Even though it may seem like a small part of the work, in truth, the title of your thesis paper plays a key role in the first impression it makes on a reader. That’s why you have to take some time to come up with the best thesis title you can. Luckily, this doesn’t need to be a difficult task. Many people overthink the process. As a result, they fall into a number of common mistakes.
To come up with a strong thesis title, keep these tips in mind.
1. Don’t Use Unnecessary Words
The title of your thesis should clearly express what topic you’re exploring. However, it should also be concise. After brainstorming through your ideas and choosing the best one, look at it carefully to make sure there aren’t any unnecessary words cluttering it up. If you find any, remove them until you come up with a version of your thesis title that makes sense, but doesn’t have any unneeded words.
2. Don’t Use Complex Nouns
This is a mistake that students of all ages make. Whether they’re working on a high school paper or finishing up a major thesis for a graduate program, they think they’ll impress their readers if they use big, complex nouns. Luckily, the English language is full of synonyms. After you decide on a thesis title, take a look through a thesaurus to find out if there is a way you can further simplify your title with less complex words.
3. Don’t Be Vague
Again, your thesis title should clearly communicate what kind of argument or point you’ll be making in your work. Obviously, for a paper as long as a thesis, there’s no room in the title to fully develop the main ideas, but that’s not an excuse to come up with something so vague that a reader has no idea what the paper will be about. Take your time to decide on a title that makes your main point clear without being overlong. This process can be a little challenging, but it is worth the efforts.
4. Don’t Be Boring
A thesis title isn’t a headline for a celebrity gossip magazine. You don’t want to exaggerate your topic or try too hard to capture a reader’s attention. On the other hand, you also don’t want to go too far in the other direction, coming up with a thesis title that’s simply too boring to entice a person to read more. The point is, your thesis is supposed to make an interesting, unique argument. Ideally, your thesis should be something that a person interested in. Thus, your title has to make the reader sure that the plot will be truly informative and useful. If you succeed in writing a strong, compelling thesis paper, then you should also focus on coming up with a title that reflects its content. Your title should convince a reader that your work is worth their time.
It’s no secret that a thesis paper can be an intimidating assignment. When you’re finished writing it, you may be tempted to just slap on a title that’s simple and to-the-point. However, this is an important part of your work. It’s worth your time to make it perfect.