| 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/Commentaries (including Research Letters, Letters to the Editor, etc) |
Descriptive, declarative, or interrogative (see below) |
“What is eHealth?” |
|
Corrigenda |
Must contain the name of the article being corrected, and the word “Correction” |
“Correction: Measurement of Digital Literacy Among Older Adults: Systematic Review” |
Abbreviations and acronyms should not be used in titles except for those listed here.
The JMIR House Style and Editorial Guidelines offers additional guidance on capitalization in article titles.
Further guidance for copyeditors and JMIR staff is available here.
All titles are subject to change prior to approval from the editorial team.
Further 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 opinion/viewpoint pieces (see What are the article types for JMIR journals? for additional info).
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