Creating a Perfect Thesis or

Dissertation Title

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ON WRITING THESES & DISSERTATIONS / CREATING A PERFECT THESIS OR DISSERTATION TITLE

Creating a Perfect Thesis or

Dissertation Title
January 17, 2019 Rene Tetzner
Advice & Discussions for Postgraduates on Writing Theses &
Dissertations

Every PhD dissertation requires a title, and a good title

can have a profound effect. The title is the very first part
of your dissertation to be read by your committee
members and examiners, and it also serves as one of the
primary ways in which readers interested in your topic
will be able to find your dissertation in a library catalogue
or online search, so your title should be as informative,
engaging and elegant as possible. According to the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (APA), ‘a title should summarize the main
idea of the manuscript simply and, if possible, with style’
(2010, p.23). It should inform your readers about the
main topic and nature of your dissertation; it might
mention the methodology, location and subjects of your
research; it could specify the variables or theoretical
issues you investigated and the relationship between
them; and it will often indicate what you have discovered.
An effective title is worded in an interesting and eloquent
way that provides the necessary details with precision,
and the vocabulary you choose may also bear relevant
nuances and allusions.

However, titles are usually best if they are as short as

possible, so it is essential to be concise as well as
informative. Some style guides, universities and
departments set strict word or character limits on titles –
the Publication Manual of the APA (2010, p.23), for
instance, recommends limiting a title to 12 words or less
– and since titles are used by search engines, words that
do not specifically relate to your research tend to be
extra baggage that does no real work in gaining you an
audience. There are, then, good reasons to avoid all
unnecessary words in your title: adverbs and adjectives
are rarely needed and should be used sparingly and to
maximum effect, while words such as ‘study,’ ‘methods’
and ‘results’ are often extraneous. In some cases,
however, a title that identifies the type of study or the
specific methodology used in a dissertation may be
required, usually as a subtitle along the lines of ‘A
Qualitative Study’ or ‘A Randomised Trial,’ so it is
important to check university and department guidelines
and discuss your title with your supervisor and
committee members if you have any doubt about what is
appropriate for your dissertation.

Notes (whether footnotes or endnotes) should normally

not be attached to titles, and it is wise to avoid
abbreviations, although standard abbreviations or those
better known than the full versions they represent are
usually acceptable: few dissertation committees, for
example, would expect you to use ‘intelligence quotient’
instead of ‘IQ’ in your title. If you find that you absolutely
must use abbreviations in your title, consider carefully
whether they will be familiar to the readers you
anticipate. Indeed, all the terminology you use in your
title should be appropriate to your expected audience,
and highly specialised terminology should only be
included if it is the most precise way in which to
communicate the necessary concepts and will likely be
used by potential readers when they search for material
on your topic. Be sure to punctuate your title correctly
and effectively, and to use capitalisation consistently. If a
running header (or footer) using a shortened form of the
title is needed in your dissertation, the words for the
shorter form should be chosen carefully so that they
retain and emphasise the key elements of your complete
title.

Your title may contain only a very few of the many words
in your dissertation, but it ultimately needs to represent
that dissertation perfectly, professionally and attractively,
so consider seriously all suggestions on the part of your
supervisor and other committee members, and be
prepared to revise and refine your title as your
dissertation progresses.

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