Title of Manuscript, Selection of

Knowing the Topic

Although the process of finding an acceptable title is somewhat fluid, the main source for titles comes from knowing the research topic. Creating original research in communication often begins with an author’s genuine interest in a topic, so the initial title may come from one’s interest alone. However, if the research is genuine and rigorous, a search of literature on the chosen topic can quickly lead authors to others’ works. A literature review keeps authors from copying, plagiarizing, or overlapping too heavily with someone else’s previously published research. In this way, the title draws both on previous research and the author’s own original ideas. An author chooses a title that is original, or that expands on an established line of research in a novel and new way. Because research often expands on other research or provides evidence to support theoretical models, in one sense the title is a looking glass into future.

Knowing the Audience

The title of a manuscript is the leading reason why a reader continues reading, so the author must give compelling reasons for the reader to delve deeper into the research. The author is seeking two audiences: those who have awareness of the topic and perhaps have found the research through some reference or search and those who have possibly never heard of the topic. For example, if the title of a work is found on a reference page of previous research, then the title was probably found by someone already interested in the research. This type of reader is probably scanning other references for content, date of publication, and author’s names (for credibility). The other type of audience is the novice. The novice has found the title because it was assigned for a college course or found through a general search. The novice may read titles to quickly preview to topic.

Knowing the Conventions Within the Communication Discipline

The conventions can be expressed with a series of questions. Is the title specific enough without having to elaborate on results or findings? It is not generally the job of the title to elaborate on findings, but it is important to describe the topic and possible variables or population of participants investigated in the study. Is the title an appropriate length in terms of the number of characters? Generally, titles are not too long and not too short. They are not longer than 15 to 20 words, or about 100-150 characters in length. Titles are parsimonious as there is elegance in balancing brevity with appropriate detail. Does the title have a title and subtitle that are separated by a colon, and do both parts contribute helpful information without lack of clarity? Has jargon been avoided in the title, unless jargon can be placed in quotations and is important or central to the understanding of the topic? If the research suggests a certain methodological background, does the title elude to this? It may be that the research relies on quantitative data, and therefore operationalization of variables is necessary. It therefore may be necessary to include variable names in the title. Overall, does the title do a good job of reaching out to the intended audiences, and does it do justice to its contribution to the field of research?

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