Workshop 2: The Title
Introduction
The title of your paper is important because it is the first part that is read by your peers. Lebrun (2007) likened the title of a paper to a person‟s face. A face gives an impression of the type of person who you are, and by analogy the title of a paper gives people a first impression of whether your paper is interesting enough for them to read the rest of the paper. It follows therefore that the title of the paper should attract readers to read your paper and enhance the chances of it being cited. A little should also be specific, honest, brief and positive and differentiate your work from other published research.
The following guidelines or tips are recommended as ways of improving titles. However, you should be aware that not all these tips work in the same direction. For example, a general title can often be attractive to a greater number of readers, but a general title runs counter to the desired aim of having a title that is specific.
1.Begin your title with keywords and avoid ‘waste word’: As pointed out by Lindsay (1996) it
is a good idea to start the title with a keyword. Consider the following example (modified from Lindsay 1996):
…The influence of manganese on pine needles‟
This is a common title in many scientific papers ( the effect of A on B). This type of title is unattractive, and does not tell you what A (manganese) did to B (pine needles). In addition, this type of title contains …waste word‟ and relegates one of the keywords to the end of the title. A far better (positive, specific and attractive) title would be:
…Manganese brightens the colour of pine needles‟
This title starts with one of the keywords and tells you what to expect in the paper, i.e. it is specific. The new title contains as many words as the old one, but it conveys more specific and interesting information. The new title has achieved another desired aim but dispersing with the waste words, …The influence of …. Other waste word that are commonly found in titles are …investigation on‟, …Observation on‟, …An‟, …The‟.
2. Use of verbs in titles: The addition of a verb to the title of a paper adds energy to the title and tells the reader more than about your contribution (a verb is the word in a sentence that denotes an action, i.e. my professor frowned at me when I was late for class). For example, consider the title: …The effect of leaf damage on pollen production by Maple‟
This title can be improved by removing the waste word, …The‟, and add a verb to make the title more specific (modified from Gustavii 2003):
…Leaf damage decreased pollen production by Maple‟
Lindsay (1996) counsels against using the present tense for such titles, because …Leaf damage decreases pollen production by Maple‟ implies that your work is the definitive research that has settled the question of the effect of leaf damage on pollen production by maple once and for all.
