2.4: Creating a Good Title

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Page ID: 45558

Frost & Samra et al.
Kellogg Community College

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The title is the first thing readers see. It acts as an invitation to the rest of the reading experience—a kind of handshake or greeting. A good title will also have more meaning for readers after the work has been read.

Keep in mind that academic research papers don’t have to use boring titles. Consider, for example, how the following titles use both creative phrasing and explanatory description to engage and inform readers:

Crime Fighters in Corsets: Sexism in Comic Books

Texting and Driving: R U Ready 2 Die?

Dressed for Battle: Shakespeare’s Disguised Heroines

Sometimes your title can simply come right out and announce the focus of your essay, report, or study:

The Role of Hand Hygiene in Controlling the Spread of Viral Infections in Nursing Homes

Inconsistent Identification of Pit Bull-Type Dogs by Shelter Staff

Radiation Secrecy and Censorship after Hiroshima and Nagasaki