How do italics look in an essay?

Italics were formerly used to show emphasis or to point out an unusual Word choice. But these days, you will see that italics are often used when giving the title of a newspaper or magazine; years ago, people underlined titles, but these days, certain manuals of style prefer italics. Such a use would look like this: In her new opinion piece, which you can see in today's New York Times, she discusses who is going to win the Stanley Cup.