Even if your title is the last part of the essay you write, it is the first thing that readers read. Use your title to get your readers’ attention and to tell them what your essay is about. Use concrete, specific words to name the topic of your essay.

BASICS OF A GOOD ESSAY TITLE

One way to find a good title is to consider the type of essay you are writing. If you are writing an argument (as you will in Chapter 13), state your position in your title. If you are telling your readers how to do something (as you will in Chapter 8), try using the term steps or how to in the title. This way, your readers will know immediately both what you are writing about and how you will present it. For example, “Five Steps to Financial Independence” may be a more inviting and more accurate title for a process analysis essay than “Financial Independence.”