Formulating Your Title
Choosing a title for your project is an important step. It should be concise and descriptive. Make sure to include any relationships you may be studying, and even identify the dependent and independent variables if possible. Your title should capture the reader’s attention, but do not be over the top with catchy titles. Avoid using too many highly scientific terms that the average person would not understand. Most importantly, make sure all spelling is correct! Your title is the first thing that judges will see, so take time developing one.
Scientific writing is NOT creative writing. The title is always used to convey information to the reader and orients the reader to the content of your project in the fewest words possible. An initial title can be developed after your literature review but hold off until you have completed your project fully to make sure it reflects the content of your project.
Below are some example titles for three different projects. For each project, choose the title you think is the most appropriate:
Possible Titles for Project #1
While this title is certainly concise, it does not give the reader a clue as to what the project is about.
This title is quite long and uses several highly scientific terms. Someone might need to read it a few times to get an understanding of the project’s focus.
This title gets to the point quickly and is likely to interest the reader because most people know someone who has asthma, making the project sound relevant to their lives.
Possible Titles for Project #2
This title is very long and uses so many uncommon words that might make the writer seem like they are trying too hard to sound smart.
This title is catchy and intriguing, but it says nothing about who the subject is or what they did.
This title draws in the reader and immediately paints a mental picture of the issue at hand.
Possible Titles for Project #3
This title contains a good amount of detail and phrasing it as a question gets the reader wondering what the researchers discovered.
This title could be more specific and compelling.
This is another very long title and few people would know what chemical it refers to.
One thing you should keep in mind is that you may not know what the best title is until you have completed your research. It’s fine to use a temporary title – just make sure you change it before you submit your final project to MSSF!
Next lesson: Final Advice