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Beginning an article on Helium by repeating the title is not only unnecessary, but it is also unprofessional and makes the writer appear amateurish.

No professional writer begins an article or any other form of writing by repeating the title. How many newspaper articles have you read where the first sentence is exactly the same as the headline? How about magazine articles? Books? The answer is none.

It is considered redundancy to repeat the title of headline in the body of the text. The headline exists to give the reader an at-a-glance idea of what the article is about. The article itself exists to expand on that idea, giving the reader supporting information.

There is nothing wrong with using the first sentence or paragraph of the piece to emphasize the title or headline and even to paraphrase it. The first sentence of this article is an example of that device. You'll notice that the title is referenced, but not repeated verbatim.

Readers, especially of online content, usually want articles they can read quickly. Repeating the title wastes the writer's time as well as the reader's. They already saw the title of the article. That's why they're taking the time to read it. You don't have to sell it to them again. Actually, you risk alienating the reader with this form of redundancy because they don't want to keep reading the same information over and over.

Knowing the medium for which you are writing can help you avoid this mistake. On Helium, the article title is always included with your articles by default. There is no need to repeat it because it will be there. If you are writing for a medium that does not automatically include the title, you can then include it with the body of your article. However, make sure that is the case before doing so.

A redundant title is also visually unappealing and jarring. That is why you don't see it in print. Many people make the mistake of treating online content completely differently from print when, in fact, many of the same principles of good layout and design apply to both. Think of what your reader sees on the screen as a page in a magazine or newspaper. Your article should appear on the computer screen much the same as you would want it to appear on a printed page.

Writer's who feel that repeating the article title is a good way to emphasize and strengthen a point made in the title have the option of paraphrasing, as pointed out above, or of crafting their article in such a way as to achieve the result in a more subtle manner. Weaving the key points of the title into the body of your article will engage your readers and compel them to read on.

Learn more about this author, Bruce W. Coffman.
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