Capitalization

[Jack8rkin]

Hello everybody!

I would like to ask you about capitalization in headings.
I usually translate technical stuff and would like to know what is the general rule for headings, titles, captions etc.
Are they usually capitilized (I mean every notional part of speech)?

Should the capitalization of headings be used at all?


Thank you

 

[5jj]

This question has been asked several times before. Have a look at the 'Similar Threads' at the bottom of this page.

 

[Jack8rkin]

I've tried all "Capitalizations" in the "Similar Threads".
There are proper names, parts of the world etc. No headings in reports or books...

No definite answer...


Still need help...

 

[5jj]

Sorry. Perhaps this one is more relevant: capital letters in headlines

 

[Rover_KE]

Go to the very top of the page, Jack, and in the search box on the right-hand side insert capitalisation in titles.

You'll find plenty of links to help you there.

Ask again if you have any specific questions.

Rover

 

[Jack8rkin]

Thanks, I know how to google.
No time to give advice?

Have you ever writen a technical (or scientific) report?

I'm just asking about your day-to-day practice.
Everyone's opinion is appreciated.

 

[Soup]

Hello everybody!

I would like to ask you about capitalization in headings.
I usually translate technical stuff and would like to know what is the general rule for headings, titles, captions etc.
Are they usually capitilized (I mean every notional part of speech)?

Should the capitalization of headings be used at all?


Thank you

I found the information here helpful.

 

[Raymott]

Thanks, I know how to google.
No time to give advice?

Have you ever writen a technical (or scientific) report?

I'm just asking about your day-to-day practice.
Everyone's opinion is appreciated.

5jj is not teaching you how to Google. He's explaining that this topic has been discussed before, and telling you where and how that thread with the advice-giving, the day-to-day-practice, and the opinions of everyone can be found already prepared and archived for your direct inspection.

 

[Rover_KE]

No time to give advice?

We've spent time giving advice.

Give us a few specific titles to comment on, such as

development Of time Machines In the twenty-First century or

Relevance Of stem-Cell research In hare-Lip regeneration.

EDIT: Why don't you try correcting those for a start?

Rover

 

[Jack8rkin]

Thank you.
"Development of Time Machines in the Twenty-First Century" or

Relevance of Stem-Cell Research in Hare-Lip Regeneration"
(no period at the end of the headline)


I'm not asking for an excercise, and I could give you all the headlines from the report that I'm now working with. However I do not belive it would help to resolve the situation.

What I was taught in the linguistic uni is that all notional parts of speech have to be capitalized and no period should be at the end of headlines. I read about several more options for headlines in the links you gave me. Thank you.

What I saw in reality while working with Americans was different. They just capitalized the first word in the headline (like us Russians do) and that was it. I do not know whether or not it was the influence of Russians.

So, here is a dilemma. And questions:

Have you ever written a report?

What was the way you wrote the headlines in your reports?
Did you capitalize each notional part of speech?
Did you capitalize auxiliary parts of speech longer than 5 (4) letters?

Thank you.

 

[5jj]

Development of Time Machines in the Twenty-First Century or

Relevance of Stem-Cell Research in Hare-Lip Regeneration
(no period at the end of the headline)

That's how I would do it.

So, here is a dilemma. .....That is because there are no absolute rules.

Have you ever written a report? .....Well, I wrote some articles. I have copied their titles below.

A Look at: Conditionals
A Look at: Ways of Expressing the Future
A Look at: Constructing English Verb Forms
A Look at: The Meaning of If
A Look at: Tense and Aspect
A Look at: Communication and the Tense-Aspect System of English Verbs
A Look at: Multi-Word Verbs (Phrasal Verbs)

 

[Jack8rkin]

Thank you very much!
That is just what I was asking for!

I understand that you, fivejedjon, generally capitalise the first word in the headline + each notional part of speech + sometimes it is necessary to capitalise auxiliaries like with the "If" case in one of your headlines.


A look at: Conditionals
(Is "look" not capitalized deliberately?)

A Look at: Communication and the Tense-Aspect System of English Verbs.
(How about a period at the end of the headline? Is it necessary?)

Thanks again.

"That is because there are no absolute rules."
I understand that the same can be said about the headlines of chapters and sections in reports.

What I got here is that I should be consistent with the headlines and use the same style for the entire document.
It would not be extraordinary for an American to see the headline written like:

Changes introduced in the test facility design

but still it's better to write like this:

Changes Introduced in the Test Facility Design

 

[5jj]

A look at: Conditionals (Is "look" not capitalized deliberately?) No. A mistake.

A Look at: Communication and the Tense-Aspect System of English Verbs. (How about a period at the end of the headline? Is it necessary?) Another mistake.

Sorry - my proofreading was sloppy. I have now corrected them in my original post.

It would not be extraordinary for an American to see the headline written like:

1. Changes introduced in the test facility design

but still it's better to write like this:

2. Changes Introduced in the Test Facility Design

#1 looks odd to me as a headline, but I can't speak for Americans.

 

[Jack8rkin]

Thank you very much.

You explain such subtle things here and it's a great thing that this forum exists.

Thank you very much!