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12.13 Can I use my title to make a claim?

Many referees and journals editors do not appreciate authors who use the title to
present their major conclusion and thus perhaps overstate the importance of their
findings. For example:

The consumption of one apple per day precludes the necessity of using medical services

The above is what is known as a declarative title. It summarizes the author’s most
important findings, as a complete sentence (i.e. with subject – verb – object). It does

so in a way that there seems to be no element of doubt. However, if the author’s
conclusions are only speculations, then such declarative titles are dangerous. This is
because they give readers the initial idea that the issue has been settled and that what
the author asserts is now scientifi c fact.

Such titles are increasingly common in medicine and biology, and may be accept-
able if well documented. Such titles also get your paper noticed and potential read-
ers may thus become stimulated into reading your paper. The important thing is to

ensure that the title reflects the truth and is supported by the rest of the paper.
Before using a declarative title check with other titles in your chosen journal.

12.14 Are questions in titles a good way to attract attention?

The titles below highlight that a question can be formulated using an auxiliary (e.g. does,
would, can, will ) and using question words (e.g. why, when, what, which, who ).

Does the ocean-atmosphere system have more than one stable mode of operation?
If homo economicus could choose his own utility function, would he want one with a
conscience?
Why Do Some Countries Produce So Much More Output Per Worker Than Others?

When do foreign-language readers look up the meaning of unfamiliar words? The infl uence of
task and learner variables

What do bosses do? The origins and functions of hierarchy in capitalist production

Who would have thought it? An operation proves to be the most effective therapy for adult-
onset diabetes mellitus.

Titles with questions also work particularly well for abstracts submitted to confer-
ences. They are generally much more informal and because of their question form
they immediately get readers thinking about what the answer might be. They can
also be original and fun, as highlighted by the last title. They thus tend to stand out
from other titles and are more likely to attract attention.