Whether you’re writing an essay, book, research paper or journal article, it’s important to get the title right. You want your title to draw your reader in and set the stage for your writing. However, if you’re not careful, you could end up with a title that doesn’t fit the content or tone of your work.
The title of your article shouldn’t be longer than 12 words (APA, 2009). It should be simple and concise but not boring. It should also include the main subject of your research. In addition, your title should be relevant to your reader’s search and not mislead them about the content of your article.
Your title should not contain too many acronyms or other abbreviations, as these may confuse readers who are unfamiliar with the term. Using these types of abbreviations increases the amount of text that your title takes up, which can make it more difficult for readers to find your article when searching.
You should also avoid using puns and irony in your title, as these can be confusing to readers who are not native speakers of English. They can also cause your article to appear less often in search results because they are not relevant to the keywords used by your audience.
Whenever possible, use the full name of the author and the complete title of the piece, as this is the best way to indicate that your title is about a specific work. This will also make it easier for readers to locate your article in the library, if they are looking for it.
If you are writing a journal article, the title of your article should be included on the cover page of the paper or in an insert, as this will increase its visibility and ensure that it is correctly referenced. The journal’s instructions to authors usually specify the title style to use and how long the title should be.
The format of your title should be the same as that used for your citations in the Works Cited section, according to APA formatting guidelines. If you are using a different format, check with your teacher to make sure that it is correct and consistent throughout your paper.
When writing the name of an article in an essay, it’s a good idea to do a quick online search to find out if there are any other works with the same title as yours. This will help you to rework your title slightly to ensure that it is more original.
In APA formatting, your title should be italicized or underlined and placed in quotation marks if your article contains a quote from another source. It should also be written in Title Case, but only the first letter of each word should be capitalized.
Whether you are using APA or MLA format, your title should be placed within quotations and italicized, if your instructor requires you to do so. This is particularly true if your professor asks you to refer to your sources in the body of your paper, instead of in the Works Cited entry.
