Should BY Be Capitalized In A Title?

Quick Fix Summary

What’s going on here?

Short prepositions like “by” shouldn’t be capitalized in most title styles unless they start or end the title. This rule is consistent across MLA, APA, Chicago, and AP as of 2026. The confusion usually comes from word-processor autocorrect routines or outdated assumptions that all short words should be capped.

Let’s fix it step by step

MLA (8th ed., 2026)

1. Open your document in Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener.
2. Highlight the title text.
3. Go to Home > Styles > MLA (Windows) or Format > Styles > MLA (Mac).
4. Press Ctrl+Space (Windows) or Cmd+Space (Mac) to clear any rogue formatting.
5. Manually change “By” to “by” unless it is the first or last word.
6. For citations, use References > Insert Citation > Add New Source > Book; then manually lowercase “By” in the title field.

APA (7th ed., 2026)

1. Set the style to APA via References > Style > APA 7th Edition.
2. Type or paste your title.
3. Select the title and hit Ctrl+Space or Cmd+Space to strip formatting.
4. Change “By” to “by” unless it is the first or last word.
5. For in-text citations, use (Author, Year)—no capitalization changes needed there.
6. Check the latest rules at APA Style Central.

Chicago (17th ed., 2024)

1. Choose Chicago via References > Style > Chicago 17th.
2. Type your title.
3. Select the title and clear formatting with Ctrl+Space or Cmd+Space.
4. Lowercase “by” unless it starts the title.
5. For footnotes, follow: 1. Author First Name Last Name, Title (Place: Publisher, Year), page.

AP Style (2025)

1. Set AP Style in References > Style > AP Stylebook.
2. Enter the title; lowercase “by” unless it begins a sentence.
3. For bylines, use By jane doe—note the lowercase “by.”

That didn’t work—now what?

• Turn off Word auto-correct: File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options (Windows) or Word > Preferences > AutoCorrect (Mac). Remove “by” from the capitalization exceptions and disable “Capitalize after colon.”
• In Google Docs, disable smart caps: Tools > Preferences > uncheck “Capitalize words automatically.”
• Use a reference manager (Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote) with the correct style selected; verify titles after import and manually lowercase “by.”

Prevention is better than cure

• Pick your style guide (MLA, APA, Chicago, AP) before you write and set it as the default style in your word processor.
• Download official templates from MLA, APA, or Chicago to start each document correctly.
• Create a simple team cheat sheet listing exceptions such as “Always lowercase ‘by’ in titles.”
• Keep the relevant style guide open in a browser tab (AP Stylebook) while drafting.
• After inserting citations, always glance at the title line to confirm “by” is lowercase.

Why does this keep happening?

People get tripped up because style guides don’t always agree on how to handle "by" in titles. Most modern guides treat it like any other short preposition—they lowercase it unless it's the first or last word. That goes for MLA (8th ed., 2026), APA (7th ed., 2026), Chicago (17th ed., 2024), and AP (2025 update).

Here are the biggest myths I run into:

• Some think "by" needs capitalization after a colon or dash (it doesn’t)
• Others blame Microsoft Word's autocorrect for forcing bad habits
• And plenty assume all short words should be capped in titles (also wrong)

Here’s the exact fix for your situation

Your approach depends on which style guide you're using:

For MLA Style (2026)

1. Open your document in Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener.
2. Find the title in question (e.g., "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World by Dean DeBlois").
3. Set your style to MLA in your word processor's style menu.
4. Manually change "By" to lowercase unless it's the first or last word.
5. For citations, use Insert > Citation > Add New Source and pick "Book." Word will format it automatically, but you'll probably need to fix the "by" capitalization.

For APA Style (7th ed., 2026)

1. Switch your document style to APA in your word processor.
2. Make sure "by" is lowercase in titles unless it's first or last (e.g., "the art of memory by frances a. yates").
3. For in-text citations, use (Author, Year, p. X)—no capitalization changes needed there.
4. If Word messes up, check APA Style Central for the latest rules.

For Chicago Style (17th ed., 2024)

1. Select Chicago in your word processor's citation style menu.
2. Double-check that "by" is lowercase in titles unless it's the first word (e.g., "the great gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald").
3. For footnotes, use: 1. Author First Name Last Name, Title in Title Case (Place: Publisher, Year), X.

For AP Style (2025)

1. Choose AP Style in your word processor's style menu.
2. AP treats "by" like any other preposition—lowercase it unless it starts a sentence.
3. For bylines, use: By jane doe (lowercase "by").

Still stuck? Try these troubleshooting steps

If your software keeps insisting "by" should be capitalized, don’t panic—just adjust these settings:

Problem	Fix it like this
Word keeps changing "by" to "By"	Head to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options (Windows) or Word > Preferences > AutoCorrect (Mac). Turn off the automatic capitalization after colons and remove "by" from the capitalization exceptions.
Google Docs wants to capitalize incorrectly	Disable the smart capitalization: Tools > Preferences > uncheck "Capitalize words automatically."
Word's style doesn’t match what you need	After applying the style, select your title and hit Ctrl+Space (Windows) or Cmd+Space (Mac) to clear formatting. Then manually lowercase the "by."

How to prevent this headache next time

Follow these tips to keep your titles consistent from the start:

• Set your default style first: Pick your style (MLA, APA, etc.) before you start writing. This prevents formatting headaches later.
• Use official templates: Grab templates from MLA, APA, or Chicago to avoid manual errors.
• Create a style cheat sheet: For team projects, write down exceptions like "Always lowercase 'by' in titles" and share it with everyone.
• Try reference managers: Tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote handle citations automatically. Just confirm you've selected the right style version (e.g., APA 7th ed.) when importing sources.
• Keep style guides handy: Bookmark the relevant guide (like AP Stylebook online) and check it while you write.