How to Title an Essay (The Right Way)

Have you ever spent time writing a really good essay only to struggle with getting a befitting title? You are not alone, so take a deep breath.

The best thing you can do is try to put yourself in the reader’s position. Ask yourself, “What type of title would I be drawn to?” 

“Would I rather read an essay with a captivating title or an essay with a boring title?”

Let’s imagine you come across these two essay titles:  

Title A: Impact of excessive use of social media 

Title B: Digital Dopamine: How the Use of Social Media Rewires the Human Brain. 

Now, which essay would you be more interested in reading? Your answer is Title B, right?

That is the power of a good essay title. 

Whether you are writing a research paper, personal essay, or blog post, you should have a good essay title.

Have a title that gives your readers a good reason to want to keep reading. 

Why Your Essay Title Matters

Think of your title as a way of making a good first impression.

It is like an outfit that you wear to a party if you intend on becoming the center of attention. 

Your essay title matters for the following reasons: 

• It grabs the attention of any potential reader
• It sets the tone for the essay
• It gives readers a glimpse of what to expect
• It makes people curious 
• If it is an academic essay, it can also impress your professor and affect your grade.

Try to imagine yourself scrolling through Netflix trying to find a movie.

The first thing you will most likely do is to judge each title before reading the description.

That’s the same thing that happens when people come across your essay.

Key Elements of a Good Essay Title

A good essay title has to have some key elements, and they include: 

• Clarity: Your title must present the essential aspects of your essay to readers. The content of your essay must be clear without causing difficulty to readers. Your titles should remain direct while expressing the main aspects of your work.
• Creativity: A little creativity will not cause any problems, so feel free to get creative. Use a title that makes readers want to focus attention on the content.  
• Relevance: A title needs to capture the main points of an essay. So it is important that your title is relevant to the essay. 
• Keywords: Keywords are very important especially if you intend to put your essay online. You can rank high with the right keyword. You can use SEO tools to get relevant keywords. 

Image source – Medium

It is normal to want to go all out for your essay title, but you also have to find the balance between informative and interesting. 

Common Essay Title Formats

There is no standard format when writing an essay title.

So, your choice of format should match the intended outcome of your writing.

Here are some common essay formats: 

• The Simple and Direct Title: This format does not require any special effects. An example of this is “The effect of climate change on coastal areas” 
• The Colon and Catchy Title: If your goal is to catch your reader’s attention quickly, you can use something like this, “Drowning Cities: How Climate Change Is Sinking Our Shores”
• The Question Title: An interesting way to write your title is by posing it as a question. A question title gives your reader a reason to read your essay to find an answer to your question. An example of this is “Is Climate Change Destroying Our Coastlines?”
• The Playful Title: A playful title for an essay works to draw more readers into your content. Readers will want to understand the reason behind your selected title because of its unique nature. An example of a playful title is “Why We Should Stop Ignoring the Ocean (Before It Eats Our Houses)”

If you notice, each title gives a different vibe that should tell you that the format you choose should depend on the tone and subject matter of your essay. 

Your knowledge of title formats should also not be limited to titling your essay alone.

You should also know the format of referencing titles of other works in your title.

For instance, you should know how to write the title of a book in an essay title.  

Referencing also has different styles.

The most common styles are: American Psychological Association (APA) and Modern Language Association (MLA)

Here is how to reference other essay titles in your essay: 

How to Write a Book Title in An Essay

You should select your citation style based on the purpose of your essay when referencing book titles.

Now, one general rule that you should know is, you have to write a book title reference in italics.

Here is how to write a book title using the APA and MLA style: 

MLA Style

Here are examples of book title referencing using MLA: 

• “The British Class System: A look at Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.”
• “Themes in Literature: An Explanation of the Theme of Isolation in Shelley’s Frankenstein”
• “Wealth and Class in America: A Reference to Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise.”

APA Style 

Here are examples of book title referencing using APA: 

• The British Class System: A Look at Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813)”
• “Themes in Literature: An Explanation of the theme of isolation in Frankenstein (1818)” 
• “Wealth and Class in America: A Reference to The Great Gatsby (1925) and This Side of Paradise (1920)”

How to Write a Movie Title in an Essay

Note that movie titles are also written in italics.

Here is how to write a movie title using the APA and MLA style:

Here is how to write a movie title using the APA and MLA style:

MLA Format 

• “The Origin of Gangster Movies in Hollywood: A Review of The Godfather” 
• “The Use of Non-Linear Storytelling: A look at Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.”
• “How Jenkins’ Moonlight and Bong’s Parasite show class struggles through different cultural lenses.”

APA Style 

• “The Origin of Gangster Movies in Hollywood: A Review of The Godfather (1972)” 
•  “The Use of Non-Linear Storytelling: A look at Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994).”
•  “How Jenkins’ Moonlight (2016) and Bong’s Parasite (2019) show class struggles through different cultural lenses.”

How to Write a Song Title in an Essay

Song titles have a distinctive pattern which differs from both books and movies. So instead of writing the titles in italics, you write song titles in quotes.

This pattern is the same in APA and MLA styles.

Here are some examples: 

• “A Musical Analysis of the song ‘As I Lay Me Down’ by Sophie B. Hawkins”
• “ ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’: Impact of Queen’s Record-Breaking Song”
• “ Uniting the World Through Music: A Case Study of ‘We Are the World’ 

Using the proper format shows your readers your commitment to details, which might influence how they rate your essay.

How to Title an Essay (Step-by-Step)

Titling an essay is a simple task.

But you have to follow these steps:  

• Finish Your Essay First: Yes, this sounds weird, but it works. Finish your essay first before writing a title. This way, you have a clearer idea of your essay. The process of creating a suitable title for your work will become simple because you can easily summarize it properly. 
• Write Down Important Keywords: Note important keywords. Selecting relevant keywords helps, especially when you plan to post your essay on the internet. 
• Draft 3-5 Potential Titles: You don’t have to settle for the first title that comes to mind. Have options, play around with formats, and pick the best title in your draft. 
• Get Feedback From Other People: If you have people you can trust, send your ideas to them. This helps you get a second opinion from a neutral party. It can also help if you are confused about what to choose from your drafts. 
• Sleep on it: Taking a break is fine if you become overwhelmed. That way you can gain clarity and make the right decision. 
• Make it clear and engaging.
• Keep your title short.
• Check grammar and formatting requirements 
• Think about your readers 

Good Essay Title Examples (By Type)

There are different types of essay titles.

Each title depends on the tone of your whole essay, as the type of essay you choose is based on the message your essay conveys.

Here are examples of good essay titles according to type: 

Argumentative Essay

An argumentative essay uses logical reasoning and evidence to convince readers to accept a particular position.

So if your essay is based on an argument, here are some examples for you: 

• “Bad Grades: Why Standardized Testing Fails Our Students”
•  “Digital Detox: The Case for Regular Social Media Breaks.”
• “Banning Plastic Straws: The Debate Over Environmental Protection”

Personal Essay 

If you are trying to connect with people through your essay, here are some examples for you: 

• “Starting Over Again: How Failure Made Me a Better Student” 
• “How Family Support and Care Got Me Through The Worst Time of My Life”
• Grief: The Impact of the Loss of A Family Member on My View of Life 

Literary Analysis 

You can follow these examples if your essay is about analyzing literary works: 

• “ Symbolism: An Analysis of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird”
• “How Moonlight and Parasite show class struggles through different cultural lenses.”
• Literary Themes: A Breakdown of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby”

Persuasive Essays

If you are trying to write a persuasive essay, this is for you: 

• “Diversity: Why Children Should Learn a Second Language” 
• “Renewable Energy: Why Everyone Should Stop Fossil Fuel Use

Comparative Essays

You can follow these examples if your essay is about comparing and contrasting:

• “Cat vs. Dogs: Which is the Better Pet?”
• “Superman vs. Batman: A Tale of Two Fan Favorites

What to Avoid in Essay Titles

Now you know what your essay should look like, let’s explore things that you should avoid when choosing an essay title.

They include: 

• Being too vague and unclear 
• Long titles
• Misleading titles that promise one thing and deliver another 
• Complicated and technical keywords 
• Writing in ALL CAPS 
• Offensive languages 

How AI Tools Can Help You Craft Better Essay Titles

It is pretty normal to be stuck when choosing a title for your essay.

That is where AI tools come in.

You can rely on AI assistants to help you generate ideas based on the content of your essay. 

You can even use AI to generate a whole essay if you only have a title.

All you need to do is just ask.

AI tools like Undetectable AI Essay Writer can help you with different ideas when you are stuck.

All you need to do is provide a rough idea, sit back, and let our tool work its magic. 

In case you have draft ideas for your title, you can also use our AI Paraphraser to help you rewrite your draft title with a better title and tone. 

In addition to our AI Essay Writer and Paraphraser, you can also use our AI Chat to ask for title suggestions based on your essay topic. 

Don’t forget AI is your helper and not your replacement. The final decision is yours because you know your essay better. 

Start exploring—our AI Detector and Humanizer are waiting in the widget below!

FAQs About Titling Essays

Final Thoughts: Give Your Essay a Title That Works

Remember that your essay is your first impression.

A good title should draw readers and keep them engaged. Keep your titles clear, engaging, and relevant to your essay.

Make sure that your title works well with your essay.

If you are feeling stuck or need extra help, try out Undetectable AI’s Essay Writer, Chatbot, and Paraphraser for fresh ideas.