HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST TITLE FOR YOUR JOURNAL ARTICLE

Dr Nanees Ghareeb

Definition

• The title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A good title contains the fewest possible words that adequately describe the contents and/or purpose of your research paper.

Importance and aim:

• Choosing a journal article title is a very important part of the scientific process because it may influence the impact of your work and the number of readers that it will attract.

• The title is without doubt the part of a paper that is read the most, and it is usually read first.

• The initial aim of a title is to capture the reader’s attention and to draw his or her attention to the research problem being investigated.

1-DRAFT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TITLE IDEAS AS YOU WRITE YOUR ARTICLE:

It’s a great idea to generate a number of different titles for your article as you write it. Start with a draft title in the beginning and then focus on writing the rest of the paper. When you have new ideas, go back and add them in. This is great for collaborative work as other authors can make title suggestions as article drafts circulate. Once you are ready with the full text, you can return to the title and decide on the final version!

2- CHOOSE WHAT ‘TITLE TYPE’ YOU WANT TO USE: There are few different types of titles: -Declarative titles – state the main findings or conclusions (e.g. ‘A four-year weight loss trial increases activity levels in Australian men with obesity’) -Descriptive titles – describe the subject of the article but do not reveal its main conclusions (e.g. ‘The effects of a weight loss trial Australian men with obesity). -Interrogative titles – introduce the subject in the form of a question (e.g. ‘Does a four-year weight loss trial increase activity levels in Australian men with obesity?’)

3-WRITE SOME VARIANTS OF THE SAME TITLE:

Write a few variants of each title suggestion. This will allow you to see how the title could be clearer and might even generate some new ideas!

DON’T

• Use acronyms in the title without spelling them

out. • Use a very long subtitle (e.g., ‘Self-esteem: Can it

improve interpersonal relationships among community-dwelling adults in North America?).

• Use titles that are too long. The recommended length of a title is no more than 12 words.

• Use words that carry little or no meaning as they increase the overall length and may mislead indexing services.

Structure and Writing Style

• The following parameters can be used

to help you formulate a suitable

research paper title:

1.The purpose of the research

2.The narrative tone of the paper [typically

defined by the type of the research]

3.The methods used

The Final Title: Effective titles in academic research papers have

several characteristics:

• Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study.

• Avoid using abbreviations.

• Use words that create a positive impression and stimulate reader interest.

• Use current nomenclature from the field of study.

• Identify key variables, both dependent and independent.

• Is limited to 10 to 15 substantive words.

• Do not include "study of," "analysis of" or similar constructions.

• Titles are usually in the form of a phrase, but can also be in the form of a question.

• Use correct grammar and capitalization, capitalize all principal words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, …)

Example: • STEP 1

Ask yourself these questions and make note of the answers:

• What is my paper about?

My paper studies whether X therapy improves the cognitive function of patients suffering from dementia.

• What techniques/ designs were used?

It was a randomized trial.

• Who/what is studied?

I studied 40 cases from six cities in Japan.

• What were the results?

There was an improvement in the cognitive function of patients.

• STEP 2

Use your answers to list key words:

• X therapy

• Randomized trial

• Dementia

• 6 Japanese cities

• 40 cases

• Improved cognitive function

• STEP 3

Create a sentence that includes the key

words you listed :

• This study is a randomized trial that

investigates whether X therapy improved

cognitive function in 40 dementia patients

from 6 cities in Japan; it reports improved

cognitive function.

• (Current length: 28 words)

• STEP 4

Delete all unnecessary/ repetitive words and link the remaining:

• This study is a randomized trial that investigates whether X therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 6 cities in Japan; it reports improved cognitive function Randomized trial of X therapy for improving cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 6 cities in Japan

• (Length of revised title: 18 words)

• STEP 5

Delete non-essential information and

reword the title.

• Randomized trial of X therapy for

improving cognitive function in 40 dementia

patients from 6 cities in Japan reports

improved cognitive function

• Randomized trial of X therapy for improving

cognitive function in 40 dementia patients

(Length of finalized title: 13 words)

• OR Include a subtitle:

• X therapy improves cognitive function in

40 dementia patients: A randomized trial

(Title length: 12 words)

Thank you