Learn How to Title an Essay Like a Professional Writer

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:

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

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:

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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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:

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:

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.

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:

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.

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

Analytical Essays
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

Argumentative Essays
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

Persuasive Essays
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

Compare-and-Contrast Essays
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

College Application Essays
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

Academic Essay Titles

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

Strong Research Paper Titles

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