Q. When writing out a citation on paper, should you underline instead of italicize?
A. Though you could try to approximate the look of italics with your handwriting, the convention for handwritten text is the same as it was in the days of the typewriter: underlining means italics. (The usual way to add underlining on a typewriter was to backspace over the letters to be underlined and then repeatedly press the underscore key, or _, the same key that’s typically paired with a hyphen on English-language QWERTY keyboards designed for use with desktops and laptops.)