Article Submission Guidelines: How To Format Titles Correctly
Did you know that many publishers have formatting requirements for titles in their article submission guidelines
, and if your article violates those guidelines it can be declined?
Yes, even if your article is superb, it can still be declined for a silly formatting error in the title.
Titles are amazingly important!
Are you spending enough time on your titles? Most likely you spend serious amounts of energy on your articles, but are you throwing together a title at the last minute and thinking that it doesnt make any difference?
Well, it does.
The formatting guidelines of publishers are also in place to help your article look its best and get the most attention possible. If you abide by these title rules, you have a better chance of your article getting picked up for publication, and you create the best chance possible of attracting the attention of your target readers.
Below are 5 of the most common formatting requirements for titles:
1 - Put Your Title In Title Case.
This means that the first letter of every major word should be capitalized. You may also capitalize common words such as the, to, a, and for, but that is optional. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS IN YOUR TITLE. And do not capitalize only the first letter of the first word of your title. Rather, capitalize the first letter of each major word.
2 - Use proper spelling and grammar in your title.
If you have grammar and/or spelling errors in the title, it leads the publisher and reader to believe that the rest of the article may also be low quality. Your title must be properly written. Any mistakes in an article title can lead to an immediate decline.
For example:
Incorrect grammar: How To Choose A Article Distribution Service
Correct grammar: How To Choose An Article Distribution Service
If you are targeting keyword phrases and one of your key phrases has a grammar or spelling error in it, then dont use it, especially not in your title!
3 - Your title must be at least 2 words long.
The purpose of your title is to tell the reader what your article is about, and one-word titles dont offer much help. Many publishers require that your title be no shorter than 2 words. Ideally your title should be long enough to indicate the specific topic of your article.
For example:
A too short title: Cars
Better title: Top 5 Family Friendly Fuel Efficient Cars
4 - Your title should not be enclosed in quotes.
Just type your title in the title field--there is no need to put quotation marks around the title.
5 - Your title should not have a period at the end.
There is a theory that a period at the end of a title serves as a mental stop to the reader and can deter them from reading further into your article. Whether or not that is the case, many publishers consider a period at the end of a title to be bad form and will decline articles on this basis.
Have you committed any of these title formatting mistakes? What changes will you make to your next article title so that they fulfill these common article submission guidelines?
by: Steve Shaw
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