Italics and emphasis

Italics and underlining both convey emphasis. Italics require good printing capability, while underlining is how one conveys emphasis in hand-written and typed work. For papers in our courses we prefer italics, though other instructors might feel differently. Bold face or different colors are not appropriate way to show emphasis in the text of a college essay, though you may use bold for headings of sections or figures.

　　Use italics for foreign words used in English writing:

　　Machiavelli also uses virtù in its traditional sense of goodness or morality.

　　There are various exceptions, however, to this rule: foreign titles, quotations entirely in a foreign language, and the many words which have entered English usage through frequent use. Consult a style guide appropriate to your discipline for detailed help.

　　One also uses italics for words used as words:

　　Yoga and yoke derive from a common Sanskrit root.

　　Using italics simply to emphasize words should be done sparingly; it's a relatively informal technique that doesn't tend to be accepted by academic readers. But for a counter-example see the passage from Brian Silver quoted above, in which the word science is italicized to give the sentence a bit of the richness of spoken English.