Final answer:
A good essay title should be precise and attention-catching, reflecting the essay's content and sometimes hinting at the thesis. It should be consistent with the essay's topic and purpose and unique to the piece, evolving as the essay develops.
Step-by-step explanation:
A good title for an essay must be both precise and attention-catching. It should precisely convey the topic and the text(s) the essay will cover while also being crafted to catch the reader's attention. A title is usually between 4-14 words in length, and while scholarly titles tend to be a bit longer, they must remain unique to the essay.
Like the thesis statement, the title may evolve as the essay is composed and revised, and it should reflect the essay's topic, purpose, and content, sometimes hinting at the thesis without revealing too much. In ensuring the title's effectiveness, consider if it is straightforward and consistent with the content of the essay.
If not, the title may need to be revised to better match the essay's focus and main claims, all of which should be supported by credible evidence and connected with well-chosen transitions. In the essay itself, each idea should connect logically to the next, with all ideas ultimately supporting the thesis and presented in a clear, organized manner with appropriate transitions and subheadings.