Section 3.3.1
Begin every technical document except a memorandum with a clear and specific title. Prospective readers may judge whether your document will be worth their time just be reading the title. The subject line of a memo serves as the title.
Long formal documents have a separate title page. For shorter documents, a title page may be required, optional, or unnecessary, depending on the specific context and conventions in your field.
A title page should include the title, the author or authors, their affiliation [if appropriate], and the date. It may also include additional information, such as a specific grant or project number.
See Sample Title and Introduction: Astronautical Engineering Design Report
Sample Title and Introduction: Mechanical Design Report
Sample Title and Introduction: Biology Report
Sample Title and Introduction: Information Systems Report
for sample titles and Research Reports for an example of a formal title page.
- Use descriptive titles. The title of your document should be detailed enough to give a specific idea of what is covered. This level of specificity is not always easy to achieve. Probably the most common problem with titles is vagueness, as in the following example.
- Two-part titles are sometimes useful for complex topics. If you are having trouble getting everything into your title, consider a two-part title.
- Avoid noun strings in titles. A common problem with titles is a list of nouns that are hard to sort out. Adding a preposition or two can help resolve this ambiguity.
- On title pages of reports, include the title, author, date, and organization. In reports, the first page is devoted to the title and related information, usually in the following order:
Weak
Solar Absorption by Clouds
[Although this title identifies the categories treated, it could say more about how these categories are being treated.]
Improved
Direct Observation of Excess Solar Absorption by Clouds
[This expansion of the title makes clear what aspect of solar absorption is being treated in the paper.]
Soot Morphology: An Application of Image Analysis in High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy
[This two-part title states the category of interest, followed by the specific approach of the report.]
Weak
Dietary Nitrate and Nitrite Human Cancer Roles
[The title is ambiguous because it is hard to tell how all the nouns and adjectives are modifying "roles."]
Improved
The Roles of Dietary Nitrate and Nitrite in Human Cancer
[The addition of two prepositions helps to rearrange the title in a much clearer sequence.]
Report title [generally centered at the top of the page]
Author's name [generally centered underneath the title]
Author's organization
Date of publication
Receiving agency or organization [if submitted to a sponsor or funding agency]
## Title and Title Page ##
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The title page consists of the title of the report as well as essential elements to identify who you are, the course you are submitting to, and what the assignment is about. For more information about how to write a good title for your title page, see below.
The title is centered, bolded, and placed three to four lines down from the top of the title page with the first letter of each major word capitalised. The title can be
challenging to write but the purpose of the title is to give the reader a summary of the content of your report. Due to being a summary of your report, the title is the last section to write when you have completed your report. By writing the title last, you're familiar with the content of your report and can write it with ease. Your goal should be to produce a title that can stand alone with no further explanation. See some tips below on how to write a title. A title should only contain words that add meaning. Write succinctly whilst including enough information. Phrases such as "A Study Examining" or "An Experimental Investigation" do not add meaning to your title. Instead get straight to the point and almost give away the results of your research to provide a more specific title, for example, "How Mood Impacts Upon Heart Rate Variability". In order to be
specific you need to use key words. To identify keys words examine your study conclusion. Seeing that your title is a summary of your research, examine your conclusion and identify what were the main ideas and key words that came out of the research and use these to write your title. Aim for a title that is between 7 and 15 words in length. A title that is too brief will not convey enough information to the reader. On the other hand, a title
that is too long may contain irrelevant information and distract the reader from the main topic of your assignment.