This is my final post on capitalizing the first word after a colon, and it applies to authors of academic or research papers. We'll discuss the rules for both MLA format and APA format below.
First, MLA (Modern Language Association) format is used by those writing academic papers in the humanities, subjects like literature, philosophy, or foreign languages. The main rule about using colons in MLA format is that what comes BEFORE the colon must be a complete sentence.
However, writers should capitalize the first word AFTER a colon in three instances:
1. The word is a proper noun.
E.g., There's only one person who could have done this: Mary.
2. The word is part of a direct quotation.
E.g., Shakespeare writes: "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
3. The word starts a series of complete sentences.
E.g., There are few things that can be counted on in life: You'll owe taxes on your income. You'll get your heart broken at least once. And lastly, you'll die.
The rules for colons and capitalization are slightly different for academic writers who follow APA (American Psychological Association) format, used in psychology, sociology, education, and other related fields.
Using APA format, authors should capitalize the first word after a colon in two instances:
1. The word begins a complete sentence.
E.g., There was one thought running through my head: This would certainly end in disaster.
2. The word is part of the title of a work.
E.g., I'm watching Star Wars: Episode I tonight.
That's a wrap on colons and capitalization! Over the course of three blog posts, we've covered four of the main style guides used by writers (Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press, Modern Language Association, and American Psychological Association).
As always, if you feel bored or overwhelmed having to figure all of this punctuating and capitalizing out, I'm happy to do this work for you! Simply send your document to stephbediting@gmail.com, and let's start tackling your revisions and edits together.
Stay tuned to Home | StephB-Editing for more helpful blog posts, and happy writing!
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