How To Create Good Dissertation Titles: Helpful Directions


The dissertation title is the name of your research work. It is the first thing that readers will see. This part of your dissertation is the face of the whole work and it should be a good-looking one. Remember that this is your opportunity to show the reader what your work is about, its purpose and even applied research methods. A poor dissertation title can cause confusion and mislead of the reader. The following directions can be rather helpful while constructing the title of your dissertation.

  • Use descriptions.
  • The title helps the readers to understand the essence of the work and its goal. That’s why all words in it are meaningful. The name shouldn’t be general, but concrete and it should completely describe the main aspects of the research.

  • Apply explanations.
  • The title can explain various features of the dissertation. The purpose of the research, the method used, the supporting theory, the type of the research or other elements can be used in the creation of the title. This will provide more detailed information about your work.

  • Stick to the theme.
  • The title can be very informative and explanatory, but turn out to be a failure. It happens when the writer didn’t manage to show in it what the research was about or did it in a wrong way.

  • Don’t write long and difficult titles.
  • The name of the research work cannot be too short, but you’re supposed to be as laconic as possible and manage to explain what you’re writing about at the same time. A nice idea is to avoid complicated structures, use simple word order and standard word combinations. Thus, the title will show more clearly what you’re writing about.

  • Don’t confuse the readers.
  • Avoid using terms or words that may lead to confusion or misconception. Wrong interpretation of your words can be the reason of the awkward moments. Try to formulate the name of your dissertation that is easy to understand.

  • Don’t use acronyms or abbreviations.
  • Abbreviations and acronyms should stay where they belong to – in the body of the dissertation. There you will have space and time to clarify their meanings. Not everybody knows what your abbreviations mean. The reader can interpret it in his or her own way.

  • Don’t forget to include all elements.
  • Basically, the title includes two components: the focus (what is researched) and the methodological component (how it is researched). Students often forget about this simple and easy structure and end up writing some vague abstract titles.


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