We’re not sure how the #SixWordPaperTitle hashtag began, but we know how it will end: in a sea of dry-witted honesty, one that deconstructs the verbose, jargon-y, and overwrought conventions that plague the titles of academic papers with wave after pithy wave of good-natured (and not-so-good-natured) criticism.
As far as we can tell, this hashtag’s only been live for a day or so (starting, we think, with this tweet from Shit Academics Say). The response thus far has been pretty excellent, and has taken on a tone similar to the one we saw last year with #hoverlyhonestmethods. Here now, in no particular order, are our 20 favorite tweets so far.
Hypothesis Not Supported: Look, Gender Differences. #SixWordPaperTitle
— Shit Academics Say (@AcademicsSay) February 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/embed/status/432197784851468288
https://twitter.com/embed/status/432198029911654401
On Papers that begin with On #SixWordPaperTitle
— John Dudley (@johnmdudley) February 8, 2014
My sample size is so huge #sixwordpapertitle #genomics
— Jason H. Moore, PhD (@moorejh) February 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/embed/status/432200152309182464
https://twitter.com/embed/status/432201029103267840
Here reviewers, the paper you wrote #SixWordPaperTitle
— Gaurav Sabnis (@gauravsabnis) February 8, 2014
You should see my teaching evaluations. #SixWordPaperTitle
— Sheila Vakharia PhD MSW (@MyHarmReduction) February 8, 2014
My Student Did All the Work #SixWordPaperTitle
— Dr. Jennifer L. Hoffman 😷✨ (@astroprofhoff) February 8, 2014
Finally accepted. Fuck you reviewer three #SixWordPaperTitle
— Andrew (@DrAndrewR) February 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/embed/status/432241353679208449
Look: gratuitous use of a colon #SixWordPaperTitle
— Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 (@ec0p0lis) February 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/embed/status/432246103564894208
Tenure committees can't read, can count #SixWordPaperTitle
— Hope Jahren (@HopeJahren) February 8, 2014
Two Masters Students Died For This #SixWordPaperTitle
— Paul Coxon (@paulcoxon) February 8, 2014
Ideas Are Hard: A Replication Study. #SixWordPaperTitle
— Shit Academics Say (@AcademicsSay) February 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/embed/status/432279608126222336
Got this idea from Star Trek #SixWordPaperTitle
— Simon Lancaster (@S_J_Lancaster) February 8, 2014
Chicken chicken chicken chicken: chicken chicken #SixWordPaperTitle
— aleph beth null (@aleph_nought) February 8, 2014
That last tweet, of course, being a nod to this classic:
Many, many more six word paper titles over on Twitter.
