Best Tips on How to Title an Essay

the title of an essay

How to Make a Good Title for an Essay

The success of an essay heavily depends on its title. This may not come as a surprise given that the essay title is the first aspect to provide the reader with a sneak peek into the text. It piques our interest to read the paper in the first place and gives us a preview of what to expect from the author.

Our research paper writing help prepared a thorough guide on how to title an essay. Here you may find tips and tricks for developing an effective APA or MLA essay title. So, let's dive straight into the article for more exciting details!

Essay Title Format

During your essay writing process, ensure you know the stylistic requirements before beginning an essay. Knowing the format you need to employ is crucial because different style manuals may have varying requirements. Mostly, you could have used an APA or MLA essay title format. Our service, where you can buy essay online , explains these two in more detail below.

Essay Title MLA

If you're required to create an essay title MLA format, check whether your instructor wants you to make a separate cover page. If not, put a heading at the beginning of your work that includes your name, the name of your professor, the course ID, and, lastly, the date.

On the other hand, if you must present a cover page for your essay title MLA, then you need to include the following:

  • The name of the college
  • The title of your paper
  • The subtitle of your paper, if applicable
  • Your first and last name
  • Your teacher or professor's name
  • The class name or course number
  • The date the paper is due

The formatting instructions are as follows:

  • Double-spaced
  • Times New Roman font
  • Size 12 font
  • Apart from very short terms, each word's initial letter should be capitalized. The initial word, however, must always be uppercase.
  • The title page shouldn't include a header with the page numbers.

Essay Title APA

Having discussed the MLA format essay title, let's explore what the APA student title page includes:

  • The paper title
  • Author names
  • Institutional affiliation where the author carried out the study
  • Name and number of the course
  • Professor name
  • Page number

The title of an essay format instructions:

  • double-spaced
  • 1" margins
  • 12-point Times New Roman
  • According to APA, your title should be targeted and brief, without unnecessary words or abbreviations

How to Choose a Good Title for an Essay: Important Qualities

Nobody will read a dull headline. Your title should grab your audience's attention and encourage them to read the rest of the work. As it is one of the initial things readers see, having a strong attention grabber is essential when writing an essay from scratch. To fully understand how to come up with a title for essay that is strong and exciting, let's consider a few following factors:

Employ a Catchy Hook - Usually, the title of essay format follows a similar basic structure, especially if they are used for an academic article. The hook serves as a unique component that attracts the reader. It's a captivating statement informing others about the topic of the essay. You can also explore several types of sentences with examples that can help you develop the ideal hook structure.

Consider Topic Keywords - These are essential terms or expressions pertinent to your subject and help your reader understand the focus and body of your article. These focus keywords should serve as a brief, one- to two-word article summary. You can choose some terms from the research topic your instructor gave you, but after your thesis statement is formed, this is where you should hunt for ideas.

Use a Colon - A colon is frequently used in academic titles to separate concepts and sentences. The standard procedure is to place a clever remark or brief quotation before the colon. Although these beginning words offer flavor, they can be overdone. Because of this, some individuals find using the colon to be repugnant. Therefore be careful not to misuse this method.

Ask a Question - To write essay title that is strong, consider asking a question. But, use it with caution because posing a question will make your tone less formal. As long as the question is suitably phrased to meet the subject of your essay, feel free to employ it. Always check to see if the title question still applies to your points in the essay's body. The thesis statement should be appropriately reflected as well.

Find Inspirational Quotes - There is no formula for selecting essay titles from the textual content. You may get playful and choose any quotation, proverb, or catchphrase that applies to your particular publication and works as a title. You may also create a great essay title using well-known expressions or idioms. Doing so will help your readers relate to and feel more comfortable discussing your subject.

How to Title an Essay headline

Here are other rules for how to create a good title:

  • Title every section of writing: In the process of writing, create interesting subheadings to give your paragraphs an identity. Also, they make your text look ordered and clear. 
  • The title must bear the theme of the text: choose a title that summarizes the essay. 
  • Capitalize all words with certain exceptions: Capitalize the first letter of every word in the title, but do not capitalize pronouns, articles, prepositions, and conjunctions.
  • Avoid underlining the title: Since topics come in boldface, underlining it will amount to overemphasis. Some authorities say that if you must underline it, do not bolden it.
  • Review the final version of the title: Do not forget to do a quick review of the final version of the title—check for grammar, structure, spelling and so on. Re-read it to determine if the title has given justice to the essay. Confirm if the topic is catchy enough to attract your reader’s attention. 
  • When using a colon in your title, follow the rules: Since we are dealing with punctuation rules here, let us talk about the colon – when you have two eye-catching topics, separate them with a colon.

Student’s Guide on How to Come Up with a Title for an Essay

Titling an essay can be easy, but there are a few core principles to be taken into account. The following tips will help you stay on track and avoid any common pitfalls.

Essay Goes First

Never start with a title! If you write it before the rest of the text, it will be based on it, and it should be vice versa. Writing an essay before choosing a heading will give you a clear understanding of what should make sense to the reader. Re-read the finished paper several times to decide on the title. The last thing to create is a title - such strategy will give more time to spend on crafting an essay outline, conducting research, or writing the paper itself.

How to Title an Essay, Complete Guide 2

What are you writing about? What is the style of your paper, and is it an academic essay or a free-form essay like a narrative essay? If the topic of your essay is “Do people who commit heinous crimes deserve the death penalty?” your title should not be humorous; it should be strict and to the point.

If your topic is “Why do people like watching funny cat videos?”, feel free to craft a funny title. Determine the tone of your essay and base your title on it—in consideration with the essay’s topic.

The tone can be:

  • Serious - “The implications of global warming”
  • Funny - “How cats and dogs love their masters”
  • Amiable - “Ways to fight depression”
  • Persuasive - “Why positive thinking is a must have skill for every person”
  • Informative - “Ten rules for creating a chemical at home”

The main goal of a title is to name its paper. There is no need to tell an entire story in the title, or provide any useless details. Sum up your paper in a few words! Another way to do this is to sum up your thesis statement, as it represents the main idea of your essay. Take your thesis and squeeze it into 3-4 words. Imagine that you are creating a title for your favourite newspaper or a slogan for Coca-Cola.

Don’t use fancy words! Take 2-3 main words (keywords), put them together, and stop wasting your time. Avoid jargon and abbreviations.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is something that can help any student and young writer reap benefits. While working on a title, detect the words related to the central idea of the paper. Type the words into the search field of Google and add the word “quote.” A search engine will show numerous web pages with in-text quotations that could be useful. Select the fragment you like. It is possible to learn how to make a creative title for an essay in this way.

Discover several more tips from experts:

  • Never forget the “What,” “Who,” “When,” “How,” “Why,” and “Where” questions (if you start with one of these questions, your title has a chance of getting noticed);
  • Come up with an unexpected image not related to the selected topic;
  • Sometimes, starting with a lie increases the chances of a title being able to catch an eye;
  • Review our catchy essay title examples.

Need Some Help With Your Essay's Title?

Feel free to contact EssayPro and we will provide you with a writing help at a moment’s notice. With the years of essay writing experience, titling becomes second nature, so you no longer need to worry about having a catchy headline on your paper.

Essay Title Examples: Bad vs Good

The strongest essay titles condense lengthy essays into concise statements. When wondering how to make an essay title, think carefully about your stylistic choices and essay format to produce an excellent one. Our dissertation help has provided essay title examples to let you understand the difference between good and bad ones more vividly.

bad good essay titles

Bad Essay Title Examples

As we discussed how to create an essay title and the specific elements that go into it, you should have a clear idea of how important it is to craft a strong title. In contrast, first, look at weak essay title ideas that can break your paper. This should serve as an example of why your heading should not be like this:

Ex 1: ' How Television Has Changed Our World ' - too vast and not informative

Ex 2: 'The Ara Pacis Augustae' - unclear for those who don't know Latin

Ex 3: 'The Most Poisonous Frog' - does not provide any insight

Ex 4: 'A Brief History of Subcultures and How They Manifest Themselves in a Constantly Changing Socio-Economic Environment' - too long and complicated

Ex 5: 'The Little Mermaid 29 Years Later: Selling a Harmful Sexist Message Through a Naughty Image' - inappropriate language

Good Essay Title Examples

Now that you know what a bad essay title looks like, let's explore good essay title examples as their substitutes. Examine the following essay title format styles that will give you a clear understanding.

Ex 1: ' The Electronic Babysitter: A Social History of Uses of the Television' - gives an exact description of what the essay will be about

Ex 2: ' The Modern Historical Significance of the Ara Pacis Augustae to the City of Rome' - here, the reader can understand what they will be reading about

Ex 3: ' A Deadly Beauty: The Evolution of Skin Coloration and Toxicity of the Poisonous Dart Frog' - clear, informative, and on-point.

Ex 4: 'Reconsidering Counterculture in Contemporary Society' - informative enough and brief

Ex 5: 'The Projection of Gender Stereotypes in The Little Mermaid' - employs appropriate language

Catchy Essay Title Ideas

You now understand that long, complicated headlines do not accurately convey the paper's main idea. Take ample time to consider the word choice before tilting your work. How do you create good essay titles? Think creatively and with common sense. But meanwhile, for your convenience, we compiled title ideas for essays you may use as inspiration.

Persuasive Essay Titles

  • Why Receiving College Education is Important: Examining Long-term Benefits
  • Face-to-Face Courses Cannot Be Replaced by Online Learning
  • An MBA Does Not Ensure Corporate Success.
  • Every Company Should Adopt a Green Strategy.
  • Energy Drinks Represent a Lucrative Market Segment.
  • Aircraft, Excess Weight Charges, Need to be Prohibited.
  • Patients' Life Shouldn't be Put to Death by Nurses.
  • Google Glasses May Increase the Number of Auto Accidents.
  • All of the Conventional Malls Will Soon be Replaced By Online Shopping
  • How Do Team-building Exercises Contribute to the Development of Inventions?
  • Illegal immigrants are entitled to remain in the US.

Academic Essay Titles

  • Several English Dialects: The Link Between Various Cultures
  • Instagram: A social media innovation
  • Is it possible to reverse drug-induced brain damage, and if so, how?
  • What the Future Holds for Humans in the Light of Artificial Intelligence
  • The Story of Two Nations after Decades of Conflict: North and South Korea
  • Video Games and Their Learning Context in Schools
  • Free Wi-Fi: Strategies for Enhancing the City's Economy

Strong Research Paper Titles

  • Digital World Cybersecurity
  • E-business to Provide New Paths for Booksellers
  • Outsourcing for Large Businesses
  • Preparing for College Costs for High School Students
  • What News Reporters Should Do in the Digital Age and How to Do It: Examples
  • The Transformative Power of Music: How Heavy Metal Impacted My Life

Best Essay Titles for College Students

  • The Possible Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence for Humans
  • The Potential for Time Travel in Virtual Reality
  • What Role Has Mathematics Played in Human History?
  • How to Succeed in the Real Estate Industry
  • E-Commerce: An Empire of Virtual Businesses Worth Millions of Dollars
  • How to Achieve Financial Independence in the Digital Age Without Opening a Real Business

More Creative Titles for Essays

  • When getting rewarded for their grades, would kids do better left alone?
  • How Does Fake News Impact the Mainstream press?
  • Homelessness in Contemporary Society: A Dilemma
  • What News Reporters' Best Job Is in the Digital Age and How to Uphold It
  • Elon Musk: Brilliant Mind or Insane Person?
  • Positives and Negatives of Employing a Smoker
  • Do We Employ the Appropriate Student Success Metrics?

Professional Academic Help

Now that you know how to make a good title for an essay, you should also understand that you should approach the task as a process. While composing your essay title, you must condense your whole thesis and point of discussion into a single, concise, yet powerful sentence. If you have time before your deadline, give it some thought and don't hurry.

Don't forget that you can always rely on our professional academic assistance, whether you need a reflection paper , ideas for a strong essay title, or any other academic papers. Consider the following words - write my essay for me - magic keywords for delegating your most complex tasks to our skilled writers!

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How To Title An Essay?

How to title an essay in mla format, what are some good titles for an essay.

Daniel Parker

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

the title of an essay

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

AP English Literature and Composition

Essay Title: Rules, Tips, Mistakes to Avoid

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Table of contents

  • 1 What Makes a Good Title?
  • 2.1 Use your essay to develop your topic
  • 2.2 Identify keywords and take advantage of them
  • 2.3 Use Multiple Titles
  • 3.1 MLA Format
  • 3.2 APA Format
  • 3.3 Chicago Format
  • 4 What to Avoid When Writing a Title for an Essay?
  • 5 Take into account Your Paper Style
  • 6 Types Of Papers and the Best Titles For Them
  • 7.1 Questions make Catchy
  • 7.2 Describe the Paper in 5 Words
  • 7.3 Use One Direct Word
  • 7.4 Extract a Sentence from the Paper
  • 7.5 Take advantage of Pop-Culture
  • 7.6 Put “On” at the beginning
  • 7.7 Start with a Verb in “-ing”
  • 7.8 Give a Mental Visualization of Your Topic
  • 7.9 Modify a Title that was Rejected
  • 7.10 Choose 2 Variants That Were Considered and Declined; Then Join Them Together
  • 8.1 Why is an essay title important?
  • 8.2 Can a title be a question?
  • 8.3 How long should the title be?

Good paper titles could be the difference between the audience viewing or ignoring your essays. When chosen carefully, essay titles could well capture the attention of someone who would not typically read the topic. Learning the proper method for titling an article can work wonders in creating an attention-grabbing heading. A well-titled article will also tell readers what to expect. Knowing how to create a topic for an essay that commands the reader’s attention is important. That is why this piece is designed to help you write just that.

What Makes a Good Title?

The importance of a great title cannot be overemphasized in the essay-writing process . And that is where you question yourself – what makes good essay headlines?

  • A good title for an essay must be memorable. You want to think up something that stands out as much as possible to capture the audience’s eyes and minds. Remember – your title is the first thing your reader sees.
  • Your essay name must possess a near-perfect degree of accuracy. Titling an essay like a clickbait heading could have the viewer on strings at the beginning, but they may not be disposed towards reading it to the end. Even so, it might not leave them with the desired impression.
  • A good essay title has to be written in a language the target audience would understand easily. You might want to keep the language of your essay headline simple, but it should reflect as much expertise as the target audience would reasonably expect.
  • A proper heading for an essay must be easy to read. The main idea is that your title gives a brief insight into what the audience should expect. Keep it concise and eye-catching, and ensure it is in active voice.

How to Title an Essay?

Having understood the importance of creative essay titles, you also know what features they are supposed to contain. The next item on the agenda is for you to know how to make a title for a write-up. This is not an arbitrary undertaking. It is a multi-step ritual that helps you ensure you are on the right track to connect with your audience using a catchy essay title.

Use your essay to develop your topic

This may seem rather confusing, but it is a very efficient step to follow while coming up with great naming ideas. You should start writing your essay once you have a subject matter identified. By the time you finish writing your essay, you can use the write-up details to construct the most suitable title. It would also give you much more clarity on the subject matter and what the audience wants from it since you would have conducted more research on the issue. As such, your title can be more precise and connected to the paper.

Identify keywords and take advantage of them

Your essay’s title must scream “This is what you want” to the reader. And no matter how fun and memorable it may be, it might not be as successful if it does not capture what the audience is exactly looking for. This is where keywords will work for you. They are terms that would let readers know that your essay is relevant to what is in question.

For instance, imagine trying to research articles on symptoms of pregnancy – but the name you see has nothing like “symptoms” or “pregnancy” in them. They might be catchy essay headers and even end up being related to the search, but they don’t exactly strike you like that is what you seek. You don’t need to stuff your title with key phrases. Just two or three core ones will do the trick.

Use Multiple Titles

Nobody said you have to use just one main topic. Segmenting your paper and sub-titling each makes your essay much more readable.

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Essay Title Formats and Punctuations

It is perfectly fine if you would rather freestyle your essay heading. After all, a little creative license never hurts as long as you craft a good essay title. Though, you might want to play it safer by defining parameters, especially if your essay is formal. In that case, you should opt for an essay title format. These are internationally recognized sets of prescribed guidelines for titling your papers. There are three main essay title styles – the MLA, the APA, and the Chicago.

The rules of MLA style  emphasize that your essay topics should be centralized on the page. Perhaps the most important rule of this style is that the title must be written in “title case”. This means every word should begin using capital letters except prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, “to” when it is alongside a verb in its infinitive form, and articles. However, the first and last words must have capital letters, no matter what they are. This style also discourages italicizing, underlining, or placing the topics in quotation marks.

This formatting APA style is particular about the brevity of the title, stipulating a maximum of 12 words. It emphasizes a short and straight-to-the-point without abbreviations or redundancies. A title in this style aims to share as much information with the audience in as few words as possible. It does not encourage the use of figurative words because it is used in technical and professional writing. Thus, expect to see it deployed toward a research paper title and formal articles. It also supports centralizing the title toward the top of the page.

Chicago Format

Like the other two formats, this style is particular about having the title in the title case. However, it gives more leeway and license to the writer than the others. In fact, the Chicago style prescribes no further guidelines beyond title casing.

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What to Avoid When Writing a Title for an Essay?

Developing interesting titles for essays can be a challenge for some. Tips include avoiding negativity and offensive or controversial terms and keeping it professional. Even the cover page could be done properly thanks to a writing service like the APA title page generator, which can also help you write a good title for an essay.

Making a good start means staying positive. Even when the essay topics are dreary, attempt to write less negatively. Good headlines for essays also use appropriate language to attract more possible readers to the paper. Lastly, its image should remain neutral – don’t overshare.

Take into account Your Paper Style

The style of your essay is essential to your topic. Identify and study what kind of essay it is, e.g., an argumentative essay or narrative essay, and ensure that the essay topic reflects it. Essays have tones depending on their kind, the audience, and the subject matter. For instance, academic writing would likely assume a formal tone. Having identified the tone of your essays, you should ensure your essay topics don’t go off-key. It should complement the tone of the essay itself in order to have the desired effect on the readers.

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Types Of Papers and the Best Titles For Them

There are several situations that could involve you writing an essay paper. And depending on the situation or the target of the piece, several kinds of papers exist as well. These may include a narrative paper, expository essay, business paper, and thesis statement in academic writing, among others. Some of the most creative examples of titles include:

Research Paper

The Role of COVID-19 in the Growth of Digital Services

Impacts of Climate Change on Developed Countries

Business Paper

Why Franchising Is the Way for New Small Business Owners

How Digital Services Can Influence the Global Supply Chain

College Essay

The Golden Rule of Wholesome Studentship

Finding Success in My Failures

Reflective Essay

The Time I Met My Mentor

My First Surgery

Personal Statement

My Nine Lives as an Immigrant Student

The Three Horsemen of Ambition

Literary Analysis

The Use of Symbolism in The Pulley

Thematic Preoccupations of Shakespeare’s Othello

Report Titles

Earlier Vaccinations Would Not Have Subsided the Coronavirus Pandemic

Students Want Mixed Dormitories in American Universities

Good Titles for Essays about Yourself

Why I Am the Way I Am

A Letter To the 7-Year-Old Me

Good Titles for Narrative Writing

The Day the World Stood Still

My Perfect Birthday Party

MLA Essay Title Format

The Old Man and the Sea: A Critical Analysis of Ernest Hemingway

Why You Can Do What You Do Without Knowing Who You Are

Argumentative Essay

Are Electric Cars the Solution To Carbon Emissions?

Should Reparations Be Paid To Marginalized Groups?

Compare and Contrast Essay

Left Wing Versus Right Wing: What Ideologies Do We Need?

Good Versus Bad: The Constant Clashes of Morality

Persuasive Essay

Why Dogs Make Better Pets Compared to Cats

Digital Banking: The Peak of Fintech

Scholarship Essay Titles Examples

What Can You Contribute to the Student Community?

Narrate a Defining Experience in Your Life

Nursing Essay

COVID-19 and the Growing Demand for Nursing Staff

Prioritizing Ethical Education in the Nursing Profession

Title The Government’s Role in Poverty Alleviation

Myths and Facts about Tuberculosis

10 Tips to Create an Exceptional Title

There are numerous ways in which a writer can craft a quality naming experience. Unless you use a title generator for an essay , titling an essay is as simple or as hard as the writer makes it. It is often necessary to edit the essay online multiple times. Finding their own style is dependent on the type of essay and the purpose of the writing. In the quest to title an essay, here are some tips for arriving at a really creative title.

Questions make Catchy

Titles Interesting headings for essays can be created by using a cause-and-effect approach. Start considering a common problem and think about what question does that paper answers. You can compose a title out of it.

Describe the Paper in 5 Words

If you were, to sum up the entire paper in 5 words, what words would be chosen? Not only does this unique creation bring some fun to the process, but it can also birth a catchy phrase – which translates to a highly effective title.

Use One Direct Word

Sometimes the best essay title ideas are simpler than we think. For some essay topics, one idiom could be all you need. Though it might not be easy how to come up with one, it may give your research paper an edge over others.

Extract a Sentence from the Paper

It’s usually a good solution to pick the heading after the text is drafted. At this point, there are many title options. Just pick one that sums up your concepts better than the others.

Take advantage of Pop-Culture

Don’t be shy to use something related to pop culture. Titles for papers may definitely contain references to songs, books, or movies as long as they fit the paper topic. This could be especially powerful for college essay titles and other essays for younger readers. You just need to ensure that the audience can recognize it easily.

Put “On” at the beginning

Depending on what you’re writing, this option might be a bit tricky. It works very well for books, songs, or movie reviews. Just name the object of your research paper or article. For example, “On The Importance of Being Earnest.”

Start with a Verb in “-ing”

Especially persuasive essay types can greatly benefit from titles for papers starting like this. Be sure to find a verb straightforward enough to grab the attention.

Give a Mental Visualization of Your Topic

This works wonders when the topic you write about is art-oriented. Even if the mental image brings something that is not seen by most people, it could go far for those that grab it.

Modify a Title that was Rejected

Using old, rejected essay topics to design new ones is usually possible. All it takes is a bit of creativity and a decent name.

Choose 2 Variants That Were Considered and Declined; Then Join Them Together

Although 2 separate entities did not work out, it does not mean that those phrases can’t work together for your new paper. So keep that list of paper titles!

Why is an essay title important?

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How to Title an Essay: Tips and Examples

(Last updated: 5 April 2024)

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Crafting an essay title is like designing the cover of a book – it's the first thing your professors see, setting the stage for what's inside. As such, the title is crucial because it's the reader's first impression. In this guide, we'll explore why a good essay title matters, offer tips to help you learn how to title an essay and provide examples to illustrate which titles work and which don't.

The Importance of a Good Essay Title

The significance of a good essay title cannot be overstated. Beyond its role as a mere label, a compelling title serves as a powerful tool for drawing your professor’s attention. A good title not only encapsulates the essence of the essay but also reflects the author's voice and perspective. It sets the tone for the entire piece, guiding readers in their interpretation and understanding of the content. Moreover, a well-crafted title can enhance the credibility and authority of the essay, signalling that the author has invested thought and care into their work.

How to Write a Good Title for Your Essay

Crafting a good title requires a blend of creativity, precision, and strategic thinking. To create an effective title, consider the following tips:

  • Brainstorm Ideas : Begin by brainstorming keywords, phrases, and concepts related to your essay topic. Explore different angles and perspectives that encapsulate the essence of your argument or analysis.
  • Consider the Audience : Reflect on your target audience and their interests, preferences, and expectations. Tailor your title to resonate with your intended readership, striking a balance between familiarity and intrigue.
  • Capture the Essence : Reports often incorporate tables, charts, graphs, and other visual aids to enhance the presentation of data and facilitate understanding.
  • Evoke Emotion or Intrigue : Tap into the emotional or intellectual curiosity of your readers by crafting a title that evokes emotion, prompts reflection, or poses a compelling question. Consider using provocative language, vivid imagery, or rhetorical devices to capture readers' attention.
  • Revise and Refine: : Once you've generated potential titles, take time to revise and refine them. Experiment with different word choices, phrasings, and structures until you find a title that resonates and feels cohesive with the content of your essay.

Characteristics of a Good Title

A good title shares several key characteristics:

Descriptive : Clearly communicates the topic or main idea of the essay. Engaging : Captures the reader's attention and sparks curiosity. Concise : Succinctly summarises the content without being overly long or verbose. Relevant : Directly relates to the content and theme of the essay. Original : Avoids clichés and generic phrases. Try to strive for originality and creativity.

Essay Title Examples (Good vs. Bad)

Let's examine additional examples of good and bad essay titles to illustrate these principles:

Good Title : "Exploring Identity: The Intersection of Culture and Self-Perception" Bad Title : "Essay on Identity"

The good title invites readers to explore complex questions surrounding identity and self-perception, fostering curiosity and engagement. In contrast, the bad title lacks specificity and fails to capture the richness and depth of the essay's subject matter.

Good Title : "Breaking Barriers: The Evolution of Women's Rights in the 21st Century" Bad Title : "Essay on Women's Rights"

The good title is engaging and suggests a narrative, while the bad title is a little bland and lacks imagination.

Writing a Catchy Title for Your Essay

To craft a catchy title, consider employing the following strategies:

Wordplay and Alliteration : Incorporate puns, alliteration, or clever wordplay to make your title memorable and attention-grabbing.

Question or Provocation : Pose a thought-provoking question or statement that challenges readers' assumptions or prompts them to reconsider their perspectives.

Use of Imagery and Metaphor : Invoke vivid imagery or metaphorical language that evokes emotion, stimulates the senses, or conveys abstract concepts in concrete terms.

Surprise Element : Introduce an unexpected twist or element of surprise that captures readers' attention and leaves them eager to learn more.

Elevate Your Essay with An Engaging Title

Writing a good title for your essay requires time, skill, and a keen understanding of your subject matter. Crafting an essay title is more than just a formality—it's an art that can set the stage for the narrative that follows. With practice and attention to detail, you'll master the art of essay titling and unleash the full potential of your written creations.

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How to Title an Essay?

Purpose and importance of essay title.

An essay title bears great importance, which is why a wrong headline choice can make or break the quality of the paper you submit. Why? The reason is simple. The title you choose has to intrigue your professor or other readers. It must make them want to start reading the whole thing to find out what you wrote and how you developed an argument. This is especially important for an argumentative essay topic . That is why the words you use are vital to the success of the entire work.

The title is, in fact, the first thing your professor, client, or other readers see and your job is to get the “This seems very interesting” reaction, rather than “Oh God, this will be boring.”

Some may assume that the text is the only thing that matters. Every part of your paper plays a huge role if you want to get positive feedback and a good grade. Choosing a title that encourages people to read your essay because they’re curious also allows you to find fertile ground to showcase your knowledge, wisdom, and writing skills simultaneously. This is particularly important for freelance writers whose success depends on the number of people who open and read their essays and articles.

What Are the Qualities of a Good Essay Title

Before you start writing a title for your essay, it is always useful to know more about the qualities that every headline should have. When you know all characteristics of good titles, you’re bound to make wise decisions and complete this part of the essay writing process successfully.

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Below we present the most important qualities for the title of your paper:

Eye-catching – think about it. Do you prefer reading content or academic papers with boring headlines, or you’re more inclined to opt for something with an interesting, eye-catching deadline? The answer is obvious

Credible – most students and freelance writers make mistakes by trying to make their titles catchy. In such a way, they stray from the truth, thus making the headline inaccurate or a complete, blatant lie. Nothing will anger your professor like a heading that doesn’t correspond to the truth

Easy to read – nobody likes complicated and tricky titles, not even your professor. Stay away from strange phrases, complex structures, and even some uncommon fonts when writing your headline

Active voice – if your heading contains verbs, always make sure they’re in active rather than passive voice. For instance, instead of “Is regression of society caused by celebrity culture”, you should write “How does celebrity culture contribute to the regression of society?”.

Brief – whenever you can, make an essay title concise. Long headlines are confusing and don’t demonstrate your skills for laconic writing

Accurate – regardless of the topic or niche and under no circumstances write an inaccurate essay title. It would help if you gave your readers a clear idea of what they will read in an essay. Never try to mislead. It can only harm the overall quality of the essay, and your professor will not appreciate it

What Are The Components of the Essay Title?

Our experts state that all types of essays have their outline formula you can use to write a high-quality paper. If you build your heading, you can create your formula too. Below are the main components of your essay’s title:

  • A catchy hook – introduces the paper in a creative way
  • Topic keywords – the “core” of your essay. This component identifies concepts you’ll be exploring
  • Focus keywords – the “where/when” of your essay. Together with topic keywords, these are vital for your headline and provide more info that makes it professional

Example: Buy Me a Date: Consumerization and Theories of Social Interaction in 21st Century Online Dating Sites

Let’s deduce:

  • Catchy hook – “buy me a date”
  • Topic keywords – “consumerism, social interaction, dating”
  • Focus keywords – “21st century”

checklist for writing a title for an essay

Stuck on How to Title an Essay?

Check out these example essay titles. Essay Topic Generator Look for topic View more

How to Create Essay Title

Now that you know the importance of essay titles and the qualities they should have, it’s time to learn how to create them. Don’t feel bad about yourself if you can’t make a good essay title on the spot. Even the most prolific writers experience writer’s block when choosing an ideal headline. The writer’s block isn’t the issue here. It matters how you overcome it and create the title. Here are a few ideas that you’ll find useful.

Write Essay First, Title Last

Creating the title and writing your essay may seem logical, but doing the opposite can be more beneficial. Most authors never start with the title. Of course, you may have some working headline in mind, allowing you to focus, develop an argument, and so on. But, writing your paper will give you a clear idea of what to use in your title. As you write and reread your essay, you’ll know what to say in the title and intrigue your reader. You’ll experience your “Aha; I’ll write this” moment.

Another benefit of creating a title is that you won’t waste too much time. It is not uncommon for students to spend hours just figuring out the proper title for their essays. That’s the time you could have spent researching, creating an outline, or writing. If you still feel confused, you can get professional   online writing help at Edusson.

Use Your Thesis

Here is yet another reason to leave the title for the end. Good titles offer your reader (or more of them) the reason for reading your paper. Therefore, the best place to find that reason is the thesis statement you’ve already written in the introduction. Try working the thesis statement, or at least a part of it, into a title.

Let’s say your thesis statement is this: “The American colonies rebelled against Great Britain because they were tired of being taxed, and they resented British military presence in their lives and homes.”

To create a title, you may use the alliteration “Tired of Taxes and Troops,” or you can opt for “Rebellion of American Colonies against British Rule: Taxes, Troops, and other factors.”

Use Popular Phrases and Clichés You Can Re-work

Popular catchphrases that apply to the essay’s topic make eye-catching titles, too, particularly when the phrase is amusing or creates an interesting pun. Besides popular phrases, you can also go for clichés and make some tweaks to re-work and adapt them to the topic of your essay and title itself. For instance: “Fit to be tried: The battle over gay marriage in the courts”.

Consider the Tone of Your Essay

Of course, the tone of your essay plays an important role in creating a perfect title. If you are writing about a serious topic, don’t be witty, silly, or off-the-wall with your headline. If your essay is a personal statement with some anecdotes, you can go for a sparkling yet intelligent title. Always make sure the tone of the title and essay match. Bear in mind that even in amusing titles, you should avoid using jargon. Don’t use abbreviations in your headlines as well.

Use Quote or Central Idea

This isn’t a general rule, but it is handy when applicable. Your title can feature a quote or a part of it taken from our similar interesting essay topics and ideas you’re writing about. If appropriate and relevant to the subject, even a part of a song lyric can serve the same purpose. You can take a fragment of a thought-provoking quote when your essay is about a book. For example: “Toil and trouble: Murder and intrigue in Macbeth”.

Sum Up Your Essay in THREE WORDS

This is a useful technique for creating essay titles. All you have to do is to sum up your entire essay or a thesis statement in three words and use them to build the headline, put a colon and then insert what your essay is all about.

the title of an essay

How to Punctuate an Essay Title

Many authors find it difficult to punctuate titles in essays. Properly punctuating titles may be tricky, because the standards aren’t always consistent. Here are some professional tips from our expert that used to write a college essay for students for appropriately punctuating titles using italics, capitalization, and quotation marks.

Although the criteria for proper title capitalization vary widely, here are a few guidelines. Except for articles and prepositions, capitalize the first and final word in a title and every other word in the title. Some people recommend capitalizing prepositions with five or more letters. Of course, just the initial letter is capitalized.

Use punctuation marks only when essential, not at random . Commas, colons, and semicolons are examples of punctuation marks that should be used when they are required. Quotation marks should be placed wherever one occurs in the text of an essay or on the works-cited page.

If your essay contains a subtitle, place a colon after the title and the subheading on the following line underneath it . Even if your headline and subtitle are very short, use two lines. Your work’s additional titles or headers should be bolded but not bigger than the text that follows them. Arrange them to the left and insert them either at the beginning of a section with a period or on their line without a period.

Self-sufficient works or collective essays are italicized . For example, the title of a newspaper might be placed in italics. The title of an article, a song from an album, and a TV episode would be in quotation marks.

Using italics instead of quotation marks consistently throughout your text is critical. The standards for capitalizing and punctuating titles differ in writing. Certain writing assignments need to use one writing handbook’s format over another. Therefore, it might be useful to consult your professor to choose the best guidebook to follow for academic work.

Examples of Good and Bad Titles for Essays

Unsurprisingly, the reader is drawn to an essay title immediately. Nobody loves lengthy and clumsy headlines that do not convey the paper’s main argument. Pay close attention to the word choice as you angle your work. Make use of your rational thinking and creativity. Our specialists that can gladly help you to write essays for money produced the sections below for further information.

It should be simple to read

Essay titles that are completed yet difficult to grasp will not aid you. As a result, it is better to avoid using difficult terms and ideas. Choose something that every level of the reader may read and understand.

Good: “Joseph Stalin vs. Winston Churchill”, “How to Deal with Depression”, “Pros and Cons of Freelance”.

Bad: “Employees Use Social Networking Rather Than Concentrating During Work Hours”, “When Should You Start Giving Your Baby Solid Foods”

It must be short

The title of your essay should not be overly lengthy. It should instead be succinct and straight to the point. Long essay headlines will mislead your readers and not highlight your writing abilities.

Good: “Best App for Writers”, “The Effect of Racism”.

Bad: “What Do School Shooting Survivors Do When They Return to School”

It must be captivating

If you write a good title, it might become an attention-grabbing aspect. Don’t pass up the opportunity to wow your audience right away.

Good: “Suppose This Happened on Your First School Day”, “Do You Engage in Any of These 10 Awkward Behaviors?”

Bad: “Everlasting Feelings”, “Recent Advances in Kidney Failure Treatment”

Mistakes to avoid

  • Avoid negative tone and sensitive problems
  • No dramatic and unclear titles
  • Don’t overuse fonts and punctuation
  • Be simple and avoid complicated language
  • Try to sound professional, don’t use filler words

25 Captivating Titles For An Essay

Do you want your essay to persuade your readers or professor? Start with the right words in the title. How your words sound matter more than how sensible they are. One of the greatest principles every student must adhere to is to create meaningful and persuasive papers. The first important step is choosing a catchy topic. If you feel lost, you can look up a list of argumentative topic examples from your field of study. A captivating subject can do a ton of wonderful things: increase the readers’ engagement, grab the professor’s attention, make your paper more interesting, and score higher marks.

What topic idea do you think would make someone start reading your paper immediately? Interesting, confident, creative, striking, bold are some of the words that describe the best essay titles.

Regardless of the paper, you handle, use the following steps on your way to crafting an interesting topic.

  • Find a creative hook, fact, or quote
  • Get the right words to describe your idea
  • Think about a statement that summarizes your paper

Are you stuck wondering how to title your essay? Don’t worry – we have a great selection of catchy college essay titles that will capture the reader’s attention. Our list is sure to help you make a lasting impression on your professor or any other reader. If you need further assistance, you can also take advantage of our literature review service for the best results.

Argumentative Essay Title Examples

  • Society Has The Responsibility Of Fighting Anorexia
  • Every Country Must Activate The Death Sentence
  • Is The US Education System Of Any Help To International Students?
  • The Most Corrupt Nations In The World
  • Is Politics A Practical Art Or An Inborn Talent?
  • Does Alcohol Destroy The Brain?
  • The Most Appropriate Age To Vote
  • Spanish Is Not The Easiest Language To Learn
  • Do Steroids Help Or Destroy Human Body?

Persuasive Essay Title Examples

  • Capitalism: The Perpetrator Of Social Development
  • Are Illegal Immigrants A Big Issue?
  • Alternative Medicine: Pros And Cons
  • What Role Do Guidance Counselors Play In The Mental Health Of Teenagers
  • TV As A Major Contributor To Violence In Society
  • How Would Superman Be In The Real World?
  • Horror Movies Must Be Banned For Kids’ Sake

Catchy Essay Title Examples

  • Team Games Should Be Played By Both Boys And Girls
  • Zoos Vs. Human Prisons
  • The Good Side Of  War
  • Marijuana Can Assist In Peacemaking
  • School Kids Should Stop Wearing Uniforms
  • The Use Of Filthy Language On The Internet
  • Technology Is Turning People Into Zombies
  • The Pros And Cons Of Globalization
  • Tsunami Is A Death Wave

Bottom line

The success of your essay doesn’t only depend on the argument you develop, research you do, the title matters as well. Most students struggle to find an ideal headline, but with a few easy tips and tricks from this post, you can forget about frustrations, save some time, and create a catchy and informative headline to intrigue readers. But if you have some doubts, why not try custom essay writing at Edusson and make sure you have everything in place for a successful essay?

FAQ About How to Title an Essay

Can an essay title be a question.

Yes, it can be a question. It should be related to the facts presented in the essay and should represent the thesis that the author intends to prove. But don’t overuse it. Sometimes it may add to your essay a less formal tone.

How Long Should An Essay Title Be?

Excellent research paper titles include precise terms and phrases that appropriately reflect the article’s key topic. Come up with a title for essay that is brief yet contains enough keywords. This will allow others to locate it while searching related databases. A typical rule of thumb is 5 – 10 words.

Should An Essay Title Be Italicized?

If the source is independent, italicize the title. Write the titles of books, films, websites, and magazines in italics. If the paper belongs to a larger piece of work, add the quotation marks. Writers use them for articles, websites, essays, and songs .

Related posts:

  • Effective Ways to Improve Creativity

How to Write a Synthesis Essay

  • How to Use Sentence Starters for Essays
  • How to Write a Hook for your Essay or Paper [Examples Included]

Improve your writing with our guides

Writing a Great Research Summary and where to Get Help on it

Writing a Great Research Summary and where to Get Help on it

How to Write a Synthesis Essay

How To Write A Process Essay: Essay Outline, Tips, Topics and Essay Help

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the title of an essay

How to Title an Essay: Step by Step Guide 🤓| Studyfy

How to Title an Essay

the title of an essay

Well, neither does your teacher, professor, or boss. The difference is that they don’t have a choice and have to. A good title helps you stand out, and that’s part of the reason why a title is so important. Just knowing the right way to title an essay can boost your grades! 

A good title has to grab the reader’s attention. It’s the first thing someone sees, so think of it as your first opportunity to impress. The title needs to be catchy but focused on the content of your essay. A good title is simple yet informative. Sounds tough? Don’t worry, this article will cover all you need to know about how to title an essay perfectly. 

How to Choose a Good Title for an Essay

A good title makes a reader think “Yes! I want to read the rest of this!” but a title also has to accurately reflect the content of the paper. It’s not just students, one of the differences between an average writer and an expert is how well they can write a title. If you want to work in social media, advertising, or any kind of content writing, learning how to write a title for an essay is an essential skill to have. 

There are two main components of a good essay title.

Catchy Hook

Anyone that’s ever written anything knows that having a catchy hook in your introduction is a requirement, but most people forget that you can include a hook in the title itself. Remember, you want to stand out and differentiate yourself from the competition. 

There are a few places to hunt for keywords to fit into your title. The essay prompt or research question is a good place to start but using words in your thesis statement ensures that your topic accurately reflects the main point of your essay. The use of keywords like this ensures that your title reflects what the essay is about. You’ll know you’ve found the right keywords if they seem like two or three word summaries of the main point of your essay. 

How to Come up With a Title for an Essay

How to create a title for an essay in a way that makes it stand out from the crowd requires creativity, hard work, and time. That may seem like a lot just for a title, but it’s worth it. Follow these bits of advice and craft the perfect title!

Write your title at the end

Just because the title is the first thing someone reads doesn’t make it the first thing you should write! Coming up with a good title is tough and requires a deep understanding of the content of the paper. That means it’s usually better to write the title at the end after you’re done with a couple of drafts of your paper. 

Though it’s good to write according to a plan, often, new thoughts can take your essay in an unexpected direction, this is another reason why its good to start with a working title as a placeholder and go back to write the final title at the end. 

Use your thesis 

A good title hints at what the thesis statement will be. A thesis statement is a summary of the main argument and purpose of the paper, so use your thesis statement as a source of inspiration for your title. This makes sure that your title has predictive power since it’s drawn from the thesis statement itself. 

Simple but not too simple

There is no rule about how long a good title should be - there are benefits to short titles and benefits to long titles. Short titles are direct and clear and better suited for simpler, straightforward essays. Longer titles may be more appropriate for complex or very specific essays. No matter what though, make sure that your titles are easy to understand. 

Make sure your title is specific

A title that’s too general may seem like it’s describing your essay, but it isn’t. Is your essay just about “Mobile Gaming in 2020” or is it about “The Impact of Coronavirus Lockdowns on the FTP Mobile Game Industry”? The first title may be short and to the point, but it doesn’t give enough specific information about the content of the essay. Remember, a good title hints at what the essay is going to be about, but also intrigues the reader. Generic and broad titles don’t do that. 

Your title needs to be believable 

Just because a lot of titles you see on the internet are clickbait, doesn’t mean that you need to write an over the top title as well. Especially if you’re writing a paper for academia, make sure your title doesn’t over-promise what you’re going to cover in the essay. 

Write your title in the active voice

Write your title in the active voice, that is, the subject acts upon the verb rather than the subject receives a verb's action. Writing in the active voice uses fewer words and is more concise and engaging - perfect for writing a catchy title. 

Rewrite famous movies, books, quotes, phrases, quotations, etc. 

Creativity is an important element of coming up with a catchy title. If you can find a famous phrase that you can rework into the perfect title for your essay, go for it! For example, a paper about mitosis and meiosis (cell division) can be titled “Live Long and Prosper”.

Match the style and tone of your essay

It wouldn’t make sense to have an amusing title for an essay about a refugee crisis. Make sure that your title reflects the tone of your essay. Some titles work better depending on the essay style. For example, the title of a persuasive essay would be different than the title of a reflective essay. 

Who’s the audience?

Of course, how you title an essay depends on who you’re writing it for. A blog post targeted towards your friends or prospective followers is going to have a different title than an essay for your stuffy old history teacher. Your young science teacher who loves memes and blows up things in class might appreciate a different type of title. A university application essay usually needs to be more formal. Try and find out as much as you can about who is going to read your essay and cater both your essay and title to them. 

To use or not to use: Colons in essay titles

Using a colon to separate an essay title into two sections used to be the norm. It became so common in fact, that now they are considered cliche. There may be a few occasions when using a colon is just perfect, but avoid overusing it. The best way to use a colon is by inserting a creative phrase or clever quote behind the colon. For example, the title of this section. 

Use evocative imagery

An easy way to make your title catchy is by using imagery. If you can make the reader imagine something in their mind based on your title, you’re starting off with a win. “Stepping into the void: The first spacewalk” is a much better title than simply “The first spacewalk. 

These tips should help you answer how to come up with an essay title!

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Common Titling Mistakes

The deadline is racing towards you and you still don’t have a title! After panicking and writing whatever pops into your head, check to make sure you don’t do any of the following.

  • Either bold your title or underline it  -  Doing both is overkill and rather than stressing the title, makes it look cluttered and messy.
  • Don’t make your title too short - A good title should let the reader predict what the essay is going to be about.
  • Don’t make your title too long.- A long title might give more information about the essay, but it can be cluttered and overloaded with dense information.
  • Don’t use slang, jargon, or abbreviations - You want to make sure that the title is clear. If the teacher has to look up a word in your title, you’re starting off badly. 
  • Don’t get too personal - Your title should entice the reader. Whatever strong arguments you want to make should be made in the body of the essay.  ‍

Make sure your title reflects the content of the essay - This often happens when the title is written first and then the essay. Start with a placeholder title and after the essay is done, work on creating a title that accurately reflects the main purpose of the essay. 

Improved Essay Titles

You might have an idea about what the title should be as you’re working on your essay, but there are still things to watch out for. Sometimes the perfect title pops into your head fully formed, but more often than not, a good title takes thought, effort, time, and several rewrites. Make sure to set aside some time just to work on the title. 

An Exploration of the Best Way to Spend Time During Lockdown Based on Personal Experience

This title might do a good job of explaining what the essay is about but it’s too long and wordy.

Better title: My Lockdown Chronicles: What to do With Unexpected Free Time

An Analysis of Avengers: Endgame

This title is too broad. The topic is interesting but there’s no hook to engage the reader.

Better title: Why Avengers: Endgame is Modern Storytelling at its Best 

Badly Breaking the myths about drug overdose 

This title seems forced. The topic is very serious, so trying to use a pun in the title can come across as incongruent. It also depends on the reader knowing the show Breaking Bad and making the connection. Depending on the audience, this might be the perfect title though, so make sure to consider your audience when writing and titling an essay. 

Better Title: An Analysis of Drug Overdose Deaths in the 2010s

The Best Colorful Birds

This title doesn’t give any specific information or talk about what the reader can expect to learn from the essay.

Better Title: Why Birds of Paradise Evolved to Become the Brightest Birds

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Essay Title Ideas

Catchy essay title examples

A catchy title can start your reader off intrigued, entertained, and overall, just in a positive state of mind. That’s a good way to get noticed and boost your grade on the essay! Here are some examples of attention-grabbing essay titles.

Underage Romance: An Analysis of the Ages of William Shakespeare’s Characters 
An Alien Among Us: What if Superman Was Real?
The Day the Planet Caught a Virus
The Rise and Fall of the Alpha Male
Memes Before the Internet

College Essay Title examples

When answering a college essay, make sure you read and follow the instruction carefully. Not following the often very strict requirements is. Generally speaking the tone of the essay, and therefore the title should be more serious but don’t be afraid to let your personality come through. Have a look at these examples.

Why Building Houses in a Third World Country was Unsatisfying
The Daily Struggles of an International Student
Energy Equals MC Hammer: My First Day of Dance Class
A Showdown Between William Shakespeare and Hamilton
Mahatma Gandhi’s Disobedience Without Violence

Argumentative Essay Title Examples

An argumentative essay is an opportunity to convince the reader about your view on a topic. Since the goal of an argumentative essay is to make an argument using facts, research, and logic, your title should state your position on the issue. These examples should steer you in the right direction. 

Artificial Intelligence Will Not Matrix Humanity
The Best Soup Is Your Grandmother’s
Oh, the Humanity: Why the Death Penalty Should Be Abolished
Scientific Backing for the Benefits of Video Games
Trial and Error: Better Than the Scientific Method?

Persuasive Essay Title Examples

A persuasive essay appeals to emotions to influence the reader. The main difference between an argumentative essay and a persuasive essay is that an argumentative essay uses facts and research while a persuasive essay relies on emotional appeals. How do these title examples make you feel?

A Glamorous Path to Self Hatred: Modern Beauty Standards
Surreptitious Racism and Why It’s More Difficult to Erase
Saving the Planet, One Tree at a Time
The Natural Way to Heal: Ayurvedic Medicine
Testing the Uneducated: Medical Testing in Third World Countries

Narrative Essay Title Examples

Narrative essays can be thought of as short stories. They ask a writer to share an experience clearly and concisely while making a clear point. The titles of these essays can be more playful and ambiguous. Take a look at some examples.

The Pleasure of Discovering an Amazing New Anime
A Missed Opportunity: Why I Didn’t Attend My Uncle’s Funeral
When my Teacher Became a Father Figure
How Being Bullied Made Me a Kinder Adult
Bloody Victory: My First Mixed Martial Arts Win

Research Paper Title Examples

Research papers test your ability to find credible sources and synthesize complex information into a well-structured format. These are almost exclusively academic, and as such, have formal titles. The first versions of these titles often end up being very long, so spend some time whittling away any extra information. Take a look at the examples below. 

The Effects of Caffeine on Attention and Sleep
Experimental Evidence for the Use of Music in Boosting Agricultural Yields
Not Stinky: Bathing Culture in Ancient China
The Impact of Western Media on 13 to 30-Year-Olds in Asia 
The Marvel Cinematic Universe: A Guide on How to Plan Ahead

English Essay Titles Examples

Writing a title for an English essay doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, if you’re studying literature, you should take the opportunity to flex your creative writing skills. Don’t overdo it though! Titles still need to be predictive, comprehensible, and engaging. Examples down below. 

Akala: A Modern Day Shakespeare
Why We’re Already Living in the Brave New World
The Impact of Foreign Writers on Modern English Literature
The Terrifying Origins of Folk Tales
The Times They Are a-Changing: Analyzing Mark Twain’s Writings in 2019

Quick Recap

A great title piques the interest of the reader and starts their journey at a high point. Whether it’s online or for school, you have to find a way to stand out from the very beginning. A good title takes time and effort, but coming up with the perfect title can also be fun, and it absolutely makes a difference to your grade. 

Ask these questions to make sure that your title is good. 

  • Does the title predict what the paper is about?
  • Does the title use keywords effectively?
  • Does the title accurately reflect the tone of the essay?
  • Is the title appropriate for the audience?
  • Is the title interesting?

Remember these tips when brainstorming an essay title. 

  • Think of an interesting hook
  • Use keywords (Your thesis is a good place to look)
  • Write your title after you’ve written the essay, not before
  • Simple but not too simple, it should be predictive
  • Use as few words as possible while being informative and interesting
  • Keep it believable
  • Match the tone and style of your essay
  • Think about the audience
  • Use imagery
  • Rework a popular phrase
  • Use active voice
  • Avoid unnecessary words and jargon
  • Avoid abbreviations ‍

The title of your essay can make or break your grade, so it's important to choose one that is attention-grabbing and relevant to your topic. If you're struggling to come up with a good title, don't worry! Studyfy has compiled a list of over 300 essay topics to inspire you. And if you still need help with your essay, including proofreading and editing, or if you need to " pay someone to do my essay ", Studyfy's team of experts is always available to help. They offer dissertation writing services , research paper service , and even have an admission essay writer to help you get into your dream school. Just reach out to them for all your academic needs!

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Last updated on: Jun 28, 2024

How to Title an Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide for Effective Titles

By: Nova A.

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: Feb 5, 2019

How to Title an Essay

Are you tired of struggling to create captivating titles for your essays? It can be frustrating to spend hours only to end up with a lackluster title that fails to engage your readers.

But here's the thing: a weak title can significantly impact the success of your essay. It's the first thing your readers see, and it sets the tone for their expectations. A dull or generic title may cause your audience to lose interest before they even start reading.

Luckily, there is a simple yet effective solution to this problem. By following a few key strategies, you can learn how to title an essay that captures attention and piques curiosity.

In this blog, we will guide you through creating engaging essay titles step by step. 

Whether you're a student or a writer, these tips will help you to craft titles that make your essays shine.

How to Title an Essay

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What Is The Purpose Of An Essay Title?

An essay title serves a crucial purpose in the world of writing. It goes beyond being a formality and plays a strategic role in captivating readers and enhancing the impact of your work.

The purpose of an essay title can be summarized into four key objectives.

  •  Attention Grabbing:

A creative title instantly grabs the reader's attention, acting as a hook that sparks curiosity. It entices them to explore your essay further.

  • Setting Expectations:

An essay title communicates the main theme, subject matter, or argument of your writing. It sets the tone and prepares readers for what lies ahead.

  • Creating Interest and Relevance:

A carefully chosen title makes your essay relatable and interesting to your target audience. It also establishes a connection between their interests and your topic.

  • Reflecting the Essence:

The title of your essay should reflect its core essence and purpose, acting as a concise representation of the ideas.

What Are The Rules For Essay Titles?

When it comes to creating essay titles, different formatting styles have specific rules and guidelines to follow. In this section, we will explore the rules for essay titles in three commonly used formats: MLA, APA, and the Chicago Manual of Style.

Guidelines for Essay Titles in MLA Format

In MLA format, essay titles have the following rules:

Capitalization

  • Capitalize the first and last words of the title.
  • Capitalize all principal words, including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
  • Do not capitalize articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), or prepositions, unless they are the first or last word of the title.

Italics or Quotation Marks

  • Italicize the titles of complete works (books, journals, movies, etc.). Place titles of shorter works (articles, essays, poems) in quotation marks.

Example: 


Guidelines for Essay Titles in APA Format

In APA format, essay titles have the following rules:

  • Capitalize the first word of the title and any subtitles.
  • Capitalize all proper nouns.
  • Only capitalize the first word after a colon if it begins a subtitle. 
  • Italicize the titles of longer works (books, journals, movies, etc.).
  • Do not use quotation marks for titles.

Guidelines for Essay Titles in Chicago Manual of Style Format

In the Chicago Manual of Style format, essay titles have the following rules:

  • Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions.

Italics or Quotation Marks:

  • Italicize the titles of larger works (books, journals, movies, etc.).
  • Use quotation marks for titles of shorter works (articles, essays, poems).

How To Make Your Essay Title Eye Catching

Finding the perfect essay title can be a creative challenge. In this section, we will explore effective strategies for brainstorming your essay title to ensure it captures the essence of your work and engages your readers.

Here's What Your Essay Title Should Include

When brainstorming your essay title, consider including the following elements:

Identify key terms or concepts related to your essay's topic or main argument. These keywords should be relevant, descriptive, and reflective of the content.

  • Tone and Style:

Determine the appropriate tone and style for your essay. Consider whether your title should be formal, academic, creative, or catchy, depending on the purpose and audience of your essay.

  • Focus and Scope:

Reflect on the main focus and scope of your essay. Consider the specific angle, perspective, or aspect you are exploring in your writing.

  • Engaging Language:

Use language that captivates and intrigues readers. Employ strong verbs, vivid adjectives, or thought-provoking phrases to make your title stand out.

Example of an Effective Essay Title: "Unveiling the Hidden Wonders: Exploring the Biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest"

What Not to Include in Your Essay Title

While brainstorming your essay title, it's important to avoid certain elements that may weaken or confuse your title. Consider the following:

  • Vague or General Terms:

Avoid using generic terms or phrases that lack specificity. Instead, opt for precise and descriptive language that accurately represents your essay's content.

  • Abbreviations or Acronyms:

Unless widely recognized, avoid using abbreviations or acronyms that may confuse readers. Aim for clarity and ensure that your title can be easily understood by a broad audience.

  • Excessive Length:

Keep your title concise and avoid unnecessary wordiness. A long, convoluted title may overwhelm readers and fail to capture their attention.

  • Clichés or Overused Phrases:

Steer clear of clichés or overused phrases that may make your title appear unoriginal or uninspiring. Strive for creativity and uniqueness to make your title memorable.

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Essay title examples

Here are three examples of essay titles for each of the given topics:

How to Title an Essay for College

"From Dreams to Reality: Navigating the Path to College Success" "Unveiling the Future: Crafting an Essay Title that Defines Your College Journey" "Beyond the Application: The Power of a Compelling College Essay Title"

How to Title an Essay about a Book

"Unveiling the Literary Tapestry: Analyzing [Book Title] through an Engaging Essay Title" "Pages of Wisdom: Crafting an Essay Title that Unveils the Depths of [Book Title]" "Beyond the Cover: Exploring the Themes of [Book Title] through an Evocative Essay Title"

How to Title an Essay for a Scholarship

"Dreams Rewarded: Crafting an Essay Title that Shines for Scholarship Success" "Unveiling Potential: Illuminating Your Journey to Scholarship with an Impactful Title" "Beyond the Application: The Art of Composing a Compelling Scholarship Essay Title"

 How to Title an Essay about Yourself

"Unveiling the Layers: Crafting a Reflective Essay Title that Defines Me" "The Journey Within Exploring Identity through an Introspective Essay Title" "Beyond the Mirror: Unraveling My Story through a Captivating Essay Title" 

Essay Title Examples: Bad vs Good

Here are examples of bad and good essay titles to illustrate the difference:

Bad Essay Title:

 "Essay about Cats"

This title is too vague and lacks creativity. It does not give any indication of the specific focus or purpose of the essay.

Good Essay Title: 

"Paws and Purrs: Exploring the Mysterious Charms of Domestic Cats"

This title is more engaging and intriguing. It captures the attention of the reader by using playful language.

 "Climate Change"

This title is overly broad and does not provide any insight into the specific aspect of climate change that the essay will address.

"Melting Point: Understanding the Devastating Impacts of Arctic Ice Loss on Global Climate"

This title is specific and highlights the focus of the essay: the connection between Arctic ice loss and the broader issue of global climate change. It indicates a deeper exploration of the subject matter.

 "My Trip to Europe"

This title is generic and lacks creativity. It fails to convey any unique perspective or aspect of the trip.

Good Essay Title:

 "Wanderlust Unleashed: A Journey through Europe's Enchanting Landscapes and Timeless Culture"

This title is more engaging and captures the essence of the essay. It suggests a personal narrative infused with the exploration of Europe's diverse landscapes.

4 Tips While Choosing an Essay Title

Choosing the right essay title is essential for capturing the interest of your readers and accurately representing your work. 

In this section, we will provide four valuable tips to consider when creating a title for your essay. 

Reflect the Content:

Ensure that your essay title accurately reflects the main theme and tone of your essay. It should provide a clear indication of what readers can expect to find in your writing. 

Avoid misleading or ambiguous titles that may confuse or disappoint your audience.

Example: If your essay explores the impact of social media on society, a suitable title could be

 "The Digital Revolution: Unraveling the Influence of Social Media on Modern Society."

Engage and Intrigue:

Craft a title that captivates your readers and piques their curiosity. Use strong verbs, and catchy hooks, to make your title stand out from the crowd. Aim to evoke an emotional response or generate interest in your topic.

Example: Instead of a generic title like "The Importance of Exercise," opt for a more engaging title such as

 "Unleashing the Power Within How Exercise Transforms Mind, Body, and Soul."

Keep it Concise:

Keep your title concise and avoid excessive wordiness. A long and convoluted title may confuse or overwhelm readers. 

Aim for clarity and brevity, while still capturing the essence of your essay. Shorter titles are often more memorable and impactful.

Consider Your Audience:

Take into account the target audience for your essay. Consider their interests, knowledge level, and expectations. Tailor your title to resonate with your specific readership. 

A title that speaks directly to your audience's needs and desires will be more effective in capturing their attention.

Example: If your essay targets parents seeking parenting advice, a relevant title could be 

"Raising Resilient Kids: Nurturing Strength and Confidence in Today's Challenging World."

Choosing the perfect essay title is a critical step in creating a captivating and impactful piece of writing. 

It serves as a gateway to your essay, capturing the attention of your readers and setting the tone for what lies ahead. 

By following the four tips outlined in this blog, you can craft a title that reflects your essay's content, engages your audience, and leaves a lasting impression. Start your essay off on the right foot with a title that shines boldly and confidently.

Ready to take your essay writing to the next level? Visit 5StarEssays.com today and experience top-notch academic assistance. 

Our team of expert writers is here to help you with all your essay needs. Whether you're looking for essay writing, editing, or proofreading services, we've got you covered. 

Let expert writers at  5StarEssays.com  assist you with “ write my essay for me ” worries! 

Nova A.

As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

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How to Title Your Essays with Ease

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Settling on a title for your essay can be challenging. Sometimes, it may not even seem important after all the research and hard work that goes into writing the essay itself. This could result in a very well-written, but sloppily titled essay. Unfortunately, that hurts your work more than you can tell.  

Why are Titles Important?  

The title is the first thing a reader reads when they begin on an essay or any other piece of writing. It, more often than not, determines whether they are going to continue reading the rest of the essay. Intriguing titles prompt readers to continue, while those that are generic or throwaway are likely to stem any further perusal.  

Titles also serve the function of informing the reader about the content of the essay. Specific titles are always better than vague and general ones such as “Global Warming” or “The Cold War.” The title should convey more information about the way the topic has been handled, giving an idea of what to expect from the essay. However, those that are too lengthy or too detailed should be avoided. A balance should be struck between vague and too detailed. For example: “ Peace Through Strength: Revisiting Reagan’s Foreign Policy During the Waning Years of the Cold War” instead of simply “The Cold War”.  

When the essay is being submitted for grading, these factors remain important. A creative title helps the essay stand out in a sea of submissions (often on the same topic) being scored by the same evaluator. Keeping in mind the informational aspect of the title also helps in crafting a good one that lets the evaluator know, with a glance, how a student has approached the topic. It also prevents misleading titles which are likely to cost the student dearly, resulting in lower grades. 

Composing the Right Title for Your Essay  

Crafting a good title can sometimes be a more creative task than the writing of the essay itself. And like most creative processes, there is not really a defined format or set of rules to be followed. However, for those who may struggle to come up with the right title, the following guidelines can ease the job considerably.

1. Title at the end

While a title is the first thing a reader sees, it is best kept to the end of the writing process (after the essay is complete). This ensures that the title is accurate and suitable to the content of the essay. It also gives the writer ample material to work from in order to craft an interesting title. 

2. Use the thesis

The thesis statement concisely sums up the essay and its purpose. Focusing on and drawing from it helps ensure that the title contains all the right keywords. 

3. Take note of tone

Titles set up the essay and elicit certain expectations in the reader. Tone is important for any piece of writing, and striking the right (conventionally, formal) one in academic writing is even more so. Therefore, titles must be crafted keeping in mind the tone of the essay and the expectations of the evaluator. 

4. Review the title

After composing a title, reviewing it with the whole essay gives an idea of whether both of them are consistent and go together. In case the title seems disjointed with the essay, it should be rewritten.  

Tips for Titling Essays

Keeping in mind the following points when titling essays and papers will further ensure better titles: 

Incorporate popular references:

Using or adapting appropriate clichés, popular phrases or quotes, when possible, helps make titles more eye-catching. They act as hooks, drawing the reader’s attention and arousing interest in the essay. For example: “Judging Books by Their Covers: The Importance of Cover Art in the Publishing Industry”

Keep it simple:

Titles that are too long and/or stuffed with complex jargon are likely to repel, rather than fascinate readers, even in academia. If jargon needs to be used, it should be kept to a minimum, limited only to the necessary keywords. Titles work best when they are easy to read and understand. 

Use subtitles:

If the amount of information that needs to be included in a title makes it too long and complicated, it can be broken into two sections – the main title and a subtitle, divided by a colon . The main title here becomes a short phrase that acts as a hook, while the subtitle is longer and contains further details. These kinds of titles are quite common for academic essays and research papers .

Section titles:

If it is needed, paragraphs within the body of the essay too can be titled based on their content. This helps structure the essay and aids in quicker reading. 

Capitalize right:

The first letters of all the words in a title should be capitalized, except for articles, prepositions , and conjunctions (unless they are the first words). Most style guides follow these rules. However, if a specific style guide has been prescribed, it should be consulted and followed even if its rules go against these ones. 

Question titles:

Framing titles as questions (especially those beginning with “How” and “Why”) helps in drawing a reader’s attention. For example: “Why Do We Still Study Shakespeare?” However, such titles strike a relatively casual tone, especially in an academic environment. Students should use them with caution, bearing in mind the nature of their target readers.

As is evident, titles are multifunctional elements in writing. And given their significance, they deserve attention during their composition, rather than being hurriedly scribbled in at the last minute.

Titles on book spines

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The Best Way to Title An Essay (With Tips & Good Examples)

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by  Antony W

August 5, 2024

how to title an essay

Here’s the hard cold truth about essay writing:

The title is the most important part of the whole project.

Write it well, and you’ll grab the attention of your instructor so much that they gain the interest to read the rest of the copy. Get it wrong and you lose them completely. 

So you can’t take chances with an essay’s title. It’s your opportunity to create an impression and you should give it your best shot.

In fact, the key to writing a good essay is to first master the art of writing compelling titles that gets instructors hooked on the spot.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to title an essay like an A-grade student. In particular, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to write appealing titles for any type of essay your instructor will ever ask you to write.

Whether your instructor asked you to write an argumentative essay , or you already have a TOK topic to work with, or you’re down to writing a college admission essay , this guide will get you started with writing irresistible titles.

What is a Title in Essay Writing? 

A title is the most important element that makes the first impression while setting a tone for any kind of an essay.

More often than not, the title of an essay conveys a summary of an argument, method, or topic that you’ve developed. 

In addition to informing, convincing, and capturing your instructor’s attention, a good essay title acts as a strong indicator that you’ve understood the question and the concept of the topic in question.

In other words:

The title part of the essay is more of a privilege section of the assignment, which you should properly utilize to express your idea and articulate your point of view.

What Makes a Good Title in Essay Writing? 

A good essay title shouldn’t be hard to write. As long as you know that your title should reflect a clear understanding of the content of the essay, you’re good to go.

If anything, instructors consider a title for an essay to be good if it can properly describe the paper with just a few words.

It doesn’t matter if you write your title before or after completing the essay. As long as you know how to arrive at a good title for the document, you should have an easy time coming up with a title that fits perfectly.

Examples of Good and Bad Titles for an Essay

We’ll look at how to write a good title for any essay in a few. Before that, let’s look at the following chart to see some examples of good and bad titles that we often see in essays. 

titles for essays examples

It’s clear from the comparison above that good titles are not only interesting to read but also they’re precise and informative.

Often, such titles tell a reader what the essay is about, making it easy for them to know what to expect to read in the body part of the essay.

Short, badly written titles, on the other hand, don’t communicate a clear message. They tend to make it very hard for readers to know what an essay is really about in the first place.

As you can see, the title comparison chart above gives you a clear picture of what you should aim to write down. If it helps, go ahead and make them even better than what you see on the image above.

To be clear, you can write your title before or after completing your essay. However, for the sake of the best output, we do recommend that you come up with a compelling and constructive title after completing your essay.

Here’s How to Title an Essay

Brainstorm .

The consensus on what makes a good title for an essay is simple. The title should be interesting, relevant, and informative. So how do you pick such a title?

Some students think about it randomly and write what they think is interesting. However, if you aren’t brainstorming your titles to identify the most appealing terms, you’re doing it wrong.

Here’s what to do instead:

Write down as many titles as you possibly can, and don’t deviate from the topic while you’re at it. If your instructor leaves the essay open ended, the better. You can come up with a topic of your own.

Don’t forget the goal of the essay’s title as you continue to brainstorm. Primarily, it should tell your instructor what the information in the body section of the essay is about, while still being as interesting as possible.

Once you have a list of titles on a checklist, read each careful and pick the ones that make the most sense.

Extract a Title from a Thesis Statement 

Brainstorming as many ideas as you can to come up with what would be an appropriate title for an essay is great. But it can be time consuming.

If you want an easier way to come up with a good topic therefore, you should consider extracting it from the thesis statement of the essay.

As you already know, a thesis statement is usually the most important part of an essay after the title.

Usually in one or two sentences, a thesis statement indicates the primary idea of an essay.

Since a thesis statement reflects your judgment or opinion on a topic or personal experience, you should be able to get your essay’s title from here right away.

From experience helping students to understand and complete different types of essays at Help for Assessment, we’ve found out that using the thesis statement is the easiest way to come with a good title.

All you have to do is to pick some phrases from the statement and use them to write a catchy and relevant title.

Rewrite a Popular Quite or Cliché 

Something undeniably unique about clichés and phrases is their popularity. Because they’re easily engaging, they can work great for your essay’s title.

You can also use a quote instead of a cliché, either as it is or by rewriting it to make it suit the kind of essay you’re working on.

Whether you choose a quote or a cliché to use as your essay title, make sure you choose only the most relevant ones. Otherwise the title you write may end up making a lot less sense.

Decide When to Write the Title 

You can write the title for your essay before or after completing the paper. Only make sure that the title you choose matches the content of your essay.

Some students prefer to come up with a concrete title for their essay first. They then write their essay around the topic. In your case, this should be a good approach to use if you can stay on the topic as you write the paper.

If you find the title difficult to construct before the body part, focus on working on the essay and then work on the title last.

The advantage to this approach is that you can use the many ideas you brainstormed in the first step to create an appropriate title. 

If you’re the kind of student who’s comfortable with writing a title after completing the essay, it’s best to focus on working on the essay first and the title afterwards.

The advantage you have here is you can use the many ideas you brainstormed in the first step and create appropriate titles. Only make sure you re-read the essay to make sure the title best fit the content of the page. 

At the end of the day, the title that you choose should fit the essay straight out of the box, whether you pre-write the essay or do it after.

Some Tips to Help You Write Better Titles for Every Essay 

Now that you can come up with a relevant title for your essay’s assignment, we want to give you some handy tips that you can use to make your titles read even better.

So, here we go:

Tip #1: Keep the Title Simple and Precise 

You want your title to be easy to read and consume.

So using complex words in this section will only go a long way to ruin the effort you put to writing a comprehensive and compelling essay.

The last mistake you want to make is to leave your instructor scratching their heads in confusion. Also, make sure that the terms you use in the title are in line with your field of study. 

Tip #2: Use the Right Words in Your Essay’s Title

A good essay title is the one that uses the terms according to your field of sturdy

Tip #3: Make Sure Your Title is Original 

It doesn’t make sense to copy your fellow student’s essay title. Either of you could get penalized for doing so.

You can read as many titles as you want, but only for inspiration.

If it helps, you can rephrase the title while keeping the same meaning, otherwise only come up with a title completely unique to your essay.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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How To Title An Essay

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A title is the first thing that your readers will interact with. So, it should be something interesting and worth paying attention to.  

Coming up with an interesting title while writing an essay can be the most difficult and sometimes frustrating task. The best essay titles are those that are both creative and informative.

If you have no idea how to come up with the best title for your essay, this article will help you. Here, we will discuss the key elements for titling your essay and some examples of titles for your help.  

So, let’s start with the blog!

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  • 1. Why is it Important to Have a Good Essay Title?
  • 2. What are the Basic Components of an Essay Title?
  • 3. How To Make A Good Title For An Essay?
  • 4. Essay Titles in Different Formats
  • 5. Additional Tips To Create a Good Essay Title
  • 6. Dos and Don'ts for Essay Titles
  • 7. Attention Grabbing Essay Title Ideas

Why is it Important to Have a Good Essay Title?

A great essay title is very important, and it can make or break the overall quality of your essay. 

The reason is pretty simple: the title you choose for your essay is the first thing that will decide if your readers will continue reading your paper or not. 

That’s why the choice of words and how you create a title is very important. If you are thinking the content of your essay is what matters, then you are wrong. To get a good grade and impress your teacher, every part of the paper plays an important role. 

Moreover, creating a title that convinces people to read your essay allows you to showcase your knowledge and writing skills. 

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What are the Basic Components of an Essay Title?

There are different types of essays , and each essay has a specific structure that can be followed for writing a well-written paper. Creating an essay title has it is own method, too. 

Below, you can find the main components of an essay title. 

  • The Catchy Hook: The hook introduces the topic in the most interesting and creative way. 
  • Topic Keywords: It is the ‘what’ question of your essay. This component of an essay title determines the concept that you will discuss in your essay.
  • Focus Keywords: It is the ‘when’ and ‘where’ question of your essay. It provides more information about the headline and makes it more professional. 

Characteristics of a Good Essay Title

Here are the characteristics of a good essay title:

  • Clear and Concise: Directly conveys the main topic or argument.
  • Engaging: Captures the reader’s interest and curiosity.
  • Relevant: Reflects the essay’s content accurately.
  • Specific: Provides enough detail to inform the reader about the essay’s focus.
  • Descriptive: Uses keywords that describe the main points or themes.
  • Unique: Stands out and avoids being too generic.
  • Informative: Gives a hint of the essay's thesis or main idea.
  • Proper Length: Neither too long nor too short, usually between 5-10 words.
  • Balanced: Combines creativity with clarity.
  • Consistent: Matches the tone and style of the essay

How To Make A Good Title For An Essay?

There are a few codes that you should keep in mind when titling an essay. 

#1 Write Essay First, Title in the Last

One effective approach is to complete your entire essay first and then tackle the title last. This method allows you to gain a comprehensive understanding of what would resonate with your readers.

#2 Utilize Your Thesis

Your thesis statement , typically found in your essay introduction , can be a goldmine for title inspiration. Reworking it can help you come up with a compelling and relevant essay title.

#3 Take into Account the Tone of Your Paper

Consider the tone of your essay, as it significantly influences the title's choice. For serious topics, maintain a serious and appropriate tone in your title.

#4 Use Relevant Keywords

Incorporate two to three relevant keywords within your title. These keywords should reflect the core themes of your essay and help potential readers find your work.

Essay Titles in Different Formats

When titling an essay in different formats, it's important to follow the specific guidelines and formatting requirements of the style guide you are using. Below, you can find the basic guidelines for titling an essay for each essay format .

Essay Title APA Format

Let's see what an APA title should include: 

  • The title should be centered but not in bold or italics.
  • Use title case for the title.
  • Capitalize the first word of the title and any subtitles, as well as any major words within the title (e.g., The Psychology of Motivation: Understanding Human Behavior).
  • Use a 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font.

The Impact of Climate Change on Global Biodiversity

Essay Title MLA Format

Here is what an MLA paper title should include: 

  • Title should be centered.
  • Use title case, which means capitalizing the first and last words of the title and all major words in between (e.g., The Art of Writing: Crafting Engaging Essays).
  • Do not underline, italicize, or use quotation marks for the title.
  • It's common to use a 12-point Times New Roman font.

Exploring the Themes in Shakespeare's Sonnets: Love, Time, and Beauty

Essay Title Chicago Format

Chicago style offers two options for formatting titles: headline-style and sentence-style.

  • Headline style: The title is in the title case and is centered. Major words are capitalized.

Example: The Decline of the Roman Empire: A Historical Analysis

  • Sentence style: The title is in sentence case (only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized). It is also centered. Use a 12-point Times New Roman or similar font.

Example: The decline of the Roman Empire: a historical analysis

MLA Format for a Book or Film Title Within the Essay

So, how to write a title of a book in an essay? If your essay discusses a book or film title, you would follow MLA formatting for titles within the essay. Enclose the title in double quotation marks.

Example: "The Catcher in the Rye": A Study of Adolescent Alienation

AMA Format (American Medical Association)

  • The title should be centered.
  • Use title case, with the first letter of major words capitalized (e.g., The Role of Genetics in Disease Prevention).
  • Do not use bold, italics, or quotation marks.
  • Use a 12-point Times New Roman font.

Example: The Impact of Nutrition on Cardiovascular Health

Additional Tips To Create a Good Essay Title

Here are additional rules and tips for creating a good title, summarized and rewritten in simpler language:

  • Reflect the Theme: Make sure your title reflects the main idea of your essay. It should give readers a good idea of what your essay is about.
  • Use Title Case: Capitalize the first letter of every word in your title, except for small words like pronouns (e.g., "it," "they"), articles (e.g., "a," "an," "the"), prepositions (e.g., "in," "on," "at"), and conjunctions (e.g., "and," "but"). These small words are not capitalized unless they are the first word in the title.
  • Avoid Underlining: Don't underline your title. Bold text is usually sufficient to emphasize the title. Some experts suggest that if you really want to underline it, don't bold it at the same time to avoid overemphasis.
  • Using a Colon: If you decide to use a colon in your title, remember to follow the rules. A colon is used to separate two interesting parts of the title.

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Dos and Don'ts for Essay Titles

Look at the dos and don'ts below and follow to create a strong title for your essay.

Include relevant keywordsAvoid vague terms that don’t specify the essay’s focus
Use phrases that tell the reader what to expectDon’t use overly complex or technical jargon that might confuse readers
Incorporate a catchy phrase or figurative language when appropriateStay away from cliches or overused phrases
Ensure the title is clear and specificAvoid being too general or broad
Match the tone of the essayDon’t use an informal tone for a formal essay or vice versa
Be concise, usually between 5-10 wordsDon’t make the title excessively long or wordy
Reframe negative positions with neutral or positive wordsAvoid negative or controversial language that could offend readers
Use titles that preview the essay’s content accuratelyDon’t mislead the reader with an inaccurate title
Write down multiple title options to choose the best oneDon’t settle on the first title that comes to mind without considering alternatives
Consider the essay’s thesis or main idea when crafting the titleDon’t create a title that doesn’t reflect the essay’s main argument or purpose

Here are some good and bad essay titles:

Good and Bad Essay Titles - MyPerfectWords.com

Attention Grabbing Essay Title Ideas

Here is a list of titles for different types of essays to get you inspired.

Argumentative Essay Titles

  • The Ethics of Genetic Engineering: Balancing Innovation and Responsibility
  • Should College Education Be Free for All?
  • Impact of Social Media on Youth: Boon or Bane?
  • Debunking Myths About Climate Change: The Scientific Evidence
  • Is Social Media Addiction Real? Exploring the Psychological Effects

Personal Essay Titles

  • Finding My Voice: A Journey of Self-Discovery
  • Lessons from the Playground: Growing Up with Siblings
  • Embracing Change: My Transition to a New Country
  • Through the Lens: Capturing Life's Moments
  • Unexpected Connections: Friendship Beyond Borders

Analytical Essay Titles

  • Exploring Symbolism in "The Great Gatsby"
  • The Psychological Depth of Shakespeare's Hamlet
  • Analyzing Economic Inequality in Modern Society
  • The Evolution of Feminism in Literature
  • Understanding the Impact of AI on Job Markets

Persuasive Essay Titles

  • Implementing Mandatory Recycling Programs: A Sustainable Solution
  • Banning Single-Use Plastics: Protecting Our Oceans
  • The Importance of Mental Health Education in Schools
  • Promoting Renewable Energy: Investing in Our Future
  • Why Animal Testing Should Be Banned: Ethical Considerations

Compare-and-Contrast Essay Titles

  • A Tale of Two Cities: Contrasting Urban Development in New York and Tokyo
  • Comparing Classical and Operant Conditioning in Psychology
  • Cultural Traditions: Contrasting Marriage Practices in East and West
  • The Artistic Styles of Picasso and Van Gogh: A Comparative Analysis
  • Comparing Different Approaches to Healthcare Systems Around the World

College Application Essay Titles

  • My Journey to Studying Astrophysics
  • Overcoming Challenges in Pursuit of Education
  • Diversity in Perspective: Embracing My Multicultural Identity
  • The Power of Volunteerism: Impacting Communities Through Service
  • How I Plan to Make a Difference

Essay About Yourself Titles Examples

  • My Journey to Becoming a Writer
  • Overcoming Challenges: My Personal Story
  • A Glimpse into My World
  • Lessons I've Learned from Traveling
  • My Passion for Music and Its Influence on My Life

College Essay Titles Examples 

  • The Role of Genetics in Personal Identity
  • Sustainability Practices in Urban Farming
  • The Psychological Effects of Solitude
  • Innovations in Renewable Energy Technology
  • The Impact of Virtual Learning on Student Engagement

University Essay Titles Examples

  • The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Ecosystems
  • Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Modern Healthcare
  • The Influence of Social Media on Youth Culture
  • Economic Implications of Renewable Energy Adoption
  • The Evolution of Human Rights in International Law

Short Essay Titles Examples

  • The Art of Mindful Eating
  • Exploring Ancient Mythologies
  • The Rise of E-commerce in Modern Society
  • Understanding Neuroplasticity: The Brain's Ability to Change
  • The Influence of Literature on Society

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.

However, if you’re still wondering, " Can someone do my essay ?" look no further. Our professional essay writers at MyPerfectWords.com are here to help. Whether you need a creative title or a complete essay written from scratch, we've got you covered.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do i title a topic.

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When titling a topic, consider using keywords that accurately reflect the subject matter. The title should be clear, concise, and relevant to the content it represents. 

Avoid overly vague or general titles that might mislead the reader.

How should I select a topic name?

When selecting a topic name, choose something that interests you and aligns with the purpose of your writing. It should be specific enough to provide a clear direction for your essay or research, yet broad enough to allow for meaningful exploration.

What is the best essay starter?

The best way to start an essay is with an engaging hook that captures the reader's attention. This could be a thought-provoking question, a surprising statistic, a vivid description, or a relevant quote. The goal is to draw the reader in and establish the tone and direction of your essay from the outset.

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essay writing guide

Essay Title: Definition, Format, & Examples

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  • Icon Calendar 23 July 2024
  • Icon Page 4122 words
  • Icon Clock 19 min read

When writing an essay, a student should take the time to consider the best title. Basically, such a label should reflect a particular content of a paper with a single idea expressed in a thesis statement, being a critical component. In this case, there are several rules and strategies that students should consider when titling their works. Moreover, these rules include using an academic tone by avoiding jargon and abbreviations, keeping a caption simple and straight to the point, writing a label in bold, and avoiding capitalizing or italicizing a heading. In turn, other strategies include brainstorming and discussing ideas about a paper’s heading with a friend, colleague, or mentor. Hence, students need to learn how to title an essay to make it interesting for readers.

General Guidelines

Titling is a critical step in essay writing that students must master if they are to produce an excellent document. In this case, a person should give an essay a title to provide a clear indication of its topic and to engage a reader’s interest. By definition, a title is a word or phrase that people provide at the beginning of their texts, such as an essay, article, report, chapter, or other work. In this case, a particular purpose of titling an essay is to provide a target audience with an idea about an entire content of a document. Moreover, a paper’s heading is important because it identifies a specific subject matter, captures a reader’s attention, and determines a particular tone and substance of an entire writing activity. Sometimes, a title has a subtitle, whose function is to amplify a message expressed in a specific heading. Based on this definition, an author must use a caption when writing any document targeted at a specific or even general audience, such as essays, theses, dissertations, books, and journal articles that must have a topic.

What Is an Essay Title and Its Purpose

According to its definition, an essay title in writing is a brief and clear phrase or sentence that covers a main idea or focus of a paper. For example, the main purpose of writing an essay title is to inform readers about a paper’s topic and pique their interest, offering a preview of what to expect (Hopkins & Reid, 2024). In this case, a well-chosen heading not only provides a glimpse into a paper’s subject matter but also sets a particular tone, hinting at the writing style and perspective. Furthermore, for any author, a good caption acts as a guiding framework, helping to maintain focus and coherence throughout a writing process (Henderson, 2014). Overall, an essay header is an essential element that guides both a writer and a reader through a paper’s content, ensuring clarity and focus throughout an entire text. In turn, the length of an essay title depends on academic levels and topic complexities, while general guidelines are:

High School

  • Length: 1-7 words
  • Comment: Essay titles at the high school level are usually straightforward and concise.
  • Examples: “The Impact of World War II” or “Climate Change Effects”
  • Length: 5-10 words
  • Comment: College essay titles are often more descriptive and can include more detail.
  • Examples: “The Role of Social Media in Modern Marketing” or “Exploring Shakespeare’s Influence on Literature”
  • Length: 7-12 words
  • Comment: At the university level, titles might be more specific and complex.
  • Examples: “The Ethical Implications of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare” or “Analyzing the Economic Impact of Renewable Energy Policies”

Master’s

  • Length: 10-15 words
  • Comment: Master’s thesis titles are usually more detailed and can be longer.
  • Examples: “A Comparative Study of Leadership Styles in Non-Profit Organizations” or “Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders.”
  • Length: 12-20 words
  • Comment: Ph.D. dissertation titles are often the most detailed and specific, and they aim to capture am actual essence of an entire research and its scope.
  • Examples: “Investigating the Role of Epigenetic Modifications in Cancer Progression and Treatment Response” or “A Longitudinal Analysis of Climate Policy Development and Its Impact on Global Emissions”
TypeFocusExample
DescriptiveProvides a clear description of an essay’s topic.The Impact of Social Media on Modern Communication
QuestionPoses a question that an entire paper will answer.How Does Climate Change Affect Global Agriculture?
QuotationUses a quotation to highlight a composition’s theme.“All the World’s a Stage”: Shakespeare’s Influence
DeclarativeStates a fact or argument that will be discussed.Technology Is Transforming Education
CompoundCombines two related ideas or aspects.Exploring Renewable Energy: Benefits and Challenges
MetaphoricalUses a metaphor to represent a paper’s theme.The Melting Pot: Cultural Integration in America
ContrastHighlights a comparison or contrast.War and Peace: The Duality of Human Nature
NumberedLists a number of points or strategies.Five Key Strategies for Effective Time Management
Cause and EffectFocuses on causes and their effects.The Causes and Effects of Urbanization
Problem and SolutionSuggests solutions to a problem.Tackling Global Poverty: Innovative Approaches

How to title an essay

Main TitleA primary focus of an essay, concise and specific.The Impact of Social Media
ColonUsed to separate a main title from a subtitle.:
SubtitleProvides additional detail, context, or a specific angle on a chosen topic.How Platforms Shape Public Opinion

Note: An essay title is important because it provides a concise summary of a paper’s content, captures a reader’s attention, and sets a particular tone for writing a paper. Typically, an essay title is not italicized, and it is usually written in plain text or bolded, depending on formatting guidelines. For example, a standard title should be concise, ideally between 5 to 10 words, clearly conveying a main topic of a paper (Henderson, 2014). Moreover, a title can be a question because it can engage potential readers and catch their curiosity about a paper’s content. When creating an essay title, people should consider clarity, specificity, relevance to a paper’s content, and an ability to engage a reader’s interest. Finally, to start an essay title, people begin with a clear, concise phrase that captures a main topic and focus of their papers.

Steps on How to Write an Essay’s Title

When writing any academic text, students observe specific writing conventions to make their work impressive and credible. Basically, some of these rules include formatting and following a detailed outline. Moreover, to write an essay title, people ensure it is clear, concise, and reflective of a paper’s main topic and focus, often using keywords to highlight key aspects (Bowman & Kinnan, 2018). Although there is no particular rule that guides on labeling of academic texts, students must learn how to construct a topic for their papers. When labeliing an essay, authors must consider an intended audience and a particular content of their papers. In other words, people need to create a title or rethink it after completing a paper. During a process of perfecting an essay, they should confirm that a topic is relevant to a particular content and specific or general audience. In turn, some examples of essay title starters are:

  • The Impact of [Subject] on [Specific Aspect] in [Context]
  • Exploring the [Specific Topic]: [Specific Aspect or Question]
  • Understanding the [Phenomenon]: [Specific Aspect or Question]
  • How [Subject] Affects [Specific Group or Context]: [Specific Aspect]
  • The Role of [Subject] in [Specific Field]: [Specific Aspect or Contribution]
  • The Future of [Subject] in [Specific Context]: [Specific Predictions or Trends]
  • Challenges in [Specific Field or Context]: [Specific Issue or Problem]
  • The Evolution of [Subject]: [Specific Period or Context]
  • The Importance of [Subject] for [Specific Purpose or Group]
  • A Study of [Specific Subject] in [Context]: [Specific Findings or Conclusions]

Step 1: Skeleton of an Essay Title

As mentioned in the previous section, a title can be a word or a phrase, which can stand alone or have a subtitle. Like a particular content that follows an outline, a heading should have a structure that is not necessarily visible like an introduction-body-conclusion outline (Starkey, 2024). Moreover, a standard structure of an essay title denotes the impact that it has on the audience and involves a catchy hook, topic keywords, and focus keywords. In this case, an essay title should generally be a single concise sentence for clarity and impact. Then, a primary goal of a catchy hook is to get a reader’s attention. For example, a title is an element that introduces an essay to a target audience, and a good paper should have a hook that grabs a reader’s attention immediately (Hopkins & Reid, 2024). In turn, topic keywords help an essay to answer a “What?” question that a target audience may have when reading written works. On the other hand, focus keywords answer “When?” or “Where?” questions too. Hence, to title an essay, people develop a clear, engaging, and informative phrase that encapsulates an actual essence of their paper’s content and purpose.

Step 2: Altering a Paper’s Caption for Different Purposes

When titling an essay, students must consider a specific structure described above to make a topic impactful on an audience. In this case, the main idea for an essay title is to provide a clear and engaging summary of a paper’s main topic and focus, capturing a reader’s interest (Krausman & Cox, 2020). Basically, three components described above — a catchy hook, topic keywords, and focus keywords — indicate a general outline of an essay caption. Moreover, students should learn how to tailor headings of their work to a particular content and specific needs of a target audience. Further on, such needs include having a paper that lacks jargon and is straight to a single point. Besides, people can alter a good caption to meet these requirements. Ideally, it is a discipline area that determines a writing approach that a person should take when titling an essay. For example, when writing about “climate change,” a student uses a different catchy hook, topic keywords, and focus keywords (Henderson, 2014). However, in all contexts, a primary goal is the same: to grab a reader’s attention immediately to make them interested in reading an entire paper. As a result, to make a good title, people ensure it is clear, well-structured, and engaging, accurately reflecting a main topic and purpose of their content.

Basic Outline and Template

Standard papers have a template or essay structure that students should follow every time they have an essay writing assignment. Basically, template components enable learners to emphasize three main features of a paper’s topic described above. In essence, a body part is longer compared to introduction and conclusion sections because students have to elaborate on a single topic or idea expressed in a heading. Hence, a simple template structure of an essay looks like:

I. Introduction II. Body Paragraphs III. Conclusion

Content in Each Section

As indicated, three sections of an essay enable writers to emphasize three features of a title — a catchy hook, topic keywords, and focus keywords. In this case, to put a title in an essay, people place it at the top of a first page, centered and in the same font and size as the rest of a paper’s text, without any additional formatting, like italics or underlining. Then, an introduction part is where authors introduce their topics and provide background information (West et al., 2019). Basically, a particular highlight of this section is a thesis, a statement that defines a specific purpose of a whole text. Further on, a body is a section where students elaborate on a single idea expressed in a chosen topic and exemplified by a thesis statement (West et al., 2019). Here, scholars should use several paragraphs to emphasize discussed themes expressed in an introduction part. In turn, a conclusion section allows authors to summarize their texts (West et al., 2019). Here, students restate a thesis, summarize main points, and make a concluding remark.

Writing an Introduction Section

  • Provide background information.
  • Create a thesis.

Writing a Body Section

  • Use several paragraphs.
  • Use a chosen topic and concluding sentences in each paragraph.
  • Use supporting facts.
  • Observe a Sandwich Rule.

Writing a Conclusion Section

  • Restate a central thesis.
  • Summarize key points as captured in a main text.
  • Do not introduce new information.
  • Provide a concluding remark.

Rules for Titling an Essay

  • Title an entire document. Before writing or after writing an essay, a student should title their work by using a word or phrase.
  • Title every section of a text. When writing a paper, a student should create interesting headings and subheadings to give a main text (body) an identity. 
  • A header must express a text’s central theme. Authors must choose a label that summarizes a whole composition. 
  • Use capitalization as necessary . Scholars must use a title case when labeling an essay. Basically, it means capitalizing a first letter of every word in a caption. In turn, students must not capitalize pronouns, prepositions, and conjunctions.
  • Write a title in bold. People should write a title in bold for purposes of emphasis.
  • Do not underline or italicize a title . Authors should avoid underlining or italicizing a title because this aspect might lead to overemphasis.
  • Review a title after completing a first draft . After completing a first draft, students should read and reread their work to ensure any mistakes are noted and corrected. These mistakes include formatting errors, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors, such as missing or wrong punctuation. It is during this stage that they should review a heading to ensure it aligns with a central message (a main argument) of a text. They should confirm a label is catchy enough to grab a reader’s attention immediately and arouse their interest to read an entire paper.
  • Include a subtitle for a long label. Authors should shorten headings of their essays by including a subtitle. Here, they should use a colon after a title and then indicate a subtitle.
  • Avoid jargon or slang when titling an essay. A person should maintain formal language when titling their work. In turn, the use of jargon or slang is a turn-off for many readers, especially those conversant with academic writing conventions.
  • Put a title on a title page. When writing any composition, a student should indicate a title on a title page – a first page that precedes a paper’s introduction. Moreover, headings and subheadings should appear from an introduction to a conclusion.

Writing Strategies

  • Title an essay after finishing writing an entire text. Writers should consider captions of their work after completing a first draft. At this time, students know a particular structure of their papers and specific content in each section. Moreover, they understand how an entire paper emphasizes a central theme captured in a thesis statement. With this understanding, it becomes easy to create a topic that reflects a central message of a whole text.
  • Emphasize on an academic tone. When labeling an essay, people should maintain an academic tone that permeates an entire document. In this case, language or words they use must be strict, informative, and persuasive. However, it must also be catchy and warm to arouse a reader’s interest.
  • Highlight several keywords. Using keywords or phrases in an essay title optimizes a writer’s work. Basically, this strategy that bloggers use to make their works attract higher online traffic. Moreover, writers should use the same technique to attract an attention of their audience, whether it is an instructor or a college admissions board. In turn, students must ensure keywords are strict to the point.
  • Follow an expert’s opinion. For writing any paper, students should consider a formula expressed by academic experts. Basically, when titling their essays, people should start with creative introductory words followed by a line that directly states a particular purpose of a paper.
  • Identify a quote that corresponds to an essay’s central idea or one of its themes. When titling a paper, a person can identify a quote that emphasizes a thesis or one of the central themes of a paper and use it to create a heading.
  • Rewrite a title of a famous book, movie, or album. When labeling a text, students can take a title of a well-known work, such as a book or movie, and rewrite it to make it reflect their works. Moreover, a central message of an entire text must align with themes expressed in such a work, whether it is a book, movie, or album. As a result, this approach makes a title catchy, which is right in the eyes and minds of a target audience.
  • Answer What, Who, When, or Where questions. One way of making a title of an essay is to take an inquiry approach. In this case, writers must create a caption that answers “What?,” “Who?,” “When?,” or “Where?” questions. Besides, it is another strategy for making a title catchy and straight to the point.
  • Talk it out . When creating a title for an essay, a student can discuss ideas with a friend or mentor. Basically, this approach is effective when it comes to labeling a paper that is informative or argumentative.
  • Brainstorm . When reviewing a first draft, authors can write down some of the ideas they get about a topic of their works. From such a list, students can judge the best heading for their works based on a specific content and a central message.
  • Free write . Scholars can write down topics and start writing their papers. Basically, this approach means that authors begin with the topic and let ideas come into their heads about what to write. Moreover, this writing approach is suitable for personal narratives but not essays that require research, such as informative papers.

Examples of Essay Titles

Child or Spouse Abuse

When writing a paper about domestic violence, a person can use “Child Abuse” or “Spousal Abuse” as a topic. In this case, authors would spend their time narrating how children or spouses are primary victims of domestic violence in society. To make a title catchy, they can include a subtitle that describes a particular kind of abuse, such as sexual violence or emotional abuse.

Suffering is a broad topic. When writing a sociology essay, a writer can use “Poverty” to show how a lack of the means to afford basic life amenities creates suffering for a majority of people in developing countries. Here, students can choose a community, country, or region as their target and capture it in the heading. Moreover, people arouse a reader’s interest, seeking to understand more about that environment and how poverty leads to suffering.

Plastic Surgery

When writing on themes of beauty, a person can use “Plastic Surgery” to denote an extent to which individuals are willing to go to look “beautiful.” Here, students can select a demographic population, such as celebrities, and show how many people have undergone surgical procedures to alter their physical appearances. Besides, writers can elaborate on how this tradition is a basis of celebrity culture where fans see their idols as role models in body sections of their papers.

When writing on themes of emotional health, students can use “Stress” to emphasize an adversity of emotional strain. Here, authors can link stressful circumstances to adverse health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression.

Procrastination

When writing on subjects of personal discipline, authors can use “Procrastination” to denote counterproductive habits. In this case, students can provide a personal anecdote of an instance when procrastination affected an area of their life and use that story as a basis for discouraging a habit.

Illegal Immigration

When writing about politics, a person can use “Illegal Immigration” to exemplify issues that have become politically sensitive in recent years. Moreover, students can highlight some complications of applying for refugee or asylum status as a reason for growing numbers of illegal immigrants in America and European countries.

When writing an essay on mental health, students can use “Racism.” In this case, the term “Racism” becomes a significant theme of a paper expressed in a caption, and a writer’s mission is to link it with mental health. Furthermore, authors can show how experiences of racism have affected an overall mental health of African Americans and other minority groups residing in the United States.

When writing a paper about culture, a writer can use “Tattoos” to indicate a recent trend of people getting tattoos on their bodies. In this case, students can try to link a particular pop culture to this trend.

Teen Pregnancy

When writing a composition about the abortion debate, a person can use “Teen Pregnancy” to support or oppose calls for a particular legalization of abortion. Moreover, if authors support the legalization of abortion, they can show how teen pregnancy jeopardizes the lives of millions of young girls who become pregnant unintentionally. As such, abortion would grant them an opportunity to complete their education. On the other hand, if writers oppose the legalization of abortion, they can argue that young girls can give birth and still go back to school. Finally, students can mention a specific foster care program and its benefits to those who are not ready to become responsible parents.

Homelessness

When writing about public policy, students can use “Homelessness” to write about how governments have failed in their solemn duty of providing housing to citizens. In this case, authors can pick a city with high numbers of homeless people and use it as an example of a failure by legislators to pass essential laws and policies.

What to Include

ElementDescriptionExample
Main TopicA primary subject or theme of an essay.The Impact of Social Media
Specific AspectA specific angle or aspect of a main topic.on Political Campaigns
ContextA particular setting or environment related to a specific topic.in the Digital Age
Descriptive AdjectivesWords that describe a topic’s nature.The Ethical Implications
Key TermsImportant concepts or keywords related to a chosen topic.Human Decisions
QuestionsA question format to provoke curiosityHow Do People Choose Friends?
QuotationsA relevant quote to highlight a specific theme.“To Be or Not to Be”: Exploring Hamlet
Comparative AspectA comparison or contrast between elements.Traditional vs. Digital Marketing Strategies
NumbersA number to outline key points or structureTen Strategies for Effective Cooking
Outcomes/EffectsSpecific results or consequences related to a topic.The Impact of Human Activities on Local Ecosystems

Common Mistakes

  • Being Too Vague: Fails to provide specific information about an essay’s focus, leaving a reader unclear about a topic.
  • Being Too Long: Overly complicated and wordy titles can be difficult to read and understand.
  • Being Too Short: Lacks detail and specificity, making it too broad to convey a paper’s main point.
  • Using Ambiguous Language: Unclear or vague terms can confuse a reader about a composition’s actual subject.
  • Lack of Keywords: Missing important terms related to a paper’s content can reduce its relevance.
  • Using Jargon or Writing Complex Words: Specialized or overly complex language can confuse readers.
  • Being Too Informal: Casual or colloquial language may not be appropriate for academic or formal writing contexts.
  • Including Personal Pronouns: Personal pronouns can make a heading seem subjective rather than objective and authoritative.
  • Using Clichés or Overused Phrases: Overused expressions can make a caption seem unoriginal.
  • Not Reflecting an Essay’s Content: Misleading heeadings that do not accurately represent a paper’s content can misinform readers.

Essay writing is an essential academic exercise for students, as it provides opportunities for perfecting critical thinking skills. More importantly, it helps students to put into use what they have learned in a semester or calendar year. Then, one of the most vital aspects of academic writing is titling an essay. Ideally, it is a heading that provides readers with an idea of what a paper is all about. As such, writers of academic papers need to learn basic rules and strategies of titling an essay. Hence, the following tips are vital:

  • pick a theme from a draft and use it to create a title;
  • let a caption answer What, Who, When, or Where questions;
  • use an academic tone by avoiding jargon and abbreviations;
  • keep a label simple and straight to the point;
  • write a title in bold;
  • avoid capitalizing or italicizing a heading;
  • use a label in every section of a paper.

Bowman, D., & Kinnan, S. (2018). Creating effective titles for your scientific publications. VideoGIE , 3 (9), 260–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vgie.2018.07.009

Henderson, J. R. (2014). How to decode essay titles: Making sense of essay questions at University . Books That Explain.

Hopkins, D., & Reid, T. (2024). The academic skills handbook: Your guide to success in writing, thinking and communicating at university . SAGE Publications.

Krausman, P. R., & Cox, A. S. (2020). Writing an effective title. The Journal of Wildlife Management , 84 (6), 1029–1031. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21881

Starkey, D. (2024). Academic writing now with readings: A brief guide for busy students . Broadview Press.

West, H., Malcolm, G., Keywood, S., & Hill, J. (2019). Writing a successful essay. Journal of Geography in Higher Education , 43 (4), 609–617. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2019.1655720

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Generate accurate MLA citations for free

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  • MLA titles: Formatting and capitalization rules

MLA Titles | How to Format & Capitalize Source Titles

Published on April 2, 2019 by Courtney Gahan . Revised on March 5, 2024.

In MLA style , source titles appear either in italics or in quotation marks:

  • Italicize the title of a self-contained whole (e.g. a book, film, journal, or website).
  • Use  quotation marks around the title if it is part of a larger work (e.g. a chapter of a book, an article in a journal, or a page on a website).

All major words in a title are capitalized . The same format is used in the Works Cited list and in the text itself.

Place in quotation marks Italicize

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Table of contents

Capitalization in mla titles, punctuation in mla titles, titles within titles, exceptions to mla title formatting, sources with no title, abbreviating titles, titles in foreign languages, frequently asked questions about mla titles.

In all titles and subtitles, capitalize the first and last words, as well as any other principal words.

What to capitalize

Part of speech Example
in Time
and Me
for It
Girl
in Love
of You

What not to capitalize

Part of speech Example
(a, an, the) Road
(against, as, between, of, to) Africa
(and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) the Chocolate Factory
“To” in infinitives Run

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Use the same punctuation as appears in the source title. However, if there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space, even if different (or no) punctuation is used in the source.

Example of a work with a subtitle

The exception is when the title ends in a question mark, exclamation point or dash, in which case you keep the original punctuation:

Sometimes a title contains another title—for example, the title of an article about a novel might contain that novel’s title.

For titles within titles, in general, maintain the same formatting as you would if the title stood on its own.

Type of title Format Example
Longer works within shorter works Italicize the inner work’s title → “ and the Cacophony of the American Dream”
Shorter works within shorter works Use single quotation marks for the inner title “The Red Wedding” → “‘The Red Wedding’ at 5: Why Game of Thrones Most Notorious Scene Shocked Us to the Core”
Shorter works within longer works Enclose the inner title in quotation marks, and italicize the entire title “The Garden Party” → & Other Stories
Longer works within longer works Remove the italicization from the inner title and Richard II Henry V

Titles and names that fall into the following categories are not italicized or enclosed in quotation marks:

  • Scripture (e.g. the Bible, the Koran, the Gospel)
  • Laws, acts and related documents (e.g. the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution , the Paris Agreement)
  • Musical compositions identified by form, number and key (e.g. Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67)
  • Conferences, seminars, workshops and courses (e.g. MLA Annual Convention)

Sections of a work

Words that indicate a particular section of a work are not italicized or placed within quotation marks. They are also not capitalized when mentioned in the text.

Examples of such sections include:

  • introduction
  • list of works cited
  • bibliography

Introductions, prefaces, forewords and afterwords

Descriptive terms such as “introduction”, “preface”, “foreword” and “afterword” are capitalized if mentioned in an MLA in-text citation or in the Works Cited list, but not when mentioned in the text itself.

Example of descriptive term capitalization

In-text citation: (Brontë, Preface )

In text: In her preface to the work, added in a later edition, Brontë debates the morality of creating characters such as those featured in Wuthering Heights .

If there is a unique title for the introduction, preface, foreword or afterword, include that title in quotation marks instead of the generic section name when referencing the source in the Works Cited list or an in-text citation.

For sources with no title, a brief description of the source acts as the title.

Example of a source reference with no title

Follow these rules for capitalization:

  • Capitalize the first word
  • Capitalize proper nouns
  • Ignore other MLA rules for capitalization

There are some exceptions to this general format: descriptions including titles of other works, such as comments on articles or reviews of movies; untitled short messages, like tweets; email messages; and untitled poems.

Exceptions to general format for sources with no title

Source type Rules Example
Comment/review of a work Sam. Comment on “The Patriot’s Guide to Election Fraud.” , 26 Mar. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/opinion
Tweet or other short untitled message @realDonaldTrump. “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!” , 24 Mar. 2019, 1:42 p.m., twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status
Email Labrode, Molly. “Re: National Cleanup Day.” Received by Courtney Gahan, 20 Mar. 2019.
Untitled poem Shelley, Percy Bysshe. “O! there are spirits of the air.” , edited by Zachary Leader and Michael O’Neill, Oxford UP, 2003, pp. 89–90.

If you need to mention the name of a work in the text itself, state the full title, but omit the subtitle.

If you need to refer to the work multiple times, you may shorten the title to something familiar or obvious to the reader. For example, Huckleberry Finn for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . If in doubt, prefer the noun phrase.

If the standalone abbreviation may not be clear, you can introduce it in parentheses, following the standard guidelines for abbreviations. For example, The Merchant of Venice ( MV ) . For Shakespeare and the Bible , there are well-established abbreviations you can use.

When you abbreviate a title, make sure you keep the formatting consistent. Even if the abbreviation consists only of letters, as in the MV example, it must be italicized or placed within quotation marks in the same way as it would be when written in full.

Abbreviating very long titles in the Works Cited list

Titles should normally be given in full in the Works Cited list, but if any of your sources has a particularly long title (often the case with older works), you can use an ellipsis to shorten it here. This is only necessary with extremely long titles such as the example below.

In the Works Cited list, if you are listing a work with a title in a language other than English, you can add the translated title in square brackets.

Example of a reference with a translated title

If you are using the foreign-language title in the text itself, you can also include the translation in parenthesis. For example, O Alquimista ( The Alchemist ) .

You don’t need to include a translation in your reference list or in the text if you expect your readers to be familiar with the original language. For example, you wouldn’t translate the title of a  French novel you were writing about in the context of a French degree.

Non-Latin script languages

For works in a language that does not use the Latin alphabet, such as Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, or Russian, be consistent with how you mention the source titles and also quotations from within them.

For example, if you choose to write a Russian title in the Cyrillic form, do that throughout the document. If you choose to use the Romanized form, stick with that. Do not alternate between the two.

Yes. MLA style uses title case, which means that all principal words (nouns, pronouns , verbs, adjectives , adverbs , and some conjunctions ) are capitalized.

This applies to titles of sources as well as the title of, and subheadings in, your paper. Use MLA capitalization style even when the original source title uses different capitalization .

In MLA style , book titles appear in italics, with all major words capitalized. If there is a subtitle, separate it from the main title with a colon and a space (even if no colon appears in the source). For example:

The format is the same in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. However, when you mention the book title in the text, you don’t have to include the subtitle.

The title of a part of a book—such as a chapter, or a short story or poem in a collection—is not italicized, but instead placed in quotation marks.

When a book’s chapters are written by different authors, you should cite the specific chapter you are referring to.

When all the chapters are written by the same author (or group of authors), you should usually cite the entire book, but some styles include exceptions to this.

  • In APA Style , single-author books should always be cited as a whole, even if you only quote or paraphrase from one chapter.
  • In MLA Style , if a single-author book is a collection of stand-alone works (e.g. short stories ), you should cite the individual work.
  • In Chicago Style , you may choose to cite a single chapter of a single-author book if you feel it is more appropriate than citing the whole book.

The title of an article is not italicized in MLA style , but placed in quotation marks. This applies to articles from journals , newspapers , websites , or any other publication. Use italics for the title of the source where the article was published. For example:

Use the same formatting in the Works Cited entry and when referring to the article in the text itself.

The MLA Handbook is currently in its 9th edition , published in 2021.

This quick guide to MLA style  explains the latest guidelines for citing sources and formatting papers according to MLA.

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Make Your Essay Structure Rock-Solid with These Tips

Lindsay Kramer

So you’ve been assigned an essay. Or, probably more realistically, two, three, or four essays  . . . and they’re all due the same week. 

We’ve all been there: overwhelmed, staring down that blank screen, and not sure which essay to start with or how to get it started. 

In high school and college, it’s not enough to just write strong essays. One of the most important skills to develop is writing strong essays efficiently . And the foundation of that skill is knowing how to structure an essay. With a template for the basic essay structure in hand, you can focus on what really matters when you’re writing essays: your arguments and the evidence you’re using to support them. Take a look at the basic essay structure below and see how the parts of an essay work together to present a coherent, well-reasoned position, no matter what topic you’re writing about. 

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Basic essay structure: the 3 main parts of an essay

Almost every single essay that’s ever been written follows the same basic structure: 

Introduction

Body paragraphs.

This structure has stood the test of time for one simple reason: It works. It clearly presents the writer’s position, supports that position with relevant examples, and neatly ties their supporting arguments together in a way that makes their position evident. 

It all starts here. This is where you introduce the topic you’re discussing in your essay and briefly summarize the points you’ll make in the paragraphs that follow. 

This is also where you state your thesis. Your thesis is the most important part of your essay because it’s the point you’re making . It needs to take a clear stance and shouldn’t include hedging language that undermines that stance like “seems to” or “possibly could.”

Here are a few examples of thesis statements:

  • In the final scene of The Awakening , Edna Pontellier’s decision demonstrates that it was impossible for her to have the lifestyle she truly wanted in the society in which she lived.
  • Due to its volatility and lack of government regulation, Bitcoin cannot become a viable currency for everyday purchases.
  • While the habitability of Mars has not yet been proven, evidence suggests that it was once possible due to bacteria samples found on the Red Planet.

An easy way to write your thesis statement is to think of it as a summary of your essay. Your thesis makes and supports your essay’s point in one concise sentence. 

When you proofread your finished essay, make sure your thesis is clearly stated in your introduction paragraph. If it’s not clear, go back and write a definitive thesis statement. 

>>Read More: How to Write a Persuasive Essay

Your essay’s body paragraphs are where you support your thesis statement with facts and evidence. Each body paragraph should focus on one supporting argument for your thesis by discussing related data, content, or events. 

If you’re not sure whether you should include a specific point or detail in your body paragraphs, refer back to your thesis statement. If the detail supports your thesis, it should be in your essay. If it doesn’t, leave it out. Your thesis statement is the core of your basic essay structure, so everything else in the essay needs to relate to it in some way. 

In your essay’s conclusion paragraph , you summarize the points you made and bring your argument to its logical conclusion. Because your reader is now familiar with your thesis, the summary in your conclusion paragraph can be more direct and conclusive than the one in your intro paragraph.

>>Read More: 7 Writing Tips from Professors to Help you Crush your First Essays

How many paragraphs are in an essay?

There’s no hard-and-fast requirement for college essays. In high school, you were probably taught to write five-paragraph essays. This is a solid essay structure to work with, but in college, you generally have more flexibility with assignment lengths and formats. 

Now, consider five the minimum—not the standard—number of paragraphs you should include in your essays. 

Essay structure examples

There are a few different ways to present information in an essay. Often, your assignment will tell you what kind of essay to write, such as a chronological, compare and contrast, or problems-methods-solution essay. If you’re not sure which is best for your assignment, ask your instructor. 

Chronological

A chronological essay guides the reader through a series of events. This essay structure is ideal if you’re writing about:

  • A current or historical event
  • A book or article you read for class
  • A process or procedure

With this kind of essay, you first introduce your topic and summarize the series of events in your introduction paragraph. Then, each body paragraph takes the reader through a key stage in that series, which might be a decisive battle in history, a pivotal scene in a novel, or a critical stage in a judicial process. In your conclusion, you present the end result of the series you discussed, underscoring your thesis with this result. 

Compare and contrast

A compare-and-contrast essay has a structure that discusses multiple subjects, like several novels, concepts, or essays you’ve been assigned to read.

There are a few different ways to structure a compare-and-contrast essay. The most obvious is to spend one paragraph discussing the similarities between the topics you’re covering (comparing), then one paragraph detailing their differences (contrasting), followed by a paragraph that explores whether they’re more alike or more different from each other. 

Another method is to only compare, where each of your body paragraphs discusses a similarity between the topics at hand. Or you can go the only-contrast route, where your body paragraphs explore the differences. Whichever you decide on, make sure each paragraph is focused on one topic sentence . Every new comparison or contrast should occupy its own paragraph.

Problems-methods-solution

As its name implies, this kind of essay structure presents the writer’s position in three segments:

  • Ways to resolve the problem 
  • The solution achieved by using these strategies to resolve the problem 

This kind of essay works great if you’re discussing methods for resolving a problem, like knowing how to distinguish between credible and non-credible sources when you’re doing research for assignments. It can also work when you’re tasked with explaining why certain solutions haven’t worked to fix the problems they were created for. 

With this kind of essay, begin by introducing the problem at hand. In the subsequent body paragraphs, cover possible methods for resolving the problem, discussing how each is suited to fixing the problem, and potential challenges that can arise with each. You can certainly state which you think is the best choice—that could even be your thesis statement. In your conclusion paragraph, summarize the problem again and the desired resolution, endorsing your method of choice (if you have one). 

In this kind of essay, you can also include a call to action in your final paragraph. A call to action is a direct order for the reader to take a specific action, like “call your congressperson today and tell them to vote no” or “visit grammarly.com today to add Grammarly browser extension for free.”

>>Read More: How to Write Better Essays: 5 Concepts you Must Master

With the basic essay structure down, you can get to writing

For a lot of students, getting started is the hardest part of writing an essay. Knowing how to structure an essay can get you past this seemingly insurmountable first step because it gives you a clear skeleton upon which to flesh out your thoughts. With that step conquered, you’re on your way to crushing your assignment.

the title of an essay

How To Write An Essay

How To Title An Essay

Barbara P

Learn How to Title an Essay Like a Professional Writer

14 min read

Published on: Mar 1, 2023

Last updated on: Jul 23, 2024

how to title an essay

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A title is the one thing that makes your essay and all academic papers impressive. This is because it is the first thing that a reader looks at and decides whether to give your essay a shot or not. 

Naturally, things with amusing and interesting titles tend to be more read-worthy.  A right and accurate title can either make your essay a success or a complete disaster. 

It might sound easy to give a title to your essay, but it can be daunting in reality. Creating a title is an art, and not everybody knows how to do it. 

This writing guide is provided to know how important it is to give a correct title to your writing and polish your writing skills. 

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What is an Essay Title

An essay title is the name or label given to an essay, which provides a brief summary of the main topic or theme of the essay.

It should be catchy, informative, and relevant to the content of the essay, while also giving readers an idea of what to expect from the writing. 

A good essay title should capture the reader's attention and make them interested in reading the essay.

Purpose and Importance of Essay Title

A title holds great importance in essay writing. It can easily make or break the quality of your work. 

Choosing a title that interests the audience and motivates them to read your essay. This is because they are intrigued, it serves as fertile land to present your knowledge, ideas, writing skills, and critical thinking.   

Qualities of an Essay Title

When coming up with the topic or title for your essays, keep in mind that it should contain the following qualities: 

  • Eye-catching and unique: The title should be eye-catching and unique to grab the reader's attention.
  • Based on facts: A good title is always believable and based on facts. Especially for writing essay types and papers that stand on facts and logic should have believable titles. 
  • Audience-appropriate: Readability is key. Using fancy and bombastic vocabulary that is not common for the audience will affect the readership. 
  • Tone: A great essay title is always written in an active voice. 
  • Brief and Short: The title should be brief and to the point. Avoid dragging titles into long sentences. 
  • To-the-Point: An essay title should be accurate and clearly present the main theme of the essay. This will allow the reader to know what to expect from the document. 

Components of an Essay Title

Just as all formal writings have an outline to follow, a good essay title is constructed using a formula as well. Keep in mind that the shorter, the better. A title must not exceed 10 to 12 words.

The components of an essay title include

  • An attention-grabbing and catchy hook
  • Tone sets the overall mood or attitude conveyed by the title.
  • The focus keyword - the "where" and "when" in your essay. 

Once you know the importance and elements of an essay title, you are more likely to create a better title.

How to Title an Essay?

Almost all essay writers find it tricky to make an appropriate title for their essays. However, writing a title is not only based on good writing skills. You need to know the basics of creating it. 

A good and effective essay title can be created by taking the following steps:

1. First Write an Essay 

It will be extremely beneficial and easy to create a title once you have written an entire essay.

After writing your essay, you will be clear about what title suits your content the most. Complete your essay and then start reading it.

This will give you a clearer picture of how to address the essay properly.

Deciding on a topic or a title can be time taking. Another advantage of writing a title at the end is that it saves a lot of your time. 

Also, the wrong topic makes it difficult for you to choose the best essay title.  

Struggling with getting started with your essay? Check out this helpful guide on how to write an essay !

2. Use your Thesis Statement

There is another reason you should leave your title for an end.  An effective title provides a reason for the readers to read your essay. The best part to find a reason is in the thesis statement in the introduction of your essay. 

You can always get a title from a thesis statement or by using a part of that argument in the title. 

3. Popular Phrases

Catchphrases and cliches that go with the theme of your essay can be used as the titles as well. When popular phrases are appropriate and interesting, they make effective puns. 

Play with the cliches and twist them to create something of your own. Be creative and innovative for your titles as much as you can. 

4. Consider the Tone

Another trick to creating an effective title for your essay is to consider the essay's tone and come up with something related to it. 

If the tone and subject of your essay are serious and sad, never make the mistake of addressing your title in an informal and fun way.  

Do not try to go off the wall in such cases. The tone of your essay and the title have a strong connection to a good essay. 

5. Use a Central Idea or a Quote 

It is not mandatory but an easy way to create a title that uses a central idea. You can use a quote as the title of your essay topic. 

If the purpose is served correctly, even song lyrics work the best sometimes. 

6. Summary in Three Words

The most common and basic technique is to get a title from the summary of your essay. 

A writer can summarize the entire essay or the central idea and thesis statement in three words and write a title. 

This can be a title by putting it in a headline, inserting a colon, and stating the purpose of your essay. 

7. Movie Titles in an Essay 

A movie title can also be used as a title in an essay.

There are some basic ways to do that. A writer can highlight the title, use a capital letter for the first letter of the movie title, and italicize its font. 

Another technique is by creating a sentence structure and using a movie title in it. You can use quotation marks as well as the underlining tool. However, title the essay according to the field of study and don't make it irrelevant. 

Mistakes to Avoid While Giving a Title to Your Essay

Here are some tips to keep in mind when crafting effective essay titles to avoid common mistakes:

  • Positive themes

Avoid writing about sensitive, unethical, or immoral topics, such as drugs, prostitution, or murder.

  • Personal information

Your personal negative experiences should not be included in your essay. However, you can still include lessons learned from those experiences in a professional manner.

  • Relevant Questions

Make sure to ask questions that are relevant to your field of study to ensure you choose an appropriate topic.

  • Professional tone

Keep your essay professional and avoid including personal information or experiences that are not relevant. Your readers are not interested in your personal life.

  • Understanding requirements

It's important to understand your professor's requirements to avoid choosing the wrong topic and wasting time and effort.

  • Neutral perspective

Avoid taking an offensive approach in your essay and steer clear of controversial topics such as religion, abortion, and politics.

How to Title an Essay in Different Formats?

All academic essays require a format through which the writer shapes his document. This format varies from academic level to level and institution as well. The format styles include MLA, APA, Chicago, and Harvard. 

MLA, APA, and Chicago are the most common formats that are usually used. If you are writing an essay choosing a specific format, all of the parts should be drafted accordingly. 

From titling an essay to drawing a conclusion, the writer must follow the format properly to create a strong essay. 

How to Title an Essay in MLA Format?

No matter which essay format you are using to shape your argumentative essay, descriptive essay, etc. The qualities of the title and components remain the same.

Although the formatting of the title may differ. For an MLA style , format your essay title in the following pattern:

  • On the cover page of your essay, using double spacing, write your name in the upper left corner
  • Along with your name, present your instructor's name, the course title, and the date. 
  • Double-space a line and using centered alignment, provide the essay title in font size 12 pt. 
  • Do not bold or italicize the title.
  • Capitalize important words only and not the articles in the title. 

How to Format an Essay in APA Format?

If you are writing an essay in APA style, you might be wondering how to title an essay in apa format. 

Simply use the following guidelines to format your title and make your writing process easy: 

  • Type the title in upper and lowercase letters
  • Use centered alignment on the upper half of the page and write the title
  • The title in APA style should not exceed more than 12 words
  • Avoid using abbreviations and irrelevant words 
  • The title should be presented in a line or two and not more than that
  • Use double spacing between the lines 
  • Beneath the title, write your name and the institutional affiliation.

How to Title an Essay Chicago Style 

To create an appropriate final version of the title for your essay in Chicago style, you should follow certain guidelines.

  • Use a heading level 2 (H2) for your title
  • Center the title on the page and use title case capitalization
  • Keep the title informative and concise, aiming for no more than 12-15 words
  • Consider including relevant keywords to make your essay easier to find
  • Avoid using slang or informal language in your title
  • Use proper grammar and punctuation

How to Choose a Good Title for an Essay 

Choosing a good title for an essay is crucial as it sets the tone and theme for the reader. 

Here are some important qualities to consider when selecting a title:

  • Informative: A good title should give the reader an idea of what the essay is about. It should be concise and clearly convey the main topic or argument of the essay.
  • Catchy and Memorable: A title that is catchy and memorable can grab the reader's attention and make them more likely to read the essay. Consider using wordplay, puns, or alliteration to make your title stand out.
  • Unique: A title that is unique and original can make your essay stand out from others. Avoid using generic or cliche titles that have been overused.
  • Accurate: A title should accurately reflect the content of the essay. Avoid using sensational or misleading titles that do not accurately convey the main point or argument of the essay.
  • Relevant: A title should be relevant to the current times or issues. Especially in subjects like current events, social or political issues, and scientific research.
  • Reflective of Tone: The title should also reflect the tone of the essay. If the essay is humorous, the title should be as well. If the essay is serious or academic, the title should reflect that.

Essay Title Examples

Just like the tone of every essay differs, the title also differs from each type of essay. For example, movie titles can only be used for informal writing and narrative essays. 

Some examples of essay titles are provided below.


Finding My Voice: A Journey of Self-Discovery
Lessons Learned: Reflections on Life's Challenges
A Moment of Clarity: How I Overcame My Fears


The Use of Symbolism in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
Exploring the Effects of Social Media on Mental Health
An Analysis of the American Dream in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman


The Benefits of a Vegan Lifestyle for Our Health and the Environment
Gun Control: Balancing Second Amendment Rights and Public Safety
The Importance of Bilingual Education in Today's Society


Why Every Home Should Have a Pet
The Benefits of Meditation for a Balanced Life
Making the Switch to Renewable Energy: Why It's Time to Go Green


A Tale of Two Cities: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Living
The Similarities and Differences between Classical and Operant Conditioning
Comparing the Leadership Styles of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X


Overcoming Adversity: How I Grew from Life's Challenges
My Passion for Environmental Science and Sustainability
The Importance of Diversity in My Life and Future Career

Exploring the Relationship between Social Media and Mental Health
The Impact of Climate Change on Global Agriculture: An Analysis of Current Research
The Role of Women in Science: A Historical Perspective

Investigating the Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treating Depression
The Effect of Music on Memory Retention: A Comparative Study
Examining the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities

Here are some more examples of essay titles.

Tips to Draft an Essay Title

Titles for Different Types of Essay

How To Title An Essay About A Book

Bad vs Good Essay Title Examples

My Essay About the Environment

Climate Change: Causes and Solutions

The Book I Read

The Impact of To Kill a Mockingbird 

Why I Love Music

The Evolution of Jazz Music

A Trip to the Beach

Finding Serenity by the Ocean

My Favorite Hobby

The Art of Photography: Capturing Life

Tips for Crafting an Outstanding Title 

Here are some tips for crafting an outstanding title:

  • Brainstorm: Begin by brainstorming a list of potential titles for your essay or paper. Write down as many ideas as you can think of, even if they seem silly or irrelevant at first.
  • Be Specific: A good title should be specific and accurate. It should give the reader an idea of what the essay is about. Avoid vague or general titles that don't provide any useful information.
  • Use Keywords: Including keywords in your title can make it easier for readers to find your work in searches. Consider what words or phrases a person might use to search for your topic and incorporate them into your title.
  • Be Creative: A creative and unique title can make your work stand out from others. Consider using wordplay, puns, alliteration, or metaphors to create a memorable and attention-grabbing title.
  • Keep It Short and Sweet: While a title should be specific and informative, it should also be concise. Try to keep your title under 10-12 words, as longer titles can be difficult to read and remember.

For more tips, you can check out this video:

The success of your overall essay is not just based on how well you presented the argument and conducted research to gather the information. A title plays a vital role as well. 

Creative titles are like the icing on the cake. Nobody will want to read it when it will not appeal to them. 

Make your college essay and paper flawless, as they are the only thing that will get you scores in academics. So, you have to know what mistakes to avoid and what to do when title the essay.   

However, you can ask professionals at our best essay service to write your essays perfectly and with the best quality.

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Is it better to use a question or a statement as my essay title.

Whether to use a question or a statement as your essay title depends on the content and purpose of your essay.

Using a question can be effective if your essay is exploratory and seeks to answer a specific question. On the other hand, using a statement can be more appropriate if your essay has a clear argument or thesis statement.

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Barbara is a highly educated and qualified author with a Ph.D. in public health from an Ivy League university. She has spent a significant amount of time working in the medical field, conducting a thorough study on a variety of health issues. Her work has been published in several major publications.

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the title of an essay

How to Title an Essay: Guide with Creative Examples [2024]

It’s not a secret that the reader notices an essay title first. No catchy hook or colorful examples attract more attention from a quick glance. Composing a creative title for your essay is essential if you strive to succeed, as it:

  • causes the first impression;
  • reflects the tone, topic, and the purpose of the writing;
  • indicates the author’s credibility.

Thus, how you name your paper is of the same importance as the paper itself.

Good titles for essays should be concise and eye-catching. Nobody likes long and cumbersome headings that do not reflect the point of the paper. While tilting your work, pay enough attention to the word choice. How do you come up with a good title? Use your common sense and imagination. For more details, our experts prepared the sections below.

  • 💭 What Are Good Titles?

✔️ Finish Your Essay

🤲 sum it up, 🏷️ define the keywords, 🖊️ follow the format, ⚖️ change words, ✨ 23 creative title examples, 💭 what are good titles for essays.

A title is a critical part of any academic paper, so you must understand what to include and how to choose it. Here are some features that your heading has to show.

Strong Title Poor Title
.
A title may become an attention-grabbing element if you compose it right. Don’t miss your chance to impress your audience from the first words.

The title has to intrigue the readers. If a heading you chose is too revealing, the audience will lose interest even before reading. So, be careful!

A concise title is key to success. Believe us, 5-12 words are entirely enough to reflect the paper’s idea. Choose the right words, though.

A title that contains more than 12 words is a fail. The readers will get lost in your essay’s theme. Will they decide to continue reading your work? Not likely.

A good title for an essay is the one that covers the entire topic. Keep that in mind while naming your paper.

Numbers and figures are helpful for an academic essay, but not for the title. Leave this data for the body paragraphs.

If you want to grab the readers’ attention, impress them with a catchy but easy title. The secret lies behind the heading’s simplicity.
.
Too complicated titles with difficult words DO NOT seem impressive. Instead, they confuse readers. Better come up with a simple but insightful one.

The title has to reflect the idea of the paper—don’t go too broad. Come up with the most specific heading that represents the core idea of your essay.

There is nothing wrong with the quotes. But in the body of the essay, not in the title. Use your imagination to name your work. Don’t steal someone else’s thoughts.

👩‍🏫 How to Title an Essay?

Are you struggling with formulating a heading? Yes, this task is quite challenging. But let’s figure out the basic rules.

The title of any paper should reveal:

  • What the paper is about. Cover the general idea of your work in the title.
  • Why the reader might be interested in it. Prove the relevance of your paper to the audience.
  • The context of the issue. A good title previews the full picture of the topic regarding its “when” and “where.”

To nail your essay heading, follow the guide below. Check our title examples if you are not sure about your abilities. You can also try and use a creative title page generator for a faster result.

Before writing a title to your essay, you should finish your paper. This way, you’ll be able to reread and get the whole idea to incorporate it into your title.

Moreover, you’ll see how long a title should be for an essay after finishing the entire piece. But remember: not too lengthy and not too wordy.

The essay title depends on the type of essay:

  • Narrative essay . For this kind of essay, the title should not provide any detailed info or reflect your position. It should only present the general idea of your piece of writing. For example, the narrative essay topic may look like this: My Thorny Pass to Success.
  • Argumentative essay . The title for an argumentative essay should clearly state the point you are going to support. For instance, you can choose the following heading: Social Media Has a Negative Effect on Teenagers.
  • Cause and effect essay . For this kind of essay writing, the title should be clear and provide a background of the issue. The reader should immediately understand what the problem is, what its cause is, what an effect is. Usually, writers use the words “due to” or “because” to highlight the cause-effect correlation. Look at the example: Because Coronavirus Attacks, People Start to Explore New Ways of Remote Working.
  • Persuasive essay . A persuasive essay should have a dynamic title that immediately calls to action. Moreover, the topic has to be relevant to the audience. For example, for students, the following title would be compelling: Sleep 7-8 Hours a Day: the Lack of Sleep Affects Academic Performance.

The most straightforward way of creating an essay title is summarizing. Sum up the whole paper in one sentence, focus on the central idea, cut the details, and use it as the title.

For this purpose, you can take your thesis statement and restate it, adding creativity. Or use the best summary generator you can find to simplify the task. But don’t forget to make sure that it sounds catchy and explains why the potential reader should check your essay.

For example:

Let’s imagine, you are writing about Artificial Intelligence, and your thesis statement sounds like this:

The purpose of this paper is to explore the advantages of Artificial intelligence’s influence on society and to discover possible outcomes.

Then, the title may be the following:

Artificial Intelligence – the Next Step into the Bright Future.

Every essay includes the key concepts that you explored and the terms that you used for this. You should find essential words and phrases and incorporate them into the essay titles. The keywords will focus the reader’s attention on the central topic of your paper.

You are writing about the negative impact of deforestation on the environment. These are your keywords, as they are the most vital ones. Thus, the title would sound like this:

Protecting the Environment: Deforestation Should be Stopped.

Every educational institution requires to format the academic papers for a particular writing style. Among a wide diversity of citation styles , the most popular ones are APA and MLA formats.

There are a lot of specific requirements regarding the essay title formats. So, let’s investigate these styles.

The APA style requires a title page at the beginning of your research paper. Here, where the readers first meet the heading. The title page should include the following:

  • The paper’s title. Centered, bold, capitalized, 3-4 lines below the top margin.
  • The author’s name (first name, middle initial, last name). Centered, not bold, two lines below the title.
  • The author’s affiliations. Centered, not bold, immediately after the name.
  • Number and name of the course.
  • The instructor’s name and title.
  • Page number in the top right corner.

See the example of an APA title page below:

The title page in APA format.

The MLA style does not require a separate title page. Still, some formatting rules are to be strictly followed.

  • The MLA paper should start one inch from the top of the document, flush left.
  • Write the author’s name, then the instructor’s name, the course number, and the date. Each item should be on a separate double-spaced line.
  • Add the title of your paper. It should be centered and capitalized.
  • Do not put quotation marks, underline, italicize, or boldface your MLA title. Just make it centered and capitalized.

Here is an example of an MLA title formatting.

The essay title in MLA format.

Before choosing a title, figure out is the tone of your essay. Is it more formal or friendly? Do you write it for a college or a personal blog?

Change the wording to make your title sound more catchy and positive. Or serious and official. You can try something new and come up with a creative title for your essay.

You need to write an article about the benefits of healthy eating for university and your online blog. For an academic essay, your title would probably look like this:

A Well-Balanced Diet Is a Key to a Healthy Organism.

In contrast, for a blog article, it would be better to write something like this:

An Apple a Day Keeps a Doctor Away: How Healthy Eating Helps us Be Fit.

Do you see the magic? One topic, different wording, and completely diverse tones as a result. So, try until you reach the most appropriate version of the title for your piece of writing.

Are you still struggling with the selection of a heading for your paper? Take a look at our creative essay title examples! Inspire, then turn on your imagination, and create a personal title.

Argumentative Essay Titles.

  • Intercultural Community at University: Prosperity or Constant Encounters.
  • Leadership Nature: a Congenital or an Acquired Feature?
  • Do Energetic Drinks Help or Harm the Organisms?
  • Why Should Sex Education Be Taught at Schools?
  • Should the Law Punish Bullying?
  • Guns Legalization is an Unsafe Way of Self-Protection.

Narrative Essay Titles.

  • Lady Macbeth – One of the Most Frightening Female Characters of Shakespeare.
  • The Art of Overcoming Failures: How to Deal with the Downfalls Easily.
  • Steve Jobs: from a Poor Student to a Multi-billionaire.
  • The Most Influential Person in my Life.
  • Three Biggest Events of my Life that Shaped me as a Person.
  • What Does it Mean to be a Loving Kid for your Parents?
  • What Does “Family” Mean to You?

Persuasive Essay Titles.

  • Never Judge the Person by their Appearance.
  • Music Should be Implemented as a Medical Treatment.
  • In the Battle Between E-Books and Paper Books, the Last Ones Should Win.
  • Remote Learning Cannot Replace Face-to-Face Classes.
  • Technology Addiction is a Threat to the Future Generation.
  • Murderers Should be Sentenced to Death Penalty.

Cause and Effect Essay Titles.

  • Because of Traveling Around the World, People Expand their Horizons.
  • Due to Massive Immigration, Countries Lose their Cultural Identity.
  • Home Abuse as a Cause of Depression and Suicide as its Effect.
  • Drug Addiction: a Cause for Psychological Disorder or an Effect?

Thank you for reading our article. Now you get how to come up with a good title for an essay. Don’t forget to share our page with your friends.

  • Writing an Effective Title: Quick Tips, Student Support Writing Center, University of Minnesota
  • Choosing a Title, Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: Research Guides at University of Southern California
  • How Do I Write a Great Title: U-M LSA Sweetland Center for Writing, College of Literature, Science, and Arts, University of Michigan
  • General Format: Purdue Online Writing Lab, College of Liberal Arts, Purdue University
  • Formatting a Research Paper, Heading and Title: The MLA Style Center
  • Title Page Setup: APA Style, American Psychological Association
  • APA Title Page (Cover Page) Format, Example, Template: Saul McLeod, Simply Psychology
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How to Write a Strong Title for an Argumentative Essay

Last Updated: June 4, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Diane Stubbs . Diane Stubbs is a Secondary English Teacher with over 22 years of experience teaching all high school grade levels and AP courses. She specializes in secondary education, classroom management, and educational technology. Diane earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Delaware and a Master of Education from Wesley College. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 170,228 times.

In most cases, a title for an essay is only required for college papers. A title for an argumentative essay isn't much different than a title for any other essay. You need to present what your essay is about in phrase form, as well as provide a hook to encourage the reader to read your essay. One main difference is you also need to make sure you establish your stance on the subject, so the reader knows where your argument is headed from the beginning. In order to create a strong title, you should write your essay before coming up with a title for it.

Summarizing Your Ideas

Step 1 Start brainstorming.

  • Also, read through your paper. Start making notes on the main ideas. If you organized your paper well, you should have the paper divided into several main ideas.
  • Write down any ideas you have about what you think should go in your title.

Step 2 Summarize your content.

  • In most cases, your thesis, or a version of it, is the best summary for the essay. The thesis should be stated at the end of your introduction, and perhaps restated at the beginning of your conclusion as well.
  • Try to get it down to one sentence if possible, such as, "Soup is significantly more flavorful when made with stock than when made with water."

Step 3 Make a list of keywords and phrases.

  • For instance, if you wrote a paper on why soup is better when made with stock than water, think about what words are essential to that paper.
  • Your list of keywords might include "soup," "stock," and "flavor," as an example.

Creating a Title

Step 1 Think about your audience and tone.

  • Also, think about the tone of your essay. If it's lighthearted, a lighthearted title will fit. For instance, an essay on stock and chicken soup lends itself to lightheartedness.
  • However, if your essay is very serious, stick to a serious title. For instance, if you're trying to convince people that poverty needs to end, that's a pretty serious topic and needs a serious title.

Step 2 Pull a sentence out.

  • Read over your paper. You can use this opportunity to proofread while you look for a good sentence.
  • Write out any sentence that may work. For instance, one sentence that might work is "Soup is delicious, but it is even more delicious when made with stock."
  • Shorten it up to work as a title: "Soup Is More Flavorful With Stock."

Step 3 Try a question.

  • For instance, you could write, "Why Does Stock Make Soup So Flavorful?" That establishes your topic, as well as invites your reader into your paper.
  • Just be sure you are answering the question you propose.
  • Choose a different question than the one you used for your hook, if applicable.

Step 4 Make it playful.

  • Come up with something that is contrasting or surprising. A concrete image works well, meaning something that invokes the senses. For instance, you could write something like "The Flavor of Boiled Chicken Bones Is the Best for Soup."
  • People don't necessarily think bones are tasty, but they are used to create your flavorful broth. Therefore, it's a bit surprising, but it plays into your essay.
  • Try to create a title that is both short and sweet.

Step 5 Make a pun or use a famous saying.

  • As an example, a pun you could use would be "Use Your Backbone to Make Soup." "Backbone" is a play both on the fact that you're using stock (made from bones) and that you need to use your backbone to stand up for stock.
  • As for a saying, you could use something like "Chicken Soup: Only the Opiate of the Masses If Made With Stock." "Opiate of the masses" is a reference to Karl Marx and will attract attention.

Finessing Your Title

Step 1 Give it some time.

  • That is, move words around to see if you can make a better statement.
  • Try mixing and matching among titles that you like. Pick the parts you like best.

Step 2 Be specific.

  • For instance, if you are discussing a specific type of soup, add that in: "Chicken Stock Makes the Best Chicken Soup."
  • If you are specifically talking about homemade stock, add that in "Homemade Chicken Stock Makes the Best Chicken Soup."
  • If possible, try to give the reader just an idea of which side you plan to argue in favor of in the essay.

Step 3 Use a subtitle.

  • The most common method is putting the creative part first as the main title, followed by the informative part in the subtitle. However, you can do it either way.
  • For example, you could write: "Use Your Backbone: Why You Should Advocate for Stock in Soup."
  • If the titles are on the same line, separate them by a colon. If not, you don't need the colon.

Step 4 Check for keywords.

  • Compare your title to the list you made earlier.

Step 5 Ensure you've covered your topic.

  • In the case of an argumentative essay, that not only means that you've presented what your topic is but also what your stance on that topic is.
  • Try it out on a parent. Ask her what she thinks the paper is about from your title.

Step 6 Skip abbreviations.

  • The exception to this rule is very common abbreviations or abbreviations that are appropriate for your audience.
  • For instance, using "HIV" probably wouldn't confuse your readers.

Community Q&A

Community Answer

  • It can be helpful to look up titles of articles and essays for reference. Check major websites or networks for examples of effective titles. Remember to avoid “clickbait,” though! Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

the title of an essay

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Find a Catchy Title for Your Paper/Essay

  • ↑ http://writing.umn.edu/sws/assets/pdf/quicktips/titles.pdf
  • ↑ https://umanitoba.ca/student/academiclearning/media/Writing_a_Great_Title_NEW.pdf
  • ↑ https://www.esu.edu/writing-studio/guides/hook.cfm
  • ↑ https://lsa.umich.edu/sweetland/undergraduates/writing-guides/how-do-i-write-a-great-title-.html
  • ↑ http://www.editage.com/insights/3-basic-tips-on-writing-a-good-research-paper-title

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the title of an essay

the title of an essay

Formatting Titles

by Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center · Published October 2, 2020 · Updated November 5, 2020

the title of an essay

Let’s face it: For whatever reason, formatting titles can be confusing, especially if you think about all the titles that need proper formatting–the title placed on the title page of a paper, the title of a journal article mentioned in the body of a paper, the title of a newspaper or a website on the list of references. There are titles of books and titles of chapters in those books; titles of blogs and titles of blog entries. Some titles are italicized and some are put in quotation marks. Titles on the list of references require formatting–some titles use title case, some sentence case; some titles are italicized and some are not. And then there are those situations where titles are used in in-text citations–some titles are truncated and italicized; some are put in quotation marks–you get the idea. 

First off, I am not going to address how to format titles when citing in the paper or listing on the list of references—those are formatting guidelines for another time. I am going to focus on titles on the title page, the first page of the paper, and within a paper. Here is what you need to keep straight:

Titles require special capitalization called title case. Title case requires one to

  • capitalize the first letter of the first and last words of a title;
  • capitalize the first letter of all verbs;
  • capitalize all words of four or more letters;
  • capitalize the first letter of all other words except a, an, the, short conjunctions such as “for, and, but,” and prepositions of fewer than four letters (words like “up, in, off”);
  • capitalize the first letter of a word following a colon or dash;
  • capitalize the first letter of a subtitle. 

When a title appears on the title page of an APA Style 7th edition student paper, that title should be centered, bolded, and in title case—no need to use all caps, no need to italicize or underline, and no need to use quotation marks or place a period at the end. 

Simply type out the title using title case and bold it–that’s it.

On the first page of the essay, center and repeat the title, bold it, and use title case. Again, do not use any special formatting. Do not use a bigger font size or style. Do not underline or italicize and so forth. Just use title case, bold, and center the title on the first page of the essay.

Easy enough, right?

Titles that appear within an essay require special formatting in addition to title case. If the title is for an article—content that is part of a greater whole—then the title should have quotation marks around it. If the title is for a book, journal, newspaper, or some other whole work, then the title is italicized.

Let’s say you have an article titled “The New Coffee Culture” that appears in the journal Studies in Popular Culture . Let’s also say that for whatever reason, you name both titles in the body of your paper. The article “The New Coffee Culture” appears in the journal Studies in Popular Culture , so the article is content that appears in a greater whole, right? 

Both titles would be in title case. The article “The New Coffee Culture” would have quotation marks around it, and the title of the journal, Studies in Popular Culture , would be italicized. 

I hope this blogcast clarifies exactly what you need to do when formatting titles in typical usage situations in APA style. 

Until next week–

Kurtis Clements

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The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey

‌How to Title an Essay with Literary Analysis Examples

Kori Morgan

How to Write a Controlling Idea Essay

You may have spent hours brainstorming your thesis, searching for quotations and polishing your final draft, but a good title can make the difference between someone reading your literary essay and tossing it aside. Good literary essay titles not only capture your reader's interest, but they also preview the argument you'll be making in the paper itself. They capture the central idea that is presented in your work, and entice the viewer to read. Creativity, humor and innovative plays on the work you're writing about can transform a dull title into one that piques your audience's curiosity.

Include the Subject and Focus

Your title should not just name the literary work that is the ​ subject ​ of your essay but also describe its ​ focus ​, the target idea, literary device or theme that the piece explores. This is sometimes referred to as a "working title" as well, since it focuses heavily on the main part of your essay, and can remind you of your focus as you read. In an essay about morality in "To Kill a Mockingbird," for example, Harper Lee's novel would be the subject of the paper, while morality would be the essay's focus. Including the phrase "Morality in 'To Kill a Mockingbird' " somewhere in your title would clearly indicate to audiences what themes your essay will deal with. This is a more basic example of an essay title, but effective in most all cases.

Link Two Ideas With a Colon

While including the subject and focus in the title gives a good summary of your essay topic, it's not enough to pull readers in. Using a colon to punctuate the subject with a catchy explanation of the focus can not only add an air of professionalism to your paper but also give a more in-depth, eye-catching preview of your topic for readers. An essay about Holden Caulfield's painful transition to adulthood, for example, might be titled "The Precarious Edge of the Cliff: Loss of Innocence in J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye.' "

This title choice also allows you to present two ideas that are key parts of your essay, if you choose to. Maybe you can't decide on just one, because both are equally important. This choice would be a good tool for featuring both ideas and connecting them to each other. Displaying a longer, more developed essay title, can also give you the freedom to discuss these ideas in your essay with more detail since they are featured in the title.

Include a Quotation from the Work

Sometimes, a quotation from the book can provide inspiration for your essay's title. Try adding a brief, snappy portion of this quote to your title's focus statement. For example, the title for an essay about mother-daughter relationships in Flannery O'Connor's short stories might borrow from a quote in the story "Good Country People," in which the central character, Hulga, tells her overbearing, critical mother, "If you want me, here I am -- like I am." The title of this essay might read, "Like I Am: Mother-Daughter Dysfunction in Flannery O'Connor's Short Stories."

Use Wordplay

While the tone of your literary essay should ultimately be professional and credible, using puns or humor to play off an aspect of the title can be a friendly way to entice your audience to read further. For example, an essay about the symbolic villages of East and West Egg in "The Great Gatsby" might be titled "The Eggs Came First: Settings as Symbols in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby.' "

You can be assured your teacher, or whoever is viewing your paper, is going to sift through many boring and unoriginal essay titles, so making sure that yours will pop is important.

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Kori Morgan holds a Bachelor of Arts in professional writing and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and has been crafting online and print educational materials since 2006. She taught creative writing and composition at West Virginia University and the University of Akron and her fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals.

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How to structure your essay

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A well-structured essay is important as it enhances readability, ensures logical flow, and effectively communicates the main ideas. When your essay is clearly organised it helps the reader understand and retain the essay's key points.

A typical assignment has an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. The purpose of the introduction is to signpost everything that a reader can expect from the assignment. The main body is where this will be delivered, and the conclusion provides a summary of the main points, perhaps guiding us to further reading or investigation.

A high-quality essay is composed of high-quality sentences. This page focuses on rules for writing complete sentences that flow together to create a well written academic piece.

Common errors in structure

This guide highlights common errors in structure and argument, and gives you a short explanation of what you can do to avoid them. 

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60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on the problem of evil, 🎓 most interesting the problem of evil research titles, 💡 simple the problem of evil essay ideas.

  • The Problem of Evil in Religion
  • The Problem of Evil and Some Varieties of Atheism
  • William Rowe’s Argument for Atheism Based on the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil and Reasoning Against God
  • The Problem of Evil and God’s Existence
  • The Problem of Evil and Suffering
  • The Problem of Evil and Arguments for God’s Existence
  • The Problem of Evil from a Religious Perspective
  • The Problem of Evil and Its Examples
  • “Discussion of “”The Hiddenness Problem and the Problem of Evil”” Article”
  • The Problem of Evil and the Existence of God
  • The Problem of Evil in Relation to Philosophy and Religion
  • Hamartiology: The Problem of Evil (Theodicy)
  • The Problem of Evil: Its Structure and Important Variations
  • Free Will, Omnipotence, and the Problem of Evil as Logically Inconsistent Propositions
  • Exploring the Problem of Evil in Modern Literature
  • An Aesthetic Solution to the Problem of Evil
  • Original Sin and the Problem of Evil in Thomas Aquinas: Perspectives and Contemporary Meanings
  • Correlates of Beliefs About and Solutions to the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil as a Challenge to Essential Christian Beliefs
  • Albert Camus and Said Nursi on the Problem of Evil
  • Theodicy, Christology, and Divine Hiding: Neutralizing the Problem of Evil
  • A Reformed Problem of Evil and the Free Will Defense
  • Theory of Compensation and the Problem of Evil: A New Defense
  • The Miseries of Life: David Hume and the Problem of Evil
  • A Neo-Ontological Solution to the Problem of Evil
  • Explaining the Problem of Evil Using Humanist Sociological Theory
  • The “Exorcist” Movie Industry and the Problem of Evil
  • Kierkegaard’s First-Person Approach to the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil in the Neo-Confucian Context
  • Morality and Revelation in Islamic Thought and Beyond: A New Problem of Evil
  • Searching for a Coherent Theistic Solution to the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil in Early Christianity
  • Empirical Challenges to the Evidential Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil as a Failed Argument for Atheism
  • Bowne, Dostoevsky, and Brightman: Confronting the Problem of Evil
  • Approaching the Problem of Evil With a Postmetaphysical Theory of Reflective Judgment
  • God and the Problem of Evil: Attempting to Reframe the Debate
  • The Problem of Evil: Skeptical Theism Leads to Moral Paralysis
  • Defending God: Biblical Responses to the Problem of Evil
  • Living in the Moral World: A Kantian Response to the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil in Philosophy and Popular Culture
  • Egoism or the Problem of Evil: A Dilemma for Skeptical Theism
  • The Problem of Evil Existence in the Philosophy of Leibniz and Hegel
  • A New Realist Theory for the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil in Sports: Applications and Arguments
  • Nietzsche and the Problem of Evil: Theodicy, Morality, and Nihilism
  • The Problem of Evil and the Limits of Governmental Power
  • A Presuppositional Response to the Problem of Evil
  • Exploring the Problem of Evil in Early Modern Philosophy
  • The Problem of Natural Evil and Its Solution by Christianity
  • A Narrative-Relational Approach to the Problem of Evil and the Suffering It Engenders
  • The Problem of Evil in DC Universe Animated Movies
  • Explaining Leibniz’s Approach to Solving the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil as a Problem of Axiological Expectation Mismatch
  • God and Fruitless Evil: A Holistic Response to the Problem of Evil
  • The Theory of Middle Knowledge as a Solution to the Soteriological Problem of Evil
  • Reviewing of Augustine’s Treatment of the Problem of Evil
  • The Problem of Evil: A Critical Assessment of Theological Accounts of Evil
  • The Relation Between the Problem of Divine Hiddenness and the Problem of Evil

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StudyCorgi. (2024, September 9). 60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-problem-of-evil-essay-topics/

"60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics." StudyCorgi , 9 Sept. 2024, studycorgi.com/ideas/the-problem-of-evil-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . (2024) '60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics'. 9 September.

1. StudyCorgi . "60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics." September 9, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-problem-of-evil-essay-topics/.

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StudyCorgi . "60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics." September 9, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-problem-of-evil-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2024. "60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics." September 9, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/the-problem-of-evil-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on The Problem of Evil were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on September 18, 2024 .

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This online session with the Student Learning Service will focus on two key elements of succeeding with ‘essay’-type assignments:

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JD Vance accused Republicans of being ‘openly hostile to non-whites’

VP nominee claimed in 2012 that his party was alienating ‘blacks, Latinos, and the youth’ and criticised its deportation plans

Vance has previously been critical of Trump's supporters, calling some of them "vile racists"

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance once blasted his own party as being “openly hostile to non-whites” and condemned its policy of deporting migrants.

In a scathing assessment written after the Republican Party lost twice to Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, Mr Vance said it was no surprise that the majority of its supporters were white.

“Republicans lose minority voters for simple and obvious reasons: their policy proposals are tired, unoriginal, or openly hostile to non-whites,” Mr Vance wrote in a blog entry.

Mr Vance wrote the post in 2012, but in 2016 when he decided to take a greater interest in electoral politics , he asked the professor who commissioned the piece to delete it.

He felt the existence of such a document could he harmful to his progress and the professor, Brad Nelson, who taught Mr Vance at Ohio State University when he was an undergraduate student, agreed to do so.

CNN reported that although Mr Nelson deleted Mr Vance’s essay, “A Blueprint for the GOP”, it is still available on the internet if one searches for it.

“A significant part of Republican immigration policy centres on the possibility of deporting 12 million people (or ‘self-deporting’ them),” Mr Vance wrote.

“Think about it: we conservatives (rightly) mistrust the government to efficiently administer business loans and regulate our food supply, yet we allegedly believe that it can deport millions of unregistered aliens.

He added: “The notion fails to pass the laugh test. The same can be said for too much of the party’s platform.”

Mr Vance’s essay was written at a time when many conservatives were searching for a more inclusive vision for the party, that would appeal to more minorities and younger Americans.

One such attempt was the Growth & Opportunity Project, better known as the RNC autopsy, created by the Republican National Committee and spearheaded by then RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. The project influenced a number of more moderate Republicans, such as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who ran for the presidency in 2016.

Mr Bush started as among the favourites but soon dropped out, overpowered by the populism of Donald Trump, whose narrow victory that year - secured by appealing to disgruntled white working class voters - acted as a rebuke to the RNC’s project.

Eight years after Mr Vance’s essay was deleted, he is now one of the most outspoken defenders of Mr Trump’s plan for mass deportation of migrants, and someone accused of inciting racist fervour by repeating debunked claims about Haitian migrant workers in Ohio eating family pets.

At the weekend, Mr Vance stood by his comments. He also said the sort of things he claimed was happening in Ohio, was one of the reasons he had changed his views on the former president. In a message to a friend eight years ago, Mr Vance likened Trump to Adolf Hitler.

“The reason that I changed my mind on Donald Trump is actually perfectly highlighted by what’s going on in Springfield,” Mr Vance said.


“Because the media and the Kamala Harris campaign, they’ve been calling the residents of Springfield racist, they’ve been lying about them. They’ve been saying that they make up these reports of migrants eating geese, and they completely ignore the public health disaster that is unfolding in Springfield at this very minute. You know who hasn’t ignored it? Donald Trump.”

Will Martin, a spokesman for Mr Vance, told CNN the senator had long supported strong border security measures, including deportations, and now held one of the most conservative voting records in the Senate. He said his views on deportations had changed since the time of the blog post.

He said: “There is nothing noteworthy about the fact that, like millions of Americans, Senator Vance’s views on certain issues have changed from when he was in his twenties.”

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Title an Essay, With Tips and Examples

    In MLA format, your essay's title should be in title case. That means every principle word— words that aren't articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, or the word "to" paired with an infinitive—is capitalized. The only exception to this is when one of these words is the first or last word in the essay's title.

  2. How to Title an Essay: Tips and Examples

    The main goal of a title is to name its paper. There is no need to tell an entire story in the title, or provide any useless details. Sum up your paper in a few words! Another way to do this is to sum up your thesis statement, as it represents the main idea of your essay. Take your thesis and squeeze it into 3-4 words.

  3. How to Title an Essay: Tips on Coming up with a Good Title for an Essay

    7 10 Tips to Create an Exceptional Title. 7.1 Questions make Catchy. 7.2 Describe the Paper in 5 Words. 7.3 Use One Direct Word. 7.4 Extract a Sentence from the Paper. 7.5 Take advantage of Pop-Culture. 7.6 Put "On" at the beginning. 7.7 Start with a Verb in "-ing". 7.8 Give a Mental Visualization of Your Topic.

  4. How to Title an Essay: Tips and Examples

    Crafting a good title requires a blend of creativity, precision, and strategic thinking. To create an effective title, consider the following tips: Brainstorm Ideas: Begin by brainstorming keywords, phrases, and concepts related to your essay topic. Explore different angles and perspectives that encapsulate the essence of your argument or analysis.

  5. How to Title an Essay? The Complete Guide to Essay Title

    If the source is independent, italicize the title. Write the titles of books, films, websites, and magazines in italics. If the paper belongs to a larger piece of work, add the quotation marks. Writers use them for articles, websites, essays, and songs.

  6. How to Title an Essay

    To use or not to use: Colons in essay titles. Using a colon to separate an essay title into two sections used to be the norm. It became so common in fact, that now they are considered cliche. There may be a few occasions when using a colon is just perfect, but avoid overusing it. The best way to use a colon is by inserting a creative phrase or ...

  7. How to Title an Essay to Make It More Engaging

    Consider Your Audience: Take into account the target audience for your essay. Consider their interests, knowledge level, and expectations. Tailor your title to resonate with your specific readership. A title that speaks directly to your audience's needs and desires will be more effective in capturing their attention.

  8. How to Structure an Essay

    The basic structure of an essay always consists of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. But for many students, the most difficult part of structuring an essay is deciding how to organize information within the body. This article provides useful templates and tips to help you outline your essay, make decisions about your structure, and ...

  9. How to Title Your Essays with Ease

    Focusing on and drawing from it helps ensure that the title contains all the right keywords. 3. Take note of tone. Titles set up the essay and elicit certain expectations in the reader. Tone is important for any piece of writing, and striking the right (conventionally, formal) one in academic writing is even more so.

  10. Forging good titles in academic writing

    Writing effective headings. Although similar, headings are not the same as titles. Headings head paragraphs and help structure a document. Effective headings make your paper easily scannable. Common high level headings in dissertations and research papers are "Methods", "Research results", and "Discussion". Lower level headings are ...

  11. The Best Way to Title An Essay (With Tips & Good Examples)

    A good essay title is the one that uses the terms according to your field of sturdy. Tip #3: Make Sure Your Title is Original . It doesn't make sense to copy your fellow student's essay title. Either of you could get penalized for doing so. You can read as many titles as you want, but only for inspiration.

  12. How to Title an Essay Properly- An Easy Guide

    A title is the first thing that your readers will interact with. So, it should be something interesting and worth paying attention to. Coming up with an interesting title while writing an essay can be the most difficult and sometimes frustrating task. The best essay titles are those that are both creative and informative.

  13. How to Title an Essay: Basic Guidelines With Examples

    In turn, the length of an essay title depends on academic levels and topic complexities, while general guidelines are: High School. Length: 1-7 words. Comment: Essay titles at the high school level are usually straightforward and concise. Examples: "The Impact of World War II" or "Climate Change Effects". College.

  14. MLA Titles

    Use quotation marks around the title if it is part of a larger work (e.g. a chapter of a book, an article in a journal, or a page on a website). All major words in a title are capitalized. The same format is used in the Works Cited list and in the text itself. When you use the Scribbr MLA Citation Generator, the correct formatting and ...

  15. Essay Structure: The 3 Main Parts of an Essay

    Basic essay structure: the 3 main parts of an essay. Almost every single essay that's ever been written follows the same basic structure: Introduction. Body paragraphs. Conclusion. This structure has stood the test of time for one simple reason: It works. It clearly presents the writer's position, supports that position with relevant ...

  16. Get Creative: Learn How to Title an Essay That Stands Out

    The most common and basic technique is to get a title from the summary of your essay. A writer can summarize the entire essay or the central idea and thesis statement in three words and write a title. This can be a title by putting it in a headline, inserting a colon, and stating the purpose of your essay. 7.

  17. How To Write Titles in Essays (With Tips)

    Capitalize the first and final word of the title. Capitalize nouns, pronouns, verbs, helping verbs, adjectives and adverbs within the title. Capitalize the first word that follows a colon when using title case. Do not capitalize articles located between the first and final words, such as "the," "a" and "an."

  18. How to Find a Catchy Title for Your Paper/Essay: 10 Steps

    Understanding the Structure of a Title. Download Article. 1. Craft a hook. Most titles have the same basic structure, especially if the title is for an academic essay. The hook is the creative element that draws the reader in. It's a catchy phrase that lets the reader know what the essay is going to focus on. [1]

  19. How to Title an Essay: Guide with Creative Examples [2024]

    The title of any paper should reveal: What the paper is about. Cover the general idea of your work in the title. Why the reader might be interested in it. Prove the relevance of your paper to the audience. The context of the issue. A good title previews the full picture of the topic regarding its "when" and "where.".

  20. PDF Essay Titles

    rafts. Effective titles often pull words or phrases from the essay in which t. used. Avoid using clichéd phras. s as titles. For example, "Beauty is Pain" is an overused phrase that has little impact. Below are a few examples of real, interesting titles from existing works: hter" Question: "Where Are You Going, Where Have.

  21. How to Write a Strong Title for an Argumentative Essay: 14 Steps

    If the titles are on the same line, separate them by a colon. If not, you don't need the colon. 4. Check for keywords. Make sure you've included as many of your keywords as possible. If your keywords are essential to your paper, they're essential to your title, too. [10] Compare your title to the list you made earlier.

  22. Formatting Titles

    Titles that appear within an essay require special formatting in addition to title case. If the title is for an article—content that is part of a greater whole—then the title should have quotation marks around it. If the title is for a book, journal, newspaper, or some other whole work, then the title is italicized. ...

  23. ‌How to Title an Essay with Literary Analysis Examples

    An essay about Holden Caulfield's painful transition to adulthood, for example, might be titled "The Precarious Edge of the Cliff: Loss of Innocence in J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye.'. This title choice also allows you to present two ideas that are key parts of your essay, if you choose to. Maybe you can't decide on just one, because ...

  24. Essay Structure

    When your essay is clearly organised it helps the reader understand and retain the essay's key points. How to structure your essay. A typical assignment has an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. The purpose of the introduction is to signpost everything that a reader can expect from the assignment. The main body is where this will be ...

  25. 60 The Problem of Evil Essay Topics

    These essay examples and topics on The Problem of Evil were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy.

  26. SLS Workshop: Organising an 'essay'-type assignment

    This online session with the Student Learning Service will focus on two key elements of succeeding with 'essay'-type assignments: 1) getting a clear research direction from careful analysis of the question/title. 2) the ability to make a good scaffold (or essay plan) which enables effective paragraphing . This session is for UG and PGT ...

  27. Review of The Hidden History of Code-Breaking and 50 Codes That Changed

    People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.. Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.. Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations. Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.

  28. JD Vance accused Republicans of being 'openly hostile to non-whites'

    Eight years after Mr Vance's essay was deleted, he is now one of the most outspoken defenders of Mr Trump's plan for mass deportation of migrants, and someone accused of inciting racist ...