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Essay Titles That Stand Out: How Are They Made

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Today we are going to talk about essay titles and how they are made. An essay topic is a definitive element and in most cases, the success of your writing will depend on your paper title. A good one has to intrigue readers and grasp their attention. A bad one may seem confusing, fake or just uninspiring. But how to craft a compelling title? That’s what we are going to find out in this blog post!

Essay Titles: Basics

An essay title is the most visually visible part of your writing that outlines the main theme and idea. A good title usually bears informative, emotional and aesthetic functions.

Key features of good essay title: “Informational, Emotional, Aesthetic”
  • Informational Introduces the subject, outlines The main ideas and presents the writer’s point.
  • Emotional Attracts the reader’s attention, evokes Emotions and raises genuine interest.
  • Aesthetic Tells your reader about an aesthetic dimension and writing style.


An essay title is not the same as in a research paper. The primary objective of an essay writer is to get an emotional response from the reader. So you don’t have to be just descriptive in your heading or subheading. Don’t be afraid to use rhetoric techniques, idioms, quotations, or other means of expression to communicate your point.

Good Titles for Essays: Everything You Should Know

Good essay title ideas require rules as much as they need a creative approach. There is a set of general features for compelling headers you should check out:

  • Uplifting Should be anything but boring.
  • True and Realistic Should not be too provocative but has to outline the major ideas as well.
  • Readable Shouldn’t sound complicated without a real reason.
  • Active Voice Contains verbs in active voice form.
  • Brief Includes only essential information and messages.

When you are composing a title, check if it meets those conditions. Naturally, you can step away from some of them if the logic of your header requires it. But it is very recommended to keep all features in mind to ensure that your audience reads your piece from cover to cover.

How to Come Up with a Title for an Essay: Tips and Tricks

There are several actionable tips on titling an essay. We are talking about generally accepted essay format features that a writer needs to follow in every case. Here are the most important format rules for essay title for you to remember:

  • Include or at least hint at the major theme in your title.
  • Don’t forget to capitalize the words. Make an exception for prepositions, pronouns, articles and conjunctions.
  • Keep yourself from unnecessary improvements. Do not underline it and do not use any colors or unexpected formatting. Ask your instructor if it is required to highlight in bold.
  • Write your title last. It is a good idea to save this objective for the very end. After you have a finished text, it may be easier to come up with a catchy name.
  • Use more subheadings for every section of your paper. It is not forbidden to use different section headings in your essay structure. So if you feel like adding more headlines — go for it.

The title of your paper will also depend on the types of essays. As you probably know, essays can be very diverse in terms of style. Some essays raise important topics, others - denounce them. Some essays can be informative and descriptive, others can carry persuasive elements. Let’s look at the major essay types by the tone of narration.

Your title should represent the style and tone of your essay, setting your reader up for a certain type of experience. It is pivotal for the writer to understand the text’s tone and style.

Also, never forget how the title is related to your thesis statement. Of course, a headline and a thesis are not equal. A thesis statement is where you state your main idea. In contrast, a good title also serves as an attractor, requiring creativity as well. However, your thesis and title should not contradict each other. We always recommend double-checking whether those essay elements are coherent or not. In any case, it is a great idea to take a closer look at your headline after you finish a paper.  

Good Essay Title Examples for School and College Students

It may still be hard to understand how to come up with a title for an essay without examples. That’s why we have prepared several smartly crafted essay titles for your benefit. To get a better impression, we decided to show good and bad compare and contrast essay topics. We have picked different narrative essay topics.  

Problematic Essay Headline

Yes: The Disturbing Impact of Sea Pollution on Life and Population of Marine Mammals
No: The Negative Impact of Human Factor on the Marine Ecosystem and Marine Mammal Species
Explanation: The second title is unreasonably long and sounds too formal.  

Descriptive Essay Headline

Yes: How I Met My Cat Steve and Lost the Fear of Dogs
No: Cool Cat Story
Explanation: The second variant is too short and fails to state a specific topic.  

Narrative Essay Headline

Yes: My Battle with Leukemia: How I Fought and Eventually Won
No: The fight with disease: My story
Explanation: A title should focus on a narrow topic rather than general.  

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Persuasive Essay Headline

Yes: Why we all need to care more about melting caps before it is too late
No: Why Stupid Humans Should Consider Polar Ice Melting
Explanation: A title shouldn’t contain inappropriate language.  

Expository Essay

Yes: My Favorite Under-30-Minutes Cooking Recipes
No: The best dishes that I can cook in less than 30 minutes
Explanation: Your title should be catchy and creative.


A good title can have a pivotal role in the final judgment about your writing. Your title should be responsible for the first impression of your writing, so it is extra important. So don't be afraid to walk an extra mile composing your essay title.
Also, we have prepared some more essay titles for different essay genres. Check out our list for inspiration and new ideas. Remember that if you're tired from writing already, you can always buy essay paper from us.

Argumentative Essay Titles

Can’t come up with a good topic for an argumentative essay? Well, not a big problem. We have prepared some super-hot topics for you to choose from.  

  1. Do video games really induce excessive violence?
  2. Does the penitentiary system benefit our society?
  3. Should we learn to consume fewer goods on a daily basis?
  4. How dangerous blind trust in science can be in science?
  5. Is marriage still working?
  6. What is more important: material goods or spiritual experience?
  7. Is the Second Amendment good for the USA today?
  8. Should we tax our rich and privileged more?
  9. Is an euthanasia a matter of personal choice or not?
  10. Do we need a universal basic income?

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Persuasive Essay Titles

Also, here are some persuasive essay titles for you to consider. You can easily borrow one of those or alter it to fit your topic.  

  1. Five reasons why you should never miss voting at elections
  2. Why it is important to respect other people’s religious beliefs
  3. Why it is significant to legalize marijuana countrywide
  4. Why paternity leave is as important as maternity leave
  5. Foreign languages — why it is important to be multilingual
  6. Homeschooled — why some children should study at home
  7. Why everyone needs to start caring about climate change right now
  8. Ten reasons why you need to try meditation
  9. Why it is unproductive to take advantage of someone else’s work
  10. Benefits of sport running

Research Paper Titles

Writing a research paper assumes that you need to analyze some piece of information. Here are some hot research paper topics that may inspire you in your academic work.  

  1. Impact of Jackson Pollock work on action painting school in the US
  2. How the US education system can be improved by applying Nordic countries experience
  3. Philosophical implications of existentialism in Soren Kierkegaard’s “Fear & Trembling”
  4. Tarkovsky vs. Kubrick: philosophical analysis and comparison of directors’ depiction of human in space
  5. How mass media changed with the popularization of cancel culture
  6. Themes of Nazism and Christianity in New German cinema movement
  7. Death penalty: the least effective method of crime prevention
  8. Motives of Eurocentrism and white chauvinism in “Disgrace” by J. M. Coetzee
  9. State of woman’s minority rights in the post-Me Too United States society
  10. Negative impact of social media on teenagers’ self-perception and social contacts

Creative Essay Titles

Do you want to make a truly unexpected and creative essay? Well, then you need to go the extra mile to come up with a truly stunning title. For now, here are some creative topics for you as an inspiration.

  1. Jack of all trades: How can you do more with proper time-management model behind the belt
  2. Emollit mores nec sinit esse feros - how important are social studies in our life
  3. Cold, trembling and alive: my best trip to Alaska
  4. No bullets spent - antimilitarist tendencies of the modern left-wing American politics
  5. The most memorable dream I ever had
  6. Taken for granted: Modern ecological crisis and the social insensibility
  7. Life-changing experience of climbing an Everest (and I had it)
  8. The Heart of Darkness - magnum opus by Joseph Conrad analyzed
  9. How it happened that I became a freegan (and managed to get away with it)
  10. The best funny story I ever heard

College Essay Titles

Here is the list of titles that are designed especially for college students. Check out the list for insights and inspiration.

  1. How I turned my weaknesses into strengths
  2. How I turned my weaknesses into strengths
  3. How and why I celebrate Halloween
  4. If you would be turned into an animal, which animal it will be
  5. Student loans: how can we change a system to save our young from debt hole?
  6. What historical event would you like to change and why?
  7. What historical figure would you like to meet the most?
  8. Benefits of organic farming - past, present and future
  9. Sexual harassment - how can we battle it as a society
  10. Universal basic income - do we need it or not?

Now you are heavily armed with writing tips and useful information about essay titles. Don’t hesitate to revisit the guide if you forget something. Also, you can always ask our writers for some assistance with your academic writing or use Essay Title Generator.  

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where do I put the essay title in my paper?

An essay title is normally located either on the title page (if there is any) or on the very first page of your paper. A title should be centered unless your professor has other requirements.

2. Can I use underlining when formatting my essay title?

No, it is better to avoid any unnecessary formatting for your essay title. Ask your instructor whether there are special requirements to its format. Do not apply bold font or underlining unless you are asked to do so.

3. What is the essay title length?

In most cases, the optimal length for essay title is between 5 and 15 words. This standard is not obligatory but is preferred to be followed.

Article posted on:Apr 26, 2022
Article updated on:Jul 20, 2022

Comments

Leave your comment here:
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Laura
6/20/2022 7:55 AM
Hi there. I can't come up with a title for my cause and effect essay and I need your help. What cause and effect essay titles can you suggest?
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StudyCrumb
6/22/2022 7:04 PM
Hi Laura,

We are happy to help you with this question! You can choose the title you like from our list of 10 best cause and effect essay titles:

1. What are the causes of global warming and its effects on humans?
2. The causes of the first spread of fake news.
3. The psychological effects of rape on its victims.
4. The impact of dance on mental health.
5. The continuous use of headphones and its health effects.
6. Bodily effects of not eating.
7. How constant bullying can make children unhappy.
8. The health impact of technology on teenagers today.
9. What impact has financial health on a human's mental health?
10. What are the effects of noise pollution on the mental health of children?

We hope you will find a title that will fit you the most. Good luck!
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Laura
6/22/2022 7:12 PM
Great, thank you! I have already chosen one from this list for my essay.
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Bill
7/4/2022 5:26 PM
Hey! Nice and informative article! Helped me create a creative title for my essay.
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StudyCrumb
7/4/2022 6:29 PM
Great to hear! Keep it up!