7 golden points in choosing the academic article title

Choosing a title for your academic article is one of the most difficult parts of writing a paper or dissertation. Of course, after selecting the title of the article, you should consider other sections, including writing a good abstract and choosing the right journal.

Note that our goal here is not to choose the subject of research. Our goal is to explain how to write an exact title to your paper. We want to offer some practical tips so that you can get better performance by choosing the title of the article or choosing a title for your thesis.

Principles of selecting the title of the academic article

1. The title should be specific: Your research title should be limited and specific. For example, look at these two titles: "The Role of Using BodyLanguage Skills and Problem-Solving in Improving Social Relations," and the second heading "Effective Factors on Improving Social Relations." As you see, the first issue is well-limited, but the second is public.

2. The title should contain the main research variables: if you look at the above example, it can be seen that in the first heading all three main research variables, one of which are dependent variables and the other is independent, are included in the title of the article, but in the second heading there are no main research variables.

3. No use of formulas and abbreviations: You should not use abbreviated symbols such as MS or formulas in the title of the article. Acronyms should be included in the title in full, and in the first place of the text used, there should be cited in brackets. Therefore, this title is incorrect: "Investigating the Symptoms of MS in UK Patients" and this title is more correct. "Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms in United Kingdom Patients."

4. The title should be short: In choosing the title of the article, attention to its shortness is necessary. Usually, if the research title is about 7 or 8 to 12 words, it is very appropriate. Also, the title has more than 20 weak words:

Very short title: Tooth decay in children.

Very long title: The effects of inappropriate nutrition, the lack of a toothbrush culture, the use of dental floss and inappropriate education of parents on the teeth decay of primary school children.

Appropriate Title: Cultural and Social Factors Influencing the Dental Caries of Children.

5. The title should be clear and attractive.

6. Avoid bringing extra words: Bringing words that do not help in understanding is not appropriate at the beginning. For example, the words "review, comparison, effectiveness, relationship, a study ..." are unnecessary at the beginning of the article and removal of the theme is better. Consider the following two examples: "Assessing the efficacy of haloperidol therapy in improving cognitive symptoms in schizophrenic patients" and the second title "Effect of haloperidol on improving cognitive symptoms in schizophrenic patients". The second title is more correct because it does not use the "effectiveness".

7. Time and place of study: If your research is a descriptive type, the time and place of the study is necessary, but it is not necessary for other types of research. For example, if you want to study the prevalence of a disease or people's awareness, place and time should be mention. Correct example: "The prevalence of diabetes among villagers in London in 2014". False example: "The effectiveness of drug therapy on improving renal function in Tehran patients in 2014".