| Remember to edit the title not only in your manuscript, but - more importantly - also in our metadata form. See How do I edit the abstract/title in the metadata form on revision or before publication? |
General Guidance
To enhance discoverability and citability, JMIR Publications requires a specific format for its article titles which all authors must follow. All article titles should fit within a 280-character limit (including spaces), should be descriptive of the subject of the research, should not reveal the results of the study, should attempt to be concise, and should be understandable to those outside the field.
The following table provides guidance on our title requirements for specific manuscript types:
|
Article type |
Title guidance |
Title example |
|
Original paper (including systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, pilot studies, etc) |
Descriptive, includes the study type and research question, in title case |
“Internet Health Information Seeking and the Patient-Physician Relationship: Systematic Review” |
|
Protocols/Proposals |
Descriptive, includes the study type (with the word “Protocol” or “Proposal” ahead of it), and the research question, in title case |
“Home-Based HIV Testing and Counseling for Male Couples (Project Nexus): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial” |
|
Viewpoints and Research Letters |
Descriptive, declarative, or interrogative (see below) |
“What is eHealth?” |
|
Commentaries* |
Descriptive, declarative, or interrogative (see below). Avoid using “A Commentary” as a subtitle It's acceptable to use a subtitle beginning with "A Commentary" but do not include the title of the original publication being commented on |
"Virtual First Emergency Medicine Visits: The Future of Convenient and Efficient Emergency Care" "Variability in Large Language Models’ Responses to Medical Licensing and Certification Examinations: A Commentary on ChatGPT's Performance on the USMLE" |
|
Letters to the Editor* |
Descriptive, declarative, or interrogative (see below) A unique, short title describing the piece Do not include the title of the original publication being commented on |
"A Narrow Definition of Clinical Robustness" |
|
Author’s Reply* (related to Letter to the Editor) |
Use the format "Authors' Reply: [title of the Letter to the Editor]" |
"Authors’ Reply: A Narrow Definition of Clinical Robustness" |
|
Corrigenda |
Must contain the name of the article being corrected, and the word “Correction” |
“Correction: Measurement of Digital Literacy Among Older Adults: Systematic Review” |
|
In Memoriam |
Must contain "In Memoriam" followed by the name of the individual who is the subject of the article |
"In Memoriam: Nomen Nescio" |
*As of September 2023, there has been a change in our guidelines. Previously, we mandated that Commentaries, Letters to the Editors, and Author's Replies include the title of the original publication they were commenting on in their article titles. However, we have now updated this guideline to encourage shorter and more concise article titles.
Formatting of Titles
- The general format of titles for our papers is “Issue/Intervention in Demographic/Disease/Condition: Method/Study Design”. Copyeditors will guide authors to make necessary revisions.
- Abbreviations and acronyms should not be used in titles except for those listed here.
- The JMIR House Style and Editorial Guidelines (Section 3. Capitalization in Titles and Heading) offers additional guidance on capitalization in article titles.
- Special formatting (eg, use of italics, subscripts, superscripts) in article titles is not allowed.
- Further guidance for copyeditors and JMIR staff is available here.
- All titles are subject to change prior to approval from the editorial team.
Additional Guidelines
As outlined in the table above, the titles of journal articles can come in a variety of formats. The most common formats are the following:
Descriptive titles
- This title describes the subject of the article and (after a colon) the method/design, but does not reveal the main conclusions.
- For example: “The Effects of Family Support on Patients With Dementia: Randomized Controlled Trial” OR "COVID-19 Antivaccination Sentiment in the Early Stages of the Pandemic: Infodemiology Study of Tweets"
- This is the preferred JMIR style for original papers, reviews, and protocols.
Declarative titles
- This title states the main findings or conclusions of a study.
- For example: “A 3-Month Weight Loss Program Increases Self-Esteem in Adolescent Girls”
- This title type is discouraged for original articles but is acceptable for viewpoints, commentaries, letters, etc.
Interrogative titles
- This title introduces the subject of the study in the form of a question to be answered.
- For example: “Does Cognitive Training Improve Performance on Pattern Recognition Tasks?”
This title type requires approval for original articles but can be used for viewpoints/commentaries (see What are the article types for JMIR journals? for additional info).
Related: