RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Writing Titles and Summaries

Contents

1. Professional Titles
2. Exercises in Writing Titles and Summaries

Professional Titles

The title of a professional paper or a thesis should define the subject of the thesis as exactly as possible in the shortest number of words. Try to compose your title using the common keywords in your field of study. Here are some examples of titles:

• Solar Timber Dryers in Bangladesh.
• Analytical Solutions to a One-Dimensional Model for Stratified Thermal Storage Tanks.
• The Photoluminescence of Ce³⁺ in Some Fluoroindate Compounds.
• The History of Wireless Power Transmission at Microwave Frequencies.
• Seed Oils as Alternative Sources of Fuels.

Exercises in Writing Titles and Summaries

• Go to the Scientific American website www.sciam.com.
• Click PAST ISSUES on the left panel and find the issue you want.
• Click In Brief under NEWS AND ANALYSIS or NEWS SCAN. You will get a page containing brief scientific news articles.
• Choose an article for the exercises below.
• Write a new title for the article in a professional scientific style.
• Make a list of the main facts in the article.
• Write a summary of the main facts in a professional scientific style. The summary must be written in your own words. Do not copy text directly from the article.

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By R. H. B. Exell, 2003.