CODEWITHSUNDEEP
htmlaccessibilitysemantic-markupscreen-readers
Dpuiatti
Dpuiatti

Reputation: 105

What is the correct semantic HTML markup for a title (book, movie, etc.), according to the spec? Is it an <em> tag, or something else?

I'm trying to determine a best practice for the HTML I use with titles (books, movies, songs, etc.). I'm trying to figure out if an <em> is correct, or an italicized <span>, or something else. Would it be semantically correct to use an <em> tag/element for titles, according to the HTML spec or common practice?

For example, here is an excerpt of a book review for a book titled: "Reaching & Teaching Them All", and I want to know how to mark up the title itself:

"Initial meetings with students are key to making a good first impression and offer a critical opportunity to put children at ease. By carefully orchestrating your relationship with students in those early encounters, you can create a better learning environment that will help to encourage listening and learning. Reaching & Teaching Them All suggests various ways for getting and maintaining student attention and interest, including telling stories, playing games, embracing body language, and using humour and sarcasm."

Upvotes: 3

Views: 1101

Answers (1)

XML
XML

Reputation: 19498

Well, the thing is: a title is not emphasized, per se. So, if you're aiming for semantic significance, I think the simple answer is: No, an <em> is not the right option.

One good simple guide is offered by Mozilla, in their docs on <em>. It's not canon, but it's pretty close:

The element is for words that have a stressed emphasis compared to surrounding text, which is often limited to a word or words of a sentence and affects the meaning of the sentence itself.

So, unless you're altering the meaning or stress of the sentence, <em> isn't recommended. Instead, they suggest:

Use the <cite> element to mark the title of a work (book, play, song, etc.).

Then, use CSS to set the presentational styling of the <cite> to be italic.

Upvotes: 7

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