Essay Titles
Overview
There is a purpose to the title of an essay, song, poem, movie…really, a title is important for all writing. When you begin the first steps of the Writing Process, drafting your outline, you should create a ‘working title’ which means that it is standing in place for whatever the final title will be for the writing. The ‘working title’ represents the ‘title-in-progress’ for the essay. Your ‘working title’ should indicate—at a minimum—the subject and the focus of your writing so that you are constantly reminded to stay on track for where you plan on taking the reader. If you are focusing on a specific theme (father-figures in war novels), archetype (initiation in Lord of the Flies), or symbolism (personification of light and dark in Mary Haydars’ poetry), you will want to place that concept in your ‘working title’.
When you complete the full drafting of your essay (introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs), you will then need to work to turn that ‘working title’ into a ‘real’ title for your writing. The goal for a ‘real’ title is to be special and unique, true to the point of the essay, but surprisingly captivating. It should hold to the memory of the subject and focus of the writing, but it should not read like a thesis. There are guidelines for constructing a title, and it is important to spend time crafting your final, ‘real’ title so that it works to intrigue your reader.
A writing’s title is not the same as the assignment name nor the 'hook' sentence of an introduction paragraph, and it is certainly not structured the same way as a thesis statement.
- The title of your paper serves as the ‘foot in the door’ to the reader’s mind.
- The hook serves as the ‘hand that grabs the reader,’ and
- The thesis is what ‘pushes the reader down into a comfy chair,’ intriguing him to keep reading.
Each one’s job is to capture the reader’s interest; however, the title, hook, and thesis are each separate, different, and build on each other, working together to propel the reader forward, deeper and deeper into the reading.
You want to make sure that you craft your whole essay before settling on the title for your writing. A title is that important, and it takes the completion of the whole essay to know what to use as the ‘foot in the door.
Practically nothing; say it again, now!
What is a statement?
Is it the same as a question?
The differences between statements and questions are relatively clear to students UNTIL they are faced with two essay concepts: titles and thesis statements.
Furthermore, the idea of whether questions function in essays, and if so, in what capacity, seems to have been an issue for years. In the end, though, with logical reasoning, you will soon learn that it is ILLOGICAL to craft a title for your paper in the form of a question. Visit "Questions...What are they Good for (in Writing)" to learn more about why a title will never be in the form of a question.
Furthermore, the idea of whether questions function in essays, and if so, in what capacity, seems to have been an issue for years. In the end, though, with logical reasoning, you will soon learn that it is ILLOGICAL to craft a title for your paper in the form of a question. Visit "Questions...What are they Good for (in Writing)" to learn more about why a title will never be in the form of a question.
Useful Titles
When you think of a title for your work, you need to create a unique phrase that is crafted from the content of the last sentence of the essay. By creating your title from the last sentence of the essay—in a unique and witty way—you draw the reader in, present the essay content, and then when you exit the essay, the feeling of familiarity and closure surrounds the reader when he notices that the ending thoughts were portrayed in the title of the work.
A Title Will Never be a Question
A title is a descriptive name. It describes.
I am Mrs. J. Dick. My title “Mrs.” Describes my marital status.
The same holds true for the title of an essay.
The title of an essay needs to be descriptive.
I am Mrs. J. Dick. My title “Mrs.” Describes my marital status.
The same holds true for the title of an essay.
The title of an essay needs to be descriptive.
A QUESTION does not describe.
A QUESTION inquires.
Therefore, a QUESTION cannot be a TITLE.Based on the fundamental meaning of ‘TITLE,’ it must be a statement.
A TITLE must describe.
A TITLE will never be a QUESTION.
The conclusion is typically the last paragraph of the essay that you will write. While many writers construct their body paragraphs, then their introduction and conclusion paragraphs, you can write them in any order along the writing process, as long as they end up in the correct order at the end and are all working toward the same outcome: asserting your thesis over and over through different sources, details, and analyses of the topic.
When you do finish your conclusion, it is that last sentence of this last paragraph that you need to think through—as if you were the reader—and ask yourself, what would send the reader away from this writing with the most impact and longest-lasting results.
The last sentence of a conclusion is the only place in a conclusion paragraph where you can use source materials. However, the source material you use will not be statistics or additional proof of the reliability of your thesis. The source material—if you so choose to use source material there—would be something that tugs deep into the reader, pulling all your content into one big, beautiful bow. This last sentence exists as a culmination of your hard work as a writer. Many writers use a famous quote—whether from a leader on the topic, a political giant, or from the Bible—to tie this bow to seal the deal with the reader, securing the writing in in a perfect package.
The title of your essay will come from the content of that last sentence of that last paragraph of your essay. Just as there is a specific format for each style of paragraph (introduction, body, or conclusion) to serve the purpose of predictability in the process of moving through the paper, so too is there a specific rhyme and reason to a title.
- Your title should intrigue and possibly perplex the reader—like a mystery
- Yet when the reader gets to the last line of your writing, the words echo the feeling and content of the title which so long ago started the reading journey.
- A well-crafted title produces a feeling of closure and completion for the reader.
Therefore, look to the conclusion information section in this website to learn the different strategies for concluding the conclusion paragraph of your essay. Choose this statement wisely, for it is from this last line that you will take three or four words and construct a title that is sure to get your ‘foot in the door’ of your audiences’ minds.
How To Punctuate a Title
Writing that you create in an academic class is not published. Therefore, it will not receive quote marks, be in italics, or be underlined. These punctuation markers are for content that is not only published but that meets a specific style: book, article, chapter, etc.
When you have created your title for an academic assignment, you will simply post the title words in an upright position, in the same size and style font as the rest of your assignment. You do not put it in a bold or larger font. You will never choose some fancy style font to make the title stand out, nor will you put a frilly body or border around it.
This is academic writing. It follows the guidelines from your documentation formatting style. Therefore, it is the same as the rest of your paper in font, size, and style. Please keep these items in mind when punctuating your title in academic writing.
For additional pointers about capitalization and punctuation of a title, see the handout A title must be properly punctuated and capitalized.
When you have created your title for an academic assignment, you will simply post the title words in an upright position, in the same size and style font as the rest of your assignment. You do not put it in a bold or larger font. You will never choose some fancy style font to make the title stand out, nor will you put a frilly body or border around it.
This is academic writing. It follows the guidelines from your documentation formatting style. Therefore, it is the same as the rest of your paper in font, size, and style. Please keep these items in mind when punctuating your title in academic writing.
For additional pointers about capitalization and punctuation of a title, see the handout A title must be properly punctuated and capitalized.
In the end, there are some ridged no-nos associated with the creation of a title. These guidelines are not to stifle your creativity or hold you back in any way. These are established to stretch you and help you use your title to your advantage in reaching your reader, intriguing your reader, and motivating your reader to dig deeper into the writing.
- A title is never a question
- A title is never the name of an assignment
- A title is never a full sentence
- A title is never too vague to have meaning to a reader
- A title is never ‘cute-sie”
- A title is never an afterthought
- A title is never left out of a writing
- A title must be properly punctuated and capitalized
Read the line out loud, and ask the friend to give you a title in 3-5 words based on that line.
Your friend will not be caught up in the aspects related to your draft that you are, and by simply presenting a line for review, your friend will be able to give you an idea of where to go for linking your final sentence with the title—the first contact for your readers—so that the feeling will be circular when the reader gets to the end of your paper.However, if your friend suggests a title and it has nothing really to do with the subject and focus of your essay, then you will need to rethink the last sentence of your conclusion.
The last sentence of a conclusion is extremely important, and if yours is not focused enough to let your friend craft a 3-5 word title from it, then you will need to revise that part of your essay. (Be sure to review the conclusion handout for Drafting your Essay--either in the classroom or here on this website.)
You can do this! Have fun with it!!
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