Editorial. Titles of Scientific Papers - Analytical Chemistry (ACS

Editorial. Titles of Scientific Papers. Herbert A. Laitinen. Anal. Chem. , 1968, 40 (10), pp 1401–1401. DOI: 10.1021/ac60266a600. Publication Date: ...
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A NA LVTIC A L CHEMISTRY EDITORIAL

August 1968,Vol. 40, No. 10 11111111111111111

Editor: H E R B E R T A. LAITINEN

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Titles of Scientific Papers THE VOLUME of the scientific literature continues to expand, it is becoming correspondingly more important t o give the casual reader an accurate impression of the content of a paper merely by scanning its title. The increasing emphasis on computer based information systems is likewise stressing the importance of achieving the best possible title for each paper. Key-word indexing, for example, is dependent for its success on a brief title containing the proper descriptive words. The author is obviously the best informed person with regard to the content of his paper, and he should consider carefully what information the reader may hope to glean from the title alone. Most papers in ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY describe experimental research, and the title should reflect the type of experimental technique involved. I n papers specifically devoted to analytical procedures, the reader is interested in the elements or compounds being determined, the types of materials being analyzed, and the range of concentration or sample size if they represent significant objectives of the research. On the other hand, specific details scch as numerical values of concentrations or reaction conditions are usually best relegated to the abstract or body of the paper. Careful attention should be paid t o the choice of words-e.g., trace or micro, analysis or determination or assay, etc.-to reflect correct usage. A good title is not only informative but brief. Many papers can be titled in ten or twelve words or less, and as a general rule the title begins to lose its impact as its length approaches twenty words. Twopart titles and series numbering should generally be avoided for the sake of efficiency. It is clearly t o the advantage of both the author and the reader to achieve the best possible title by paying careful attention to these details.

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Aduertising Management REINHOLD PUBLISHING CORP. (for Branch OtEces, see page 119 A)

For submission of manuscripts, aee pape 2 A . VOL. 40, NO. 10, AUGUST 1968

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