When you get an assignment to write an essay within your specialty, you face the necessity to make a great title for your paper since you cannot hand it in without a name.
You might have heard many times that any name has a deep meaning that can affect a person's destiny. Even though everything is not that complicated with creating a title for your paper, it is still an important moment that can somehow influence your grade. There is a great expression in some foreign languages that literally means 'as you name the boat, so shall it float,' so it is not worth underestimating the importance of title creation. Even though it can be a bad idea to judge a book by its cover, you can do little about that since your brain decides how much it looks appealing in a few seconds. Thus, if you want your target audience to read your masterpiece and treat it properly, you should learn how to make a good essay title. Everyone who enrolls in college will have to deal with it many times.
Why Is It Important?
When you write something for yourself and don't wait for anyone to read your paper, you are the only person who defines its value and decides how interesting it is. However, when you work on an essay intended for a certain audience, your primary task is to interest them and encourage them to read it. In other words, you should grab their attention from the first seconds they see your paper. As you might have guessed, a title is the first thing your reader runs into, so it can greatly affect their perception. For example, a boring headline will evoke a desire to look for something else instead of reading the paper till the last period. However, if your professor doesn't read your work in full, how can they assess it objectively? That is the point. Thus, you should know how to create a good title for an essay if you want to become a straight-A student.
Features of a Good Title
If you want to impress people with your essay, you need to make them start reading your paper. Otherwise, it will be unimportant what a great thesis statement you have come up with or what arguments you have found to support the claim. Thus, you should create something really outstanding to ensure the success of your paper. It is when brainstorming can come to the rescue and help you achieve the 'wow' effect. The title should provide your target audience with a grasp of what they will read about. Thus, it should represent a pithy summary of the main subject and serve as an attention grabber. Before you start working on a title for your paper, it will not be superfluous to find out what things will make it gorgeous. When you know the features of a decent headline, it is easier to meet this challenge. Therefore, pay attention to the following things:
- Eye-catching. This point goes without saying since everyone cannot resist the temptation to read an appealing and interesting paper. Boring titles take a backseat.
- Believable. Some students sacrifice the headline's accuracy in the pursuit of catchiness, but it is a crucial mistake. When your title has nothing to do with reality, it becomes pointless and loses its initial gloss. Thus, you will hardly count on a high grade when the teacher examines your paper.
- Easy to read. When you see a title, you should get its meaning at once. When it is too sophisticated, full of weird phrases, and jargon, it looks unattractive. Thus, you should make your title comprehensible without re-reading.
- Active voice. If you utilize verbs, make sure to do it in the active voice. For instance, instead of 'Are personal relationships negatively affected by social networks?' you should better write 'How do social networks affect personal relationships negatively?'.
- Brief. Remember that brevity is the soul of wit, so make your title as short as possible, not losing its essence. Long headlines show that you lack writing skills, and they can be quite confusing sometimes. How long can an essay title be? Make it within seven words.
- Accurate. It is a crucial moment when you create an essay title. Thus, it doesn't matter what subject you will investigate and what niche you work in, but your reader should understand what they will read about in your paper.
How to Make an Essay Title
Since we have already found out the importance and crucial features of a great title, it is high time to go deep down the question and learn how to come up with a good title for a paper. Many students find themselves in the dead-end, trying to create something interesting and accurate. However, there is always a way out, and the chances are high that a few tips and tricks will help change the situation for the better. Even skillful writers face this challenge, so you shouldn't get depressed due to the first failure. Learn the fundamentals of how to title an essay and try to put them into practice at the slightest opportunity.
Leave This Task for Last
Even though your paper starts with a title, it is worth postponing its creation for later when the essay is ready. You should do proper research, examine the subject from different perspectives, develop the thesis statement and complete your work first to get what your title should reveal. It is much easier to come up with the right headline when the text is ready and you have enough information to summarize. Besides, you will not have to adjust your writing to the title. Remember that you should consider the type of essay when working on its headline. For example, a title for an illustrative essay will differ in style from the one you create for an argumentative paper.
Thus, you will understand what things you should highlight to draw the attention of a picky reader. Then, when you re-read the ready-made paper a few times, you can resort to brainstorming to create something outstanding. Write down all the ideas that come to your mind, not analyzing them. You have worked enough on your paper and know enough information to create a decent title, so let your thoughts flow.
Consider Your Thesis
How to come up with a title for an essay? First, consider all key components of your paper. The thesis statement is a crucial thing about your essay, so you should devote special attention to it while working on your headline. You should provide your target audience with a proper reason to read your paper, so look for it right in the introduction. It will not be superfluous to utilize some keywords that set the tone for the whole paper when working on your title.
Make It Short and Simple
Do you remember the features of a decent title? Re-read them once again. Your main purpose is to provide your paper with a name that will reveal its core. Thus, you shouldn't share the whole story or go deep down in details. Instead, think about how you can capture the essence of the paper in a few words. You should try to squeeze your essay into four or five words. If you have ever written slogans, apply the same technique for your paper headline.
Utilize Cliches and Popular Phrases
A person's eye is used to capturing familiar words and phrases in the first place. You can take advantage of this peculiarity. How to come up with an essay title? Look for well-known catchphrases that fit in the essence of your paper. It can be about some famous sayings or just cliches. However, bear in mind that you shouldn't use it in its initial form but rework and adapt it to your thesis statement, for example. Thus, you will get a well-crafted and eye-catching title.
Consider the Tone of the Paper
How to write a title of an article in a paper? The tone of your paper will provide you with guidelines. Thus, as already mentioned above, an illustrative essay will have a different headline than an argumentative one, for example. If you utilize the wrong tone, you may lose your readers' attention right away. Who wants to read a paper that goes beyond their circle of interests? Therefore, if you write an essay on an important and serious theme, you should stay away from the entertaining and ridiculous style of creating headlines.
Rules on How to Write a Good Essay Title
If you want to get a high grade for your paper, you should hand in a sort of masterpiece, especially if your professor is too demanding. You should know the basic rules on how to create a title for an essay to meet the general requirements for this type of work. Pay attention to the following aspects:
- title every piece of writing to make your paper look ordered and cleaner;
- involve the subject of your paper into the title to make it clear what you are writing about;
- follow the capitalization rules for creating headlines;
- don't underline the title if you bold it;
- check up the final version of the headline for mistakes and compliance with the rules;
- follow colon rules when necessary.
Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Title
Many rookies who have never written essays and come up with titles make mistakes that affect their grades negatively. You should remember that the devil is in detail, so you should keep your eyes open when creating a decent title for your paper. Devote more attention to the following things:
- Stay away from negative topics, controversial issues, and unethical subjects unless your teacher provides them. Usually, such topics result in arguments and bring more harm than good.
- Don't air your dirty laundry in public. If you have a negative experience within the subject, you can share it if you have learned something from it, but don't go into details. Academic papers are not the right place for discussing such things.
- Don't ask the wrong question. Can the title of an essay be a question? Yes, if it is relevant to your field of study. Otherwise, it may happen that you will examine the wrong theme.
- Don't be too personal. Even though you may research a subject that evokes strong feelings inside you, you should better separate your professional life from your private one. Even if you are rebellious, you should understand that an academic paper is not designed to discuss your feelings. It is more about facts and evidence than personal opinion only.
- Don't turn a blind eye to your professor's requirements. If your teacher has provided you with a list of demands, you should follow them all to get a high grade.
- Don't consider your essay from an offensive perspective. You may have to discuss a subject that evokes negative feelings, but you should base on facts in your paper and come up with a title considering only them. Don't jeopardize your academic performance.