Abstract

This article proposes a taxonomy of scientific titles: those staking claims; those setting problems; and those conveying themes. A close analysis of the deep structure of these titles suggests that their goal is the maximization of information content within a short compass, a compression that permits their easy retrieval in computerized searches. Placing these titles into the context provided by Gross, Harmon, and Reidy's Communicating Science suggests further that titles evolved to this point by adapting to changes in systems of information retrieval.