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How to Craft a Winning Essay Title: 9 Simple Rules to Follow
The essay title is your chance to stand out. Your teacher or professor probably has dozens of other essays to ready apart from yours. Your work is to make it easier and more enjoyable for them to do this.
But getting the reader’s attention is much more important. Your efforts might ultimately translate to increased chances of higher grades.
There is a standard procedure for coming up with an essay title that many students don’t adhere to. One scenario is that of a student with a well-put essay that lacks a befitting title. Another is that of a great title with a lackluster essay.
Of these two, the latter is often the rarer type.
Why a Great Essay Title Is Important
Think about the exact thing that catches your eye on a bookshelf assuming book titles are stacked against each other. It is usually the title on the spine that makes you delve into the back-page and glossary of that particular book.
From there, and depending on how the author has organized their work, an informed choice can be made about whether to purchase or not.
That’s the exact importance of an essay title. Your essay title speaks volumes about the work that you have done. It provides an insight into what you want to present and a small bit of how you aim to do it.
So with that out of the way, here are 10 key pointers to keep in mind before putting the “final” seal on your essay title.
Keep in mind that these rules don’t just apply to essays but other academic papers such as dissertations.
The Title Should Have a Keyword
Unless you are writing a personal statement, the essay title should let the reader know instantly about the subject of your work. Thus, in the title, you have covered the scope of the topic without delving too much into detail.
From a well-structured title, the reader can gauge intent, which is the most important part of why you wrote the assignment.
You Don’t Have to State the Argument or The Thesis
Being specific doesn’t mean you state the thesis. Students often fall into this writing trap when they feel like the reader, in this case, the teacher, won’t understand their intent.
Keep the title short and precise.
Titles Should Be Specific and Not Vague
The title should address a specific point that has already been handed out in the rubric by your teacher.
A quick trick: let a friend or your roommate read the title out to you as you read the provided instructions on the rubric.
You’ll be able to tell whether you are off the course.
Keep It Succinct and Simple If You Can
As from previous points, keep it short and simple. Doing this effectively means you have comprehended the topic and synthesized the learning materials. That’s already a win right there.
H3: Let the Title Be Informative
Your title might be well-structured and follows most of the rules. However, if your title only speaks to a very specific quarter, it means it is functioning almost like a thesis.
If Going for Creativity, Let the Title Be Serious
ome students opt for melodramatic titles, which are not in the strictest sense the worst idea. However, stick to formal academic writing rules and avoid melodramatic titles that leave your reader sub-pissed.
Let the Title Have Originality
Originality in a title doesn’t necessarily translate to the originality of an idea. You may be presenting a discourse of someone else’s work. However, the thought process that involves research and wide reading will ultimately show up in your title.
Avoid Titles That Elaborate on The Process of Doing Work
As The Nature of Writing states, Metadiscourse is a type of language that describes doing research or one’s process of writing or thinking.
Avoiding tautologies in your essay title.
Avoid Inflammatory Titles If You Can
Titles are meant to elicit reactions, but any title that negatively does this should be avoided. Negative titles are an automatic turn-off for the reader.
Also, avoid titles that are strongly opinionated. You can never be sure if your reader shares the same ideals.
Finally, Seek Expert Essay Help If You Need To
Write the title last if you aren’t sure of what to pick. The reader can tell your thought process and the effort you have put into the paper simply by looking at your title.
If you have doubts about your writing skills, put an expert writing team to the test.
Call us today!