Here's a breakdown:
* Italicization: This is the standard way to format book titles in academic writing.
* Quotation marks: Used for shorter works like articles, poems, chapters, or song titles.
* Consistency: Always use the same formatting style throughout your essay.
Example:
"In *To Kill a Mockingbird*, Harper Lee explores themes of prejudice and justice."
Key point:
If the book title is part of a longer phrase or a sentence that includes other punctuation, the punctuation goes outside of the italics. For example:
"Did you read *The Lord of the Rings*? It's an amazing book."