Why is it Important to Have a Good Essay Title?
An essay's title is its first impression to the reader, and it needs to be catchy enough for them not to get bored. If an audience doesn't like or understand what they're reading on the front cover (the title), the chances are that most people won’t continue with your work.
Your choice of words and how you create a title have an important role in your content. An essay's grade does not depend on what is written, but rather it depends upon every part that makes up the paper as a whole; this includes titles too!
Creating a title that persuades people to read your essay shows off what you know and demonstrates the quality of your writing skills.
Characteristics of a Good Essay Title
To create a captivating title for your essay, you need to understand what makes up a good one. You must know the characteristics that make up this part in order not only to complete it but also do so effectively!
Here are the characteristics of a good essay title. It should be:
- Eye-Catching
Eye-catching titles are important for essays. Without them, readers will not start reading your essay. To keep your reader’s interest, you should come up with a catchy title.
- Made of Right Words
It is important to use the right vocabulary when creating an essay’s title. The title of your paper should reflect the content and tone. If you are writing an academic paper, use words that represent your type of work.
Avoid slang, popular phrases, and other cliches in your essay’s titles.
- Written in Active Voice
For those looking for an engaging and creative essay title, make sure the verbs are in active voice.
- Brief
Keep your essay topics short and brief. Remember that a long essay will confuse readers, so keep it brief to avoid any confusion!
- Accurate
The title of your essay does not need to be inaccurate or misleading. A good essay has an accurate title, one that will make the reader want to read on.
- Easy to Read
A title should be simple, easy to understand, and remember. The key is not to use complicated words; they might confuse your readers!
Basic Components of an Essay Title
There is a specific formula that can be followed when writing each type of academic essay. Creating an engaging title for your paper isn't any different!
Below are some important components that make up an engaging and creative paper:
- Hook
Use creative and interesting ways to introduce a central idea of the topic.
- Topic Keywords
The ‘what’ question in an essay title is the best way to engage your readers and make them want more. This component identifies what concept you will discuss throughout, so it's crucial for any good piece of writing!
- Focus Keywords
The ‘when’ and 'where' question is the most important parts of your essay title. It provides information about what you are trying to say in just a few words and makes it more professional.
Rules for a Good Essay Title
Here are some basic rules you should remember when writing an essay’s title:
- Choose a title that should summarize the whole essay.
- Do not underline the title.
- Always do a quick review of the final title.
Capitalization Rules for Essay’s Title
Following are capitalization rules for writing an essay’s title:
- Capitalize all words of the title
- Do not capitalize the pronouns, prepositions, articles, and conjunctions.
- Capitalize all proper nouns
How Do You Write a Good Title for an Essay?
So how do you create a good title?
Remember these few principles when composing a title for your essay.
- First Write an Essay
The best way to write an essay is by starting with your whole text and creating a title last. When you write the essay before and then create a title, it can help you understand what will make sense to your readers.
- Use Your Thesis Statement
Another reason for writing the title in the last is the thesis statement that you have already written in the introductory paragraph. Work on your thesis statement to create the title of your essay.
- Consider the Tone of an Essay
The tone of your essay also plays an important role in creating the title of an essay. If you are writing about a serious topic, the headline should be serious, too.
- Use Relevant Keywords
Two to three relevant keywords are more than enough to create the title of an essay.
- Get Help from Online Tools
You can also use online title generator tools to get a better idea of how an effective essay title can be created.
How to Title an Essay in Different Formats?
Below you can find the basic guidelines to title an essay for different formats.
How to Title an Essay in APA Format
- Apa recommends the title should be no more than 12 words
- The title should be in upper and lowercase letters
- The title should be centered in the upper half of the page
How to Title an Essay MLA Format
- The title should be in the center of the page
- Do not italicize, underline, or place title in quotation marks
- Write the title in title case, not in all capital letters
How to Title an Essay for a Scholarship
- Think of a title early on before writing your scholarship essay and go back to the title once you are done with the writing
- Use a specific title for your essay
- The title should not be too long
How to Write a Book Title in an Essay
- Capitalize the first letter of all words
- Words after dash or colon should be capitalized
- Do not capitalize articles
Some Interesting Essay Title Examples
If you are struggling to come up with a good essay title, refer to the following section. Here you will find some interesting title examples for different kinds of essays.
How to Title an Essay About Yourself - Example
- Things that make you happy
- The significance of personal growth
- Your definition of feminism
- Why is volunteering important?
- The importance of a healthy lifestyle
- Your favorite memory
- Your proudest moment
- Your secret talent
- A place you’d want to go
- Your most unfortunate day
How to Title an Essay for College - Example
- Poop, animals, and the environment
- From homeschool to the football field
- The civil rights movement and the effects
- Internet Influence on kids
- The popularity of Sports in the United States
- A book that sparks your love for literature
- The steps you took to fix an error in coding a program
- A serious illness you battled
- A talent you have had since you were young
- A documentary that made you aware of a particular issue
Example Argumentative Essay Titles
- Should animal testing be banned?
- Is healthcare a basic human right?
- Why does homework not improve learning?
- Should video games be considered a sport?
- Should teachers be paid more?
- Is standardized testing effective?
- Is space travel a waste of money?
- Effects of video games on children
- Is cloning ethical?
- Is globalization good or bad?
Example Research Paper Titles
- How does a search engine work?
- Attention deficit disorder
- Limitations of the media
- What are the gender issues in education?
- What are the pros and cons of school uniforms?
- Discrimination in education
- Education and funding
- Disadvantages of homeschooling
- How can eating disorders be treated?
- Interracial marriage
Example Descriptive Essay Titles
- The most beautiful place on earth
- The beauty of the starry sky
- A perfect companion for me
- The best concert I attended
- Why I like my smartphone
- An unusual room
- Your favorite food
- A favorite photograph
- An accident scene
- Your favorite car
Hopefully, now you understand how to title an essay in the best way possible. Refer to the above guidelines before you begin the writing process.
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