Let Your Dissertation Title Reflect Your Approach
Monday, October 19th, 2009A dissertation title is a gateway to your research. To craft it effectively is a task as important as any other step in preparing a productive dissertation research. No matter how path breaking or original your research project is if you fail to present its crux in your title you are at a danger of losing potential readers. There are various considerations to take into account while choosing a title that reflects your approach to a particular topic.
Revise your working title, a general title that helps you elaborate on your research and writing, as you finalize your dissertation research. Your final title should be specific. For example if your working title is “Impersonality in the works of modern poets” which helps you analyze the works of modern writers in terms of Impersonality, your final title should specify your shift of focus during the course of your research. Your final title might become “Impersonality in the work of Thomas Stearns Eliot”
Just Precision and clarity will not be sufficient to drive readers to your dissertation project. You must make the title interesting and thought-provoking. Look for quotes from texts, primary or secondary, that summarize your argument. Quotes can either be complimentary or argumentative to your approach. Choose controversial, complex, symbolic and rich quotes that may interest readers. From the above example the First part of the title can be “The Veil of Impersonality”.
Always spilt the title into two halves. Compress the first half by using terminologies from your field, Quotes that evoke images and are left unexplained, words that have imbedded meaning (pun or play on word). Explain or elaborate the first half in the second half of the title. The above example title can be written as “The Veil of Impersonality: Depiction of Thomas Stearns Eliot’s personality in his poetry”.
Your dissertation title should do complete justice to your dissertation topic. If your title promises an answer or a perspective to an earlier research, your dissertation should deliver it. The preface to your dissertation should be an elaboration to your title and the chapters an answer to it.
Don’t let your title give complete description of your work. Suggestion is the key to a crisp and concise dissertation title. Your title will have to assure the reader of a promising answer ahead not provide answers itself.
Keep the sentence structure and word usage formal by infusing terminologies from your research. Do not overuse articles as they will unnecessary lengthen your research title and will leave you with little space to present your point.
Presentation is another vital aspect. Avoid Fonts other than arial and Times New Roman and keep the font size between 12-16. Larger font size makes the dissertation title too loud and informal.
A good dissertation title should have all the features mentioned above. Be it a dissertation proposal or your Masters dissertation, you need a convincing and strong title to bring your research into light.
