subtitle in essay

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MLA Format Sub-headings

If you would like to utilize subheadings (subtitles) in your research paper, it is a good idea to first check with your instructor to be 100% sure what subheading format he/she would like you to use.

Depending on how long your paper is, you will need either one level subheadings or several levels subheadings

One Level Subheadings:

Format : centered, capitalize the first letter but not the whole subtitle.

MLA Format One Level Subheading

*Visit this full  sample paper for ideas!

Multi-Level Subheadings:

If your paper has subtitles under subtitles, see the format below. Be sure to check with your instructor first if he/she agrees with this format before you decide to use it.

– MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Edition – Writing the Research Paper, 7th Edition.

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APA Headings and Seriation

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Note:  This page reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7), which released in October 2019. The equivalent resource for the older APA 6 style  can be found here .

APA Style uses a unique headings system to separate and classify paper sections. Headings are used to help guide the reader through a document. The levels are organized by levels of subordination, and each section of the paper should start with the highest level of heading. There are 5  heading levels  in APA. Regardless of the number of levels, always use the headings in order, beginning with level 1. The format of each level is illustrated below:

Thus, if the article has four sections, some of which have subsections and some of which don’t, use headings depending on the level of subordination. Section headings receive level one format. Subsections receive level two format. Subsections of subsections receive level three format. For example:

Method  (Level 1)

Site of Study  (Level 2)

Participant Population  (Level 2)

Teachers  (Level 3)

Students  (Level 3)

Results  (Level 1)

Spatial Ability  (Level 2)

Test One  (Level 3)

     Teachers With Experience.  (Level 4)

     Teachers in Training.  (Level 4)

     Teaching Assistants .  (Level 5)

Test Two  (Level 3)

Kinesthetic Ability  (Level 2)

In APA Style, the Introduction section never gets a heading and headings are not indicated by letters or numbers. For subsections in the beginning of a paper (introduction section), the first level of subsection will use Level 2 headings — the title of the paper counts as the Level 1 heading. Levels of headings will depend upon the length and organization of your paper. Regardless, always begin with level one headings and proceed to level two, etc.

Special headings called section labels are used for certain sections of a paper which always start on a new page.

• Paper title
• Appendix A (and so on for subsequent appendices)

These labels should be positioned on their own line at the top of the page where the section starts, in bold and centered. 

APA also allows for seriation in the body text to help authors organize and present key ideas. For lists where a specific order or numbered procedure is necessary, use an Arabic numeral directly followed by a period, such as:

On the basis of four generations of usability testing on the Purdue OWL, the Purdue OWL Usability Team recommended the following:

• Move the navigation bar from the right to the left side of the OWL pages.
• Integrate branded graphics (the Writing Lab and OWL logos) into the text on the OWL homepage.
• Add a search box to every page of the OWL.
• Develop an OWL site map.
• Develop a three-tiered navigation system.

Numbered lists should contain full sentences or paragraphs rather than phrases. The first word after each number should be capitalized, as well as the first word in any following sentence; each sentence should end with a period or other punctuation.

For lists that do not communicate hierarchical order or chronology, use bullets:

In general, participants found the user-centered OWL mock up to be easier to use. What follows are samples of participants' responses:

• "This version is easier to use."
• "Version two seems better organized."
• "It took me a few minutes to learn how to use this version, but after that, I felt more comfortable with it."

Authors may also use seriation for paragraph length text.

For seriation within sentences, authors may use letters:

On the basis of research conducted by the usability team, OWL staff have completed (a) the OWL site map; (b) integrating graphics with text on the OWL homepage; (c) search boxes on all OWL pages except the orange OWL resources (that is pending; we do have a search page); (d) moving the navigation bar to the left side of pages on all OWL resources except in the orange area (that is pending); (e) piloting the first phase of the three-tiered navigation system, as illustrated in the new Engagement section.

Authors may also separate points with bullet lists:

On the basis of the research conducted by the usability team, OWL staff have completed

• the OWL site map;
• integrating graphics with text on the OWL homepage;
• search boxes on all OWL pages except the orange OWL resources (that is pending; we do have a search page);
• moving the navigation bar to the left side of pages on all OWL resources except in the orange area (that is pending);
• piloting the first phase of the three-tiered navigation system, as illustrated in the new Engagement section.

If your bulleted list is part of the sentence and is not preceded by a colon, treat the bullets like a part of the sentence, adhering to standard capitalization and punctuation. This option is helpful for complex or longer bulleted sentences that may be more difficult to read without the aid of punctuation. For items in a bulleted list that are phrases rather than sentences, no punctuation is necessary.

Subtitles in an Essay: How to write Subtitles in Essays or Papers

Do you need to know how to write titles and subtitles in essays effectively? The main secret is to ensure that the titles and subtitles you choose represent the content under them.

This article presents reliable ways that you can use to write titles and subtitles.

Can an Essay have Subtitles?

Essays can have subtitles because they are useful writing tools.

Subtitles direct the reader that the main heading has been divided into several parts. However, before using them, it is always important to inquire whether your subject discipline requires their use.

An essay can have subtitles if they help organize the thoughts, arguments and points into sectional topics that support the main thesis. Subtitles help the writer organize written work, especially if it involves a lot of words. Subheadings can be mini-essays because the writer is required to write their introduction, body, and conclusion before ending them.

Remember that subtitles must comprehend the main title because they can make a relevant piece of writing lose meaning.

How to Write Subtitles in an Essay or Paper

To write good essay subtitles, you need to do the following:

Come up with the Subtitles

To come up with effective subtitles, you need to understand the title of your essay clearly. The objective of the whole essay and the main points you want to put across should also be clear to avoid formulating subtitles that do not rhyme with your essay title.

In some essays, subtitles should be from the main to the minor. For example, if the title of your essay is “How the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the United States economy,” you should start with the main effects and proceed to the minor ones.

When formulating them, keep them arranged in this order for easy writing.

Write Clear Subtitles that are Straight to the Point

Subtitles should always be meaningful by themselves. The reader should not read the content to know what the subheading is but instead read the subtitle and know what to expect in the content.

This means that subtitles such as “introduction,” “body,” and “conclusion” should not be used in writing.

When the reader goes through the subheadings in your essays, they should know everything they are to expect concerning the thesis statement.

If there is no logical progression of ideas presented by your subtitles, then you have not arranged them properly, and the reader will likely get confused when going through them.

Write Short and Attention Grabbing Subtitles

Subtitles should always be short. They should only take a few seconds to read. Always try to make them as short as possible because you will explain them in detail.

However, always make sure that they make sense. There is no need to write short headlines if they do not make sense or clearly present what you will write about.

Subtitles should also grab the attention of the reader. Once they see them, they should have the urge to read what it is all about. Subtitles should use a smaller heading font than the main title and be bolded to differentiate them from the normal text.

Can an Essay have Titles

Essays should always have titles. Titles present what essays are all about hence giving the reader insight of what to expect when going through them.

An essay without a title cannot be said to be complete. Any cases of untitled essays must be allowed by the instructor or be in the instructions of the work provided.

How to Write Titles in an Essay

You must do the following to write effective titles for your essays.

Write the Title of the Essay after Writing the Content

You always have the title of your essay in mind as you are writing, but you should write it only after completing the text.

Only when you read the entire text will you be able to word the title correctly. This helps come up with a title that accurately presents what you have written and increases the chance of the title emphasizing what the thesis statement entails.

Always come up with similar titles, and from them, you can choose the most appropriate one for your essay.

Through brainstorming, you are sure that the chances of writing a title that does not go hand in hand are minimal.

Use an Academic Tone

A title of an essay should always have an academic tone that spreads throughout the whole paper. This is why we use third-person language and refrain from using personal opinions in papers or essays.

The language and word choice should depict persuasiveness and strictness and be informative. Any jargon should be avoided because essays are academic writings that are considered official documents.

Make it Catchy

Titles should always grab the attention of the reader. This is achieved by connecting with the reader immediately when they read the title.

This can be done by using questions, stating facts, and avoiding mysterious titles

Use Keywords

The title should contain the keywords in your essay. Both the title and the thesis statement should relay the same message.

Using keywords is also crucial in grabbing the attention of readers. Readers can know what to expect in an essay the most through keywords.

Make it Simple

Do not complicate an essay title. It is the first thing that the reader must easily understand.

Therefore, avoid using vocabulary may prevent the reader from directly grasping what your essay is all about

Follow the Format

Different writing formats require writers to write titles differently. Check out how to structure a paper and get a few things on the best format to use for term papers and research papers.

If formats are specified in the instructions, always follow their guidelines when writing a title. For example, APA format, MLS format, and the Chicago format have different ways of formulating a title, and using one instead of the recommended one can lead to essay failure.

Keep it Short and Accurate

A good title should always grab the reader’s attention without revealing the details of the essay. Even if no word limitations are provided, avoid making titles too long.

A title should always accurately represent what is in your essay and set expectations of what to learn in the essay.

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Title Vs. Subtitle: What's the Difference?

The title and subtitle of a piece of writing play a crucial role in determining its success. Yet, people often struggle to determine the difference between titles and subtitles. Titles and subtitles both serve to convey the message of a piece of writing, but they each have their own purpose.

In this blog post, we will explore the differences between titles and subtitles. We will also provide tips and tricks for writing effective titles and subtitles, so you can make the most of these elements in your writing. By the end, you will have a solid understanding of the differences between titles and subtitles and how to use them to your advantage. So, let's get started on our journey to mastering the art of titles and subtitles!

Definition of Titles and Subtitles

A title is the main heading or name given to a piece of writing, typically placed at the top of the page or at the beginning of the text. On the book cover above, the title is " Foresight is 20/20 ." A subtitle , on the other hand, is a secondary heading that provides additional information about the content of the text. The subtitle for the book above is " Unlock Your Past to Create a Better Future ."

Subtitles are usually placed below the main title and help to break up the content into smaller, more manageable sections.

Understanding the differences between titles and subtitles–and knowing how to use them effectively–will help you to take your writing to the next level. Whether you are a seasoned writer or just starting out, this blog post will provide valuable insights and information to help you improve your writing and take your skills to the next level.

The Role of Titles in Writing

The title is the first thing that a reader sees when they pick up a piece of writing. It plays a crucial role in determining whether or not the reader will continue to read the text. The main function of a title is to grab the reader's attention and give them a brief overview of what they’re about to read.

A good title is short, attention-grabbing, and relevant to the content of the text. The title provides the reader with their first impression, so it’s important to make it count.

A good title also establishes the tone of the content, whether it be serious, humorous, or informative. Here are some examples of strong titles that serve their purpose well:

1. " On the Origin of Species " by Charles Darwin

This title falls under the “serious” category. While “On the Origin of Species” gives us some context about what Darwin’s book is about, it’s a little vague. Still, this sweeping title provides the tone for Darwin’s dive into evolutionary biology.

2. " You Can’t Touch My Hair ” by Phoebe Robinson

This title reflects the tone of this New York Times best seller as funny, real, and a little confrontational. It’s a great title for a book written by a stand-up comedian who writes about her experiences with race, gender, and the cultural climate.

3. " The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People " by Stephen Covey

This title doesn’t set much of a tone for the book, but it certainly tells us exactly what we should expect to learn. We know we’re going to learn about highly effective people’s habits, specifically the ones ranking in the Top Seven.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but it’s hard not to judge a book by its title. A title is the first and most important element of a piece of writing, and its ability to impact readers will determine the writing’s success.

The Role of Subtitles in Writing

A subtitle provides additional information about the content of a piece of writing. Subtitles are usually placed below the main title and serve to break up the content into smaller, more manageable sections. Subtitles provide additional detail and support the main title, making it easier for the reader to understand and engage with the content.

The main function of a subtitle is to provide more specific information about the content than the title does. They help the reader understand the structure and purpose of the writing.

Effective subtitles should be specific, clear, and concise, and they should always relate back to the main title. If we look back at our three previous title examples, we can see how their subtitles make them even easier for readers to understand:

1. “On the Origin of Species: by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life” by Charles Darwin

What a mouthful! Although Darwin’s title is short and serious, his book’s subtitle provides much more information about the content of his writing. Readers who want to know about the scientific theories surrounding natural selection can rejoice, while the ones who were hoping for a sci-fi origin story can safely set the book down.

2. “You Can’t Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain” by Phoebe Robinson

This subtitle gives us an even stronger sense of tone. The words “still” and “have to” hint at Phoebe’s exasperation with people who want to touch her hair–and do other things! The subtitle still uses plain, confrontational language, but it also reveals more about what the book might have to say.

3. "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change" by Stephen Covey

This subtitle lets us know we’re not only going to discover these seven habits; we’re also going to learn lessons about them. These lessons will (hopefully) provide us with the tools we need to make a personal change. While Covey’s original title was pretty specific, the subtitle works perfectly to give even more information to curious perusers in bookstores everywhere.

Subtitles provide crucial information and structure to the content of a piece of writing. By understanding the definition of subtitles and their purpose, you can use them effectively to help your writing flow and make it easier for the reader to engage with the content.

Differences Between Titles and Subtitles

Titles and subtitles are both important elements of writing, but they serve different purposes and have different characteristics. While both are used to provide structure and organization to the content, there are some key differences between titles and subtitles that are worth exploring.

The first difference between titles and subtitles is their size. On covers and title pages, titles are typically much larger and more prominent than subtitles, and they are usually placed at the top of the page or at the beginning of the text. Subtitles, on the other hand, are usually smaller and less prominent, and they are placed below the main title.

Another difference between titles and subtitles is their purpose. Titles are designed to grab the reader's attention and give them a brief overview of the content, while subtitles are designed to provide additional information and support for the main title. Titles also set the tone of the content, while subtitles provide specific details to help the reader better understand the content’s structure.

How to use titles and subtitles effectively is a skill every writer must learn. By knowing the specific purposes and characteristics of each, you can use them effectively in your writing to provide structure, organization, and detail to your content. Don't let title confusion hold you back! Knowing the difference between titles and subtitles will help you give your readers the sneak peek they need to tip the scales in your direction when they see your writing.

Using Titles and Subtitles Effectively

One of the keys to successful writing is the effective use of titles and subtitles. When used correctly, titles and subtitles can help to organize your content, make it easier to read and understand, and increase engagement with your audience. Here are some tips for using titles and subtitles effectively:

Keep titles short and to the point. Titles should be concise and easy to read with a maximum of ten words. They should grab the reader's attention and give them an idea of what the content is about.

Make subtitles specific and relevant. Subtitles should be specific and directly related to the main title. They should provide additional information about the content and help the reader understand the structure of the writing.

Use different levels of titles and subtitles . When organizing your content, use different levels of titles and subtitles to distinguish between different sections and topics. This makes it easier for the reader to follow the content and understand the overall structure of the writing.

Consistency is key. When using titles and subtitles, be consistent in your use of capitalization, font size, and style. This makes your writing look professional and organized.

By following these tips and using titles and subtitles effectively, you can make your writing more organized, easier to read, and more engaging. Whether you are writing a novel, an article, or any other type of writing, the effective use of titles and subtitles is an essential skill to master.

Take some time to reflect on your own writing and see if there is room for improvement. Maybe your longer titles would work better split into a title-subtitle combo. Maybe your subtitle is better off as a title by itself! By reviewing your own choices, you'll be able to make changes to give your writing more clarity, structure, and impact, and engage your audience more effectively. Remember, the right use of titles and subtitles can make a big difference in your writing, so make sure to use them wisely!

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Can an Essay Have Subheadings, subtitles or subtopics?

Subheadings in an essay

Subheadings happen to be among the essential sections of an essay. The subheading helps to capture the reader’s attention. Furthermore, the subheading makes the essay to stay more attractive and interesting. 

The subheading restores the reader’s focus on the critical components of the essay as it makes the essay appear more structured. The subheading will be giving a clue of what to expect in the content. 

An essay can have subheadings or subtopics if it is long enough to accommodate many parts with subtopics in each part.

However, the subtopics and subtitles must be consistent with the overall topic by contributing to prove the thesis of the essay. If necessary, the best practice is to limit essay subheadings to 10 words.

While they are not recommended for standard essays, subheadings can help improve the structure of a long essay. They frame the topic of your content. 

Different subheadings exist, which you will include in your essay as a way of indicating their relative importance. Ensure that such subheadings are easy to see at the initial look. Furthermore, they offer minor details, which are great at supporting the key idea in the essay. 

No, but you can only use them when instructed by the teacher. If you are not using them, ensure that your content makes sense and lacks grammatical mistakes. Also, ensure that your paragraphs are short and precise to the point to catch the attention of the reader. 

Need Help with your Homework or Essays?

Tips on how to incorporate subheadings in an essay.

The subheading is a text under the heading that expands on what is on the heading. The same subheading should have the power to hook the audience into reading your piece. They assist the author in saying something which one cannot say in a single headline. 

Authors use the subheadings to make divisions of various chapters.

Notably, the subheading should not be in capital letters.

However, you should capitalize the first letter of the subheading. 

The subheading should perform a subordinate to the higher levels. You can make an irresistible subheading by performing the following actions. 

1. Select the Correct Length 

The correct subheading should take the reader a few seconds to read through. The correct standard should have between 4 to 10 words. The proper practice should ensure that you do not go beyond the length of the headline. 

2. Correct Amount of Information 

You should stick to the most critical information that the reader requires to know. You should avoid explaining everything. You should just provide enough details and leave the curiosity to cause them to continue exploring your essay. 

3. Be Persuasive Enough

One should include the correct amount of persuasion.  The best practice is to use the subheadings for the intended purpose. In other words, it should coerce the reader to convert. 

4. Place the Heading well

The free-standing subheading should end the page; there should be an allowance for the heading space preceding it.

Alternatively, you should move the subheading to the top of the preceding page. That is the incidence where we allow a gap in the text if it is not the end of the chapter. 

5. Number your Heading if Needed

One can opt to number the subheading using a standard numbering system. You can use Arabic numerals and keep the sequence and the flow of your article logical. 

First, it is correct to begin with the most vital points and make the less relevant ones at the bottom. 

6. Be Consistent with the Paragraphs

Ensure that every subheading level appears in the same form. For example, let the subheadings be in the same order without skipping one. In this case, the first subheading will follow the same order if preceding to toe and three and not vice versa. 

The author should determine the number of subheadings to place in an article. Establish that they all follow the pattern of the sub-heading.

More on this, read our guide to writing good essays so that you can learn more about the same and become a better essay writer.

Check out the guide on whether an essay can have bullet points to look at another angle of writing essays.

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Frequently Asked Questions 

How do you use headings and subheadings in an essay.

The headline is an integral part of an essay because it is the first thing the reader sees before reading the piece. The headline should grab the reader’s attention to encourage them to continue reading the content. 

Besides, we amplify the information in the title by backing them with the subheadings. These subheadings will make the title more relevant by giving minute details about the topic. It is a standard way of organizing your content for the reader to understand your points clearly.  

What words should not be used in an essay?

You should avoid using abbreviations such as won’t, don’t, or can’t. Furthermore, the use of idiom is a no-go -zone. Last but not least, avoid rhetorical questions. 

Josh Jasen or JJ as we fondly call him, is a senior academic editor at Grade Bees in charge of the writing department. When not managing complex essays and academic writing tasks, Josh is busy advising students on how to pass assignments. In his spare time, he loves playing football or walking with his dog around the park.

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Getting the title right

The title is the first thing you write. It is the moment you decide what is the purpose, focus and message of your article.

The title is also the first thing we will see of your published article. Whether we decide to click and read the abstract, or download the full article depends – at least, partly - on this first impression.

In this blogpost, I share some thoughts on what makes a good title, and how to come up with one. Even if you can´t find a great title for your article, what you can definitely do is avoid a bad one. I start with tips on what to avoid, proceed with properties and examples of good titles and finish with an illustration of how to get a decent title for a paper.

Five big ‘No’s.

A good title should be informative, argumentative and intriguing. And that’s all - any extra words that do not inform us or intrigue us about the argument, question, hypothesis or contribution of your article are redundant.

While it is difficult to come up with strong titles, you can start by avoiding bad ones!

Never do the following (disclosure - I’ve done all five of them):

Don't tell us in the title what is it that you are doing (‘a study of’, ‘lessons from’, ‘insights on’, ‘the case of’, ‘a comparison of’, ‘exploring’, ‘investigating’, ‘assessing’, ‘evaluating’, ‘measuring’). We know that this is a research paper. Go ahead and tell us what you found, not what you did.

Do not add dead words or words that are too general, such as: ‘beyond’, ‘from … to …’, ‘towards a’.

Avoid clichés and platitudes (‘exploring the contradictions of’, ‘integrating the’, ‘revealing the complexity of’). We know that research objects are complex (we wouldn’t study them if they were not), that causal relations in the real world are contradictory, or that integrating is better than separating.

Don´t tell us the method you are using or the approach you are following (‘a survey of’, ‘an econometric panel data analysis of’, ‘a case study of’, ‘an interdisciplinary perspective’). Exception: do it if the innovation of your paper is the method itself - but then tell us what your innovation is, not the name of your method.

Don’t try too hard to be witty. I’ve seen one too many papers that are ‘a tale of two’ .. islands, rivers, case-studies, ethnographies or surveys. I am sure there are also papers that are ‘gone with the wind’, or worst, ‘gone with the sea’.

Ashamed of past sins

Consider this title of an early paper of mine. “The EU water framework directive: measures and implications” .

Terrible. Boring as hell. I don’t want to read this paper and I am the one who wrote it.

What is wrong with this title?

First, it does not inform the reader about the purpose of my research or my argument. The reader only learns that I am analysing a legislative piece called the Water Framework Directive.

Second, ‘measures’ and ‘implications’ are descriptive, redundant terms. I am analysing a legislation, so of course I will describe its measures and talk about its implications.

The reader does not learn what is interesting or new about my analysis – no hint of what I found or what I will argue. I do not intrigue you to read the paper (unless you are a serious water nerd).

The three elements of a good title

What makes a great title?

Let me repeat.

A good title is informative: the core variables, phenomena or concepts you are contributing to, are there. The purpose of your paper is clear.

A better title is also argumentative: your (hypo)thesis, core finding, or politically-relevant conclusion is there. Ideally, this may include the process that connects your core variables, or the empirical pattern you demonstrate for your phenomenon.

A great title is also intriguing (without being cheesy): it attracts the attention of the reader, it promises something interesting and a new argument or explanation that the reader has not encountered before.

Most of us can write good titles. Titles that inform about the research we did (e.g. my “Social metabolism, ecological distribution conflicts, and valuation languages” ). The challenge is to go the extra mile and write great titles – titles that let the reader know not only what you researched, but also what you found. Titles that intrigue the reader to read your paper.  

Learn from the champs

Consider two of the most cited titles in environmental studies.

‘ Limits to growth ’. It can´t get better than that. In just three words, the title informs you what this work is about: growth and its limits. The thesis, novelty and contribution are clear: unlike what others claim, this piece will argue that there are limits to growth – unlike others studying the causes of growth, this work studies the limits to growth. And this makes it intriguing.

Or Garett Hardin’s four-worded ‘tragedy of the commons’ . By reading the title you know what it is about: the commons. You also get the process, or hypothesis, Hardin is going to demonstrate and explain – the collapse of the commons.

The argument is intriguing: commons end up in tragedy. Written at the height of the Cold War, Hardin’s paper had an underlying political message: commons (shorthand for communism) end up in tragedy and there is a scientific reason why this is so. Like or dislike his conclusion, you are curious to read his paper and you want to engage with the argument, to support it or refute it.

My own In defence of degrowth tries something similar. It is short. It is politically provocative. And it is informative: the reader knows this paper is going to be about growth and degrowth.

But it lacks something that the limits or tragedy titles have: they make an argument. They have a thesis. My title does not say why or how I defend degrowth. (I could add a subtitle to capture this, but then some of the intrigue would be lost – see further on about subtitles and title length).

This is fine. We can´t be perfect. Rules can be broken. If your title is informative and intriguing enough, I think you can excuse yourself if you cannot capture also the thesis within the title.

Create some suspense with a question

Good research papers have good research questions. And good questions can be effective titles. Question titles lack an argument, but they intrigue with suspense.

Consider Daron Acemoglu’s and James Robinson’s ‘Why nations fail’ . You sure want to know why nations fail!

The book deals with the study of so-called ‘state failure’ – corruption and the collapse of government institutions. Instead of using this academic terminology, it uses simple language that speaks to everyone, while hinting to academics what it is about.

Another good question-title my ex-classmate Nathan McClintock came up with is ‘Why farm the city?’

I’ve seen scores of recent articles on urban agriculture (or urban gardening). I would never read one called ‘Beyond existing explanations of urban agriculture: lessons and contradictions’. But I am intrigued to learn why so many people suddenly farm in cities.

Often a subtitle follows a main, shorter title. ´Why nations fail´ for example, is followed by ‘The origins of power, prosperity and poverty´. ‘Why farm the city’ is followed by the more esoteric ‘Theorizing urban agriculture through the lens of metabolic rift’.

A subtitle explains or provides context to a shorter main title, it sets the place and time under study or the method used, and adds substance if your main title is a catchy visual cue, verbal quote or open question.

If you can avoid a subtitle, and your title is powerful enough on its own, I would say avoid it. Hardin did. Adding the place, time or method of your research weakens the generality of your claim – the reader will find this information in the abstract or the paper anyway. Darwin did not have to explain that his study of the origin of species covered millions of years and was based on specimens collected in England and the Galapagos.

Too short or too long?

One reason I am sceptical of subtitles is because very long headings tend to be confusing. As a rule of thumb, a title, including the subtitle, should be between 5 and 15 words.

I am personally fan of ‘short is beautiful’. If you can say it in three or four words, go for it!

Why nations fail? Why farm the city? The tragedy of the commons. The origin of species. You don’t need to say more than that.

Fair enough: you may feel you are not Darwin yet. A longer title with many dead words diminishes your claim to contribution and makes you feel safer. But time to get out of your comfort zone and stake the relevance of your research. If it is not relevant, why did you do it? And why do you want us to read it?

Lively titles

A common title structure used in the social sciences is “Lively cue: informative title”.

The lively cue takes the form of a visual cue, a metaphor, a pun, a literary reference or a quote from something someone said.

As I wrote, if you have to try hard to be witty, then don’t. Do it only if the cue comes naturally to you and only if it is your thesis.

Consider Robert Putnam’s ‘Bowling alone: America's declining social capital’ .

The thesis, and core finding of the book - that social bonds are weakening in the U.S. - is in the title for you to see: a person bowling alone. The subtitle informs you about the phenomenon studied, ‘social capital’ - and the process that is demonstrated empirically: the ‘decline’ of social capital. This is the perfect use of the cue: it really drives home the message of what this book is about, with a visual metaphor that speaks to all of us. The subtitle explains and asserts scientific credibility: make no mistake this is not a book about bowling.

Consider instead the title I chose with my friends Christos Zografos and Erik Gomez for our paper ‘To value or not to value? That is not the question’ .

The paper deals with the monetary valuation of nature: should we try to calculate the worth of a river? Our Shakespearean hint points to the quasi-existential dimension of this dilemma among ecological economists, the audience of this particular article. ‘That is not the question’ summarises our conclusion: the terms of the debate are wrong.

Looking back at it, I find our title somewhat pompous. The rest of the article is an esoteric debate on methods of monetary valuation with arcane academic language. The comparison to a Shakespearean drama makes us good candidates to be covered by the Onion .

My advice: use wit with caution and only if you are 100% sure that you can pull it off. Like an airplane cockpit, journal articles are not the place to be funny - titles even less so. Be aware of the risk when you use literary or other references. You might seem to be exaggerating the importance of your own work (we are the Shakespeares of ecological economics) – not a good idea, more so if you are a starting researcher.

Same principles apply to quotes from interviews. Don’t do it unless the quote is your thesis. Consider a title like “‘Let them die alone’: homelessness and social exclusion in downtown New York” (I imagined this).

‘Let them die alone’ could be a phrase that an officer, businessman or an angry neighbour told you the researcher. If the core thesis of your article is that there is an intentional abandonment of homeless people, and as a result they die, then this quotation is impactful.

If however your article is about something different, say increasing numbers of homelessness and unfair housing policies, or if you touch only peripherally on questions of intentional neglect, then the phrase is just sensational and distractive.

If you end up using a quote, make sure that it is grammatically correct, and that its meaning is crystal clear to everyone. Using quotes in the title is risky if you are not a native speaker. Many of my students are not (I am not either). Translating quotes from interviews they took in Spanish or Greek often times do not make sense in English.

Let’s do this!

You know what your article is going to be about. It's time to baptise it! I have created a workbook with a three step process to help you create better titles. Click on the image below to access the workbook.

If you tried any of this and it worked or didn't work let me know in the comments below. And if you have other tips to share, please let us know!

Written by Giorgos Kallis

Giorgos Kallis is an ICREA professor of environmental science at ICTA in Barcelona. Giorgos has degrees in Chemistry, Economics, Environmental Engineering and Environmental Policy and Planning. Before coming to Barcelona, he was a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley.

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