Choosing a title for a research paper What are the best practices for writing a research paper title? I am looking for some general guidelines.


Does one go with short and sweet?  
Or a bit longer and informative?
Should one phrase it as a question or rather as a statement?
Should one use humour and play on words?
What should one avoid?
Are titles written different for different areas of research? (i.e. Computer Science, Maths, Neuroscience etc.)
Follow the conventions of your target journal or conference. The most reliable predictor of how a title will be perceived is if other papers at the same venue have had similar titles.

Specifically, your question Are titles written different for different areas of research? can be answered with a clear yes. For example, compare the following programming languages and neuro-imaging venues.