Essay Title Generator

1. 1

   Describe your topic or thesis

   One or two sentences is enough. A thesis gives better titles than a single word: "social media at night cuts teenage sleep" works better than "social media".

2. 2

   Pick the type of essay

   The type sets the tone. Research titles stay precise and descriptive; narrative and personal titles can be warmer and shorter.

3. 3

   Generate and choose

   You get 10 ideas in five styles. Copy one, combine two, or run the essay title generator again for a fresh set.

4. 4

   Make it match your essay

   Change a word or two so the title says exactly what your essay argues, then check the capitalization your style guide asks for.

• It names the topic. A reader should know what the essay is about from the title alone.
• It hints at your angle. "Social Media and Sleep" names a topic; "Scrolling After Dark: How Social Media Costs Teens Sleep" signals an argument.
• It fits the essay type. Research papers favour precise, descriptive titles; personal and narrative essays can be more creative.
• It is short enough. Most good titles are under 12 words. A subtitle after a colon can carry the detail.
• It follows the style guide. APA and MLA have rules for capitalization and title pages. Check what your class uses.

Write the title last, or revise it once the essay is done. Your argument often sharpens while you write, and the title should match where you ended up.

The research title is the longest and the narrative title the shortest, and that is normal. The more formal the essay, the more the reader needs the title to describe it precisely.

A quick test: could your title fit a hundred different essays? If it could, add your angle, your setting or your main claim until it fits only yours.

• APA (7th edition). Title case, bold and centered in the upper half of the title page, then repeated in bold at the top of the first page of text. APA asks for a focused, succinct title and sets no strict word limit.
• MLA (9th edition). No title page unless your instructor asks for one. The title goes on the first page, centered below your name, instructor, course and date, in title case, with no bold, italics, underlining or quotation marks.
• Chicago and Turabian. Headline-style capitalization. On a title page, center the title about a third of the way down and put a subtitle after a colon, usually on its own line.
• Title case in short. Capitalize the first and last words and all major words: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and pronouns. Short articles, conjunctions and prepositions such as a, and, of and in stay lowercase. APA also capitalizes every word of four letters or more, such as With or From.
• Titles inside your title. A book or film named in your title keeps its own italics, and a poem or article keeps its quotation marks.

Your instructor’s instructions come first. If the assignment sheet says something different from the style guide, follow the sheet.