First-Year English FAQs
In MLA format capitalize all words in titles except prepositions, conjunctions, and articles. In MLA do not capitalize the second words of a hyphenated compound in a title--"Pig-headed."
MLA Title Sample: The Symbols and Myths between the Pages
Prepositions are a group of words that show position or location--on, to, over, under, through, between.
Conjunctions are a group of words that link words, phrases, and sentences together--and, but, or, for, yet, nor, so.
Articles precede nouns. There are only two articles in English--"the" and "a/an."
If you are not sure whether a word should be capitalized in a title, look the word up in a dictionary. The dictionary definition should have a small italicized letter like "v." or "prep." that indicates which part of speech a word is. Once you know which part of speech or word type a word falls into, you will know whether to capitalize it or not.