The title of a scientific paper should convey, concisely, the fundamental nature of your research. The title must be constructed with care to communicate exactly what was done in the experiment. The title should be short and specific, but long enough to include all aspects of the research. Common and scientific names of any organism studied, the variable factor(s) manipulated, and the parameters measured should be included in the title. Superfluous and redundant words must be avoided.
An experiment to study the effects of light intensities on the rate of photosynthesis in Elodea sprigs could have the following title:
Note that the scientific name of the organism used is italicized.
Examples of poor titles include:
In a laboratory report, the title page includes the title of the report, the name of the student, the course name, the lab section and the instructor’s name, each on a separate line. It may be useful to wait until most of the laboratory report is written before writing the title. This will ensure that the essence of the research is reflected in the title.