7 Top Tips for Picking a Dissertation Title - Proofed

7 Top Tips for Picking a Dissertation Title - Proofed 7 Top Tips for Picking a Dissertation Title You only get once chance to make a first impression, so when writing a dissertation it helps if you pick a good title. And while the title of your paper won’t determine whether you pass or fail, the information you provide therein can make your work easier to follow for the reader. To make sure you set out on the right foot, the title of your dissertation should be clear and informative. It helps to think about what you want your reader to know from the moment they pick up your work (unlike a good novel, your dissertation doesn’t need a twist ending). So here are a few things to consider when picking a title for your dissertation. 1. What Is Your Research About? The most vital thing that any dissertation title can do is communicate the topic and focus of your research. This includes the general area you’re researching and the specific aspect of this being investigated. So in a dissertation called â€Å"Barriers to Using Social Media in Marketing a Luxury Fashion Brand,† the topic would be the marketing of luxury fashion brands and the focus would be the factors preventing the use of social media. 2. Your Research Approach The research approach you choose has a major impact on the results you achieve and it can help to include this in your title. For example, if you have conducted a large-scale survey of management strategy, you might pick a title such as â€Å"Management Strategy: A Quantitative Study of Current Practice.† 3. The Outcomes of Your Research The more specific the better, especially when it comes to the results of your research. Rather than calling your dissertation â€Å"Factors Influencing Recovery from Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries,† it makes sense to specify the kind of factors being investigated. Are they success factors? Factors which impede recovery? Stating this in the title means your reader will know immediately. If you include the information above, your dissertation title will be on the right track. But to get things perfect you should also keep the following tips in mind: 4. Clarity Seeking a second opinion can be helpful, so try asking a friend or professor to check your title for clarity. It is also advisable to avoid acronyms in titles for this reason. 5. Focus Overly long titles can be confusing or off-putting. Regardless of how good the work is, for instance, only the most dedicated are going to want to read a paper called â€Å"In silico exploration of the fructose-6-phosphate phosphorylation step in glycolysis: genomic evidence of the coexistence of an atypical ATP-dependent along with a PPi-dependent phosphofructokinase in Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii.† 6. Format Check your college’s style guide for how to format your title, as different institutions have different requirements when it comes to factors like capitalization. 7. Uniqueness and Humor Generally it is good if your title makes your dissertation stand out. It is also tempting to use a humorous title, though this is best saved for when writing for a popular audience. Neither uniqueness nor humor, however, should come at the expense of clarity and communicating important details about your work. Hopefully these tips will have helped you come to a decision over your dissertation title. But if not, then our expert proofreaders here at Proofed can let you know of any issues to do with clarity or accuracy in the title and headings of your dissertation, as well as providing a variety of services to ensure the quality of your work.