A title needs to be informative, but concise. An unnecessarily long and ambling title will bore readers and they are likely to skip your article. For instance,

  • ‘Use of a dynamic in vitro lipolysis model to rationalize oral formulation development for poor water-soluble drugs: correlation with in vivo data and the relationship to intra-enterocyte processes in rats’ (31 words)

The above title, although specific is long and arduous. It can be shortened to:

  • ‘An in vitro dynamic lipolysis model for developing low aqueous soluble oral drugs and correlation with in vivo data in rats’ (21 words)

Likewise,

  • ‘How the use of mobile phones affect human beings physically, physiologically and psychologically’

Can be shortened to:

  • Physics and biology of mobile telephony

Having said that, there can be instances when you have no choice but to have a long title, under such circumstances do your best to make it as crisp as possible.

A straightforward title need not always be a phrase or sentence, it could well be a question to make it more interesting:

  • ‘Cutting attrition rates in the pharmaceutical industry’

Changing the above to the following will stimulate interest in the reader:

  • ‘Can the pharmaceutical industry reduce attrition rates?’

Likewise,

  • ‘The possible link between cell phone use and semen quality’

When changed to the following may intrigue the reader enough to read the paper.

  • ‘Is there a relationship between cell phone use and semen quality?’

Many readers and citations mean more power to you! Now are you still reluctant to work on that title?