7-5
Writing an Effective Title
9. Use approved generic or common nonproprietary names rather than trade names or chemical names for drugs and chemicals. Poor: Fludarabine plus Cytoxan for Advanced Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Better: Fludarabine plus Cyclophosphamide for Advanced Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Use the brand name (trade name) only if your study is comparing brands or you are reporting something about a specific brand. Good: Cardizem SR versus Dilacor XR for Moderate Hypertension
Format of the Title The following guidelines are helpful in formatting your title.
1. Always check the author instructions of the target journal for specific guidelines on titles. Study examples of titles in a recent issue to determine whether the journal uses phrases or sentences for titles, whether subtitles are used, how long titles can be, and what style of capitalization is followed. The New England Journal of Medicine: “Titles should be concise and descriptive (not declarative). We discourage subtitles.” Cancer Letters: “Titles should be informative and preferably not exceed 185 characters, including spaces. Extraneous words such as ‘Study,’ ‘Investigation,’ etc., should be avoided.” 2. Avoid using abbreviations and acronyms. Poor: Myelodysplastic Syndrome after Treatment of CLL with 2-CdA Better: Myelodysplastic Syndrome after Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia with Cladribine 3. Keep punctuation to a minimum. Use colons to join the main title and subtitle; use commas to separate elements in a series. 4. Avoid using questions for titles. Questions are more appropriate for opinion pieces than for original research articles. Poor: Does Supplementation with Phytoestrogen Alter Serum Lipid Concentration? Better: Supplementation with Phytoestrogen Alters Serum Lipid Concentration
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