- lindseyk104
- Jan 6
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 9
The title of a manuscript is a critical first impression, much like the title of a movie or a book. It is the entry to your research and can influence whether you reach your target audience and if they will click to read more or move on. As the first point of attraction, it is important that you craft a compelling, precise, and impactful title for your manuscript.
The Importance of a Strong Title:
First impressions - it represents your work, instantly communicating the study's focus
Searchability - using clear, relevant keywords ensures your paper appears in search results
Reader understanding - a precise title reduces ambiguity, making it easier for the reader to grasp the study's theme
Citation potential - informative titles attract more readers, downloads, and citations
Many of us aren't taught how to craft a title, or the art of science writing. During graduate school and my post-doctoral fellowship, I spent hours writing, reading, and reviewing papers, but I didn't learn the mechanics of science writing or crafting a strong title. I assumed the research would speak for itself. As a full-time science writer, I now realize how the art of writing can elevate your research. I've begun to research the mechanics and strategic tools used in science writing, leading to a recent talk on crafting titles for science manuscripts. As a skill I wish I had learned earlier, I wanted to share what I learned here.
Types of Titles:
There are many different types of titles that can be used for writing your title. We will go over a few here:
Descriptive titles
Provide the main finding or focus of the study without drawing conclusions.
Declarative titles
State the main conclusion or findings of the study.
Interrogative titles
Pose a question to pique curiosity.
Here is an example of a title written as different title types:
Descriptive: A randomized, Controlled Trial of Liraglutide for Adolescents with Obesity
Declarative: Liraglutide Treatment Promotes Weight Loss in Adolescents with Obesity: A Randomized, Controlled Title
Interrogative: Does Liraglutide Treatment Lead to Weight Loss in Adolescents with Obesity?
But which type of title is suitable? Research indicates that descriptive titles are most effective in attracting readers and citations. Why? When crafted properly, they convey the main theme of the paper without revealing the final results—much like avoiding spoilers for a movie. This approach engages your target audience and encourages them to click on the paper to learn more.
Choosing the title type is not the only aspect of crafting a title. It's crucial to incorporate relevant structures and words that will enhance the title's appeal. For example, relevant keywords make the title searchable, and including the main topic and methodology clearly presents the content to readers. However, unnecessary jargon or details can be distracting and detract from the main theme of the article. Non-standard abbreviations can also be confusing and may attract the wrong audience—for instance, HSC might mean hepatic stellate cell to you but hematopoietic stem cell to others. Lastly, misleading or misrepresentative statements can disinterest readers and misalign their interpretation of the paper with the actual data.
What to include: | What not to include: |
Relevant keywords | Non-standard abbreviations |
Clear and concise language | Unnecessary jargon |
Main theme/topics | Misleading or misrepresentative statements |
Methodology | Unnecessary details, or too many details |
Informative writing style | Unnecessary filler words |
With this information in mind, you can begin to craft your article title using a stepwise process.
How to Create Your Title: A Simple Guide
Summarize Your Study in Three Sentences:
Avoid including the final results and instead focus on the main topic, methods, and scope.
Combine Your Sentences:
Combine your three sentences into a single phrase, removing redundant words, adjectives, or phrases.
Draft an Initial Title:
Write your initial tentative title based on your single phrase.
Refine the Title:
Review and refine the title iteratively to ensure it is concise, precise, clear, and accurate.
Ensure the Title Fits the Journal Guidelines
While drafting, refining, and finalizing your title, there are other tips to keep in mind.
Keep it short!
Shorter titles tend to be cited more.
Watch the punctuation.
The impact of a paper can be adversely affected by poor punctuation.
Stick to the data.
Titles that make claims not backed up by the data may be less cited.
Spark curiosity!
Titles that pique interest may lead to more clicks, downloads, and potentially citations.
Creating a research article title is both an art and a science, requiring clarity, precision, and engagement to stand out in the growing landscape of published work. These guidelines can help you create a title that attracts readers and boost the impact of your study.
Need a title for your next manuscript? These tips can help! Download my guide for more guidance on crafting a research paper title.
References:
1.     https://www.nature.com/nature-index/news/how-to-write-a-good-research-science-academic-paper-title
2.     https://www.nature.com/nature-index/news/studies-research-five-ways-increase-citation-counts
3.     Tullu M.S. Writing the title and abstract for a research paper: Being concise, precise, and meticulous is the key. Saudi J Anasth 2019; 13:S12-7
4.     Subramanyam R.V. Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2013; 17(1):65-70
5.     Bavdekar S.B. Formulating the right title for a research article. J Assoc Physicians India. 2016; 64:53-6
6.     Nundy S., Kakar A., Bhutta Z. How to Choose a Title? In: How to Practice Academic Medicine and Publish from Developing Countries? Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5248-6_16
8.     Letchford A., Moat H. S., Preis T. The advantages of short paper titles. R. Soc. open sci. 2015; 2: 150266.  Â