the)
  • Conjunctions (and, but, or, nor)
  • Prepositions (in, on, at, to, for, with)
  • “to” in infinitives

Correct

  • “The Lord of the Rings”
  • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
  • “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Incorrect

  • “The Lord Of The Rings”
  • “Everything everywhere all at once”

6. Video Game Titles (AP Style Rules)

Video games follow the same rule as movies and books:

Use quotation marks

  • “Halo Infinite”
  • “Cyberpunk 2077”
  • “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III”

Do NOT italicize

  • Not Halo Infinite
  • Not Cyberpunk 2077

Capitalize major words

  • “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”

7. Album Titles vs. Song Titles

Album titles → quotation marks

  • “1989 (Taylor’s Version)”
  • “DAMN.”
  • “Midnights”

Song titles → quotation marks

  • “Shake It Off”
  • “HUMBLE.”
  • “Anti‑Hero”

Both use quotation marks — AP Style does not italicize albums.

8. TV Shows vs. Episodes

TV Shows → quotation marks

  • “Breaking Bad”
  • “The Mandalorian”

Episodes → quotation marks

  • “Ozymandias”
  • “Chapter 1: The Mandalorian”

Both use quotation marks — but episodes are always part of a larger work.

9. Common AP Style Entertainment Mistakes (and Fixes)

1. Using italics

❌ The movie Barbie was a hit.  

✔️ The movie “Barbie” was a hit.

2. Capitalizing every word

❌ “The Hunger Games Catching Fire”

✔️ “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”

3. Lowercasing major words

❌ “the last of us”

✔️ “The Last of Us”

4. Using quotation marks for apps

❌ “TikTok”

✔️ TikTok

5. Using quotation marks for newspapers

❌ “The New York Times”

✔️ The New York Times

10. AP Style Across Total Apex Verticals

Entertainment

  • The episode “The Red Wedding” shocked viewers.
  • The movie “Dune: Part Two” premieres Friday.

Gaming

  • The update launched for “Fortnite” on Tuesday.
  • Fans praised “Baldur’s Gate 3” for its writing.

Lifestyle

  • She reviewed the book “Atomic Habits.”
  • The playlist includes “Flowers” and “Vampire.”

News

  • The documentary “Blackfish” sparked controversy.
  • The show “Succession” won multiple awards.

Sports

  • The song “We Will Rock You” played during warmups.

Entertainment titles appear everywhere — consistency is essential.

11. Final Takeaway for Total Apex Writers

AP Style entertainment titles are all about clarity, consistency, and modern newsroom standards.

Total Apex AP Style Entertainment Essentials

  • Use quotation marks for books, movies, TV shows, episodes, songs, albums, and games
  • Do NOT use italics
  • Capitalize major words
  • Lowercase articles, conjunctions, and prepositions
  • Do NOT use quotation marks for apps, websites, newspapers, or reference works
  • Keep formatting clean, modern, and consistent

Mastering AP Style titles ensures every Total Apex article — across entertainment, gaming, lifestyle, sports, and news — is polished, consistent, and newsroom‑ready.