Title

The name of the story, usually from the first page.

Required for Story, Text Story and Text Article type, optional for all others, except when using the First Line field (see below). To determine a Title, an indexer shall use the following priority list of possible choices for story-type sequences.

1. If a Title is present on a story, use that.
2. If no printed Title is available, use the Title from table of contents, or somewhere else in the issue. Cite the source in the Notes field.
3. If none of the above are available, use a Title referenced only on the cover. Cite the source in the Notes field.
4. If none of the above are available, use the apparent Title from some other publication from same publisher (such as a previous issue's "next issue" box, later reprints of the story, official index/reference, etc.). Cite the source in the Notes field.
5. If none of the above are available, use an established title from an accepted source (such as established and accepted by fandom as canon fan indexes, interviews with creators, social media and blogs, etc.). Cite the source in the Notes field. A list of some sources is at Useful indexer links.
6. If none of the above are available, see the First Line field instructions below.
7. Or, if none of the above are available, use a made up title referencing the plot or characters.

In cases 4, 5, and 7, check the Unofficial Title box.

First Line field: Per the Policy Consensus of 2017-06-03 noted below, a new field of First Line was established. When this field is used, no additional data needs to be entered in the Title field, as the First Line satisfies the requirement for a Title. Also in such cases, the Unofficial Title box should not be checked and quote marks are not used. The net effect of this change is to establish three different types of Title: Official as shown in the book, Unofficial as determined by the list above, and First Line of text or dialogue in the story.

Further Details:

• See also the GCD Style Guide for general rules of style regarding Sequence Titles.
• If the story is part of a longer story then that information is included after the chapter Title. It is included in square brackets if it is not actually listed on the page but can be inferred from the previous or next issue or an outside source (which should be noted in the Notes field). It is included as it is written in the book if it is actually on the page.
• Title is listed following conventional grammar rules for title case as used in the language of the publication. i.e., titles from American publications will use the MLA English title case rules for English, titles from German publications will use the title case rules for German, etc.
• Quotation marks around the entirety of a sequence Title are discarded UNLESS the indexer can make a good-faith determination that the title is intended to convey the actual quotation of something (a literary work, famous phrase, line of dialogue, etc.).

• If you find instances of [untitled] or [none] as titles, those are remnants of previous methods of indexing and are no longer used.

• Some sequences do not have official Titles. This story title field can be left blank for those.

• The Title Field for Letter Columns shall be left blank unless the letter column has a separate title that is not the name of the Letter column itself. The first line of text (other than the name of the letter column) can be used as an alternate choice for letter column Title. The name of a Letter Column shall be placed in the Feature field only. This is a recurring name, usually set apart with a logo or other distinct text.

• By long-standing convention, the preferred entry method for all text-based information is to use the language the comic was published in. English can always be used as an alternate.

Note: For company hype pages, editorials, and similar sequences, that name belongs in the Feature field. It has not yet been determined how or whether to address editorials with their own specific, recurring names WITHIN company hype pages (such as Stan's Soapbox in Bullpen Bulletins) or letters pages (such as From the Den in various places).

Examples:

* Clash of the Titans - Title is clearly written in the issue 
* When Titans Clash (and check the Unofficial Title box) - Title made up by indexer based on content 
* It was a dark and stormy night... - First line of story used as title 
* Hercules Takes Revenge [When Titans Clash Part 47] - Story arc and title inferred
* When Titans Doth Clash Chapter 4 - As written in the book

(end of definition)

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Policy Votes Affecting This Topic

Consensus Approval: New field for for first line of dialogue / text - 2017-06-03

Ballot 251: Rules for Titles for Story-Type Sequences- 2015-06-09

Ballot 250: Title Usages - 2015-06-09

Ballot 70: Capitalization of titles - 2011-06-21

Ballot 57: Quotation Marks in Sequence Titles: Vote #2 - 2011-05-12

Ballot 56: Quotation Marks in Sequence Titles: Vote #1 - 2011-05-12

Senior Editor Vote: Title format - 2008-05-06

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Some discussion that should be considered as suggestions, but not officially part of the definition:

Jim Van Dore: A few months ago I mentioned that I missed the rule on how to do titles where the story is part of a greater whole, i.e.

Story Title [Story Arc Part X]

and said that I been following library format

Story Arc, Part X: Story title

A couple of editors said that seemed a reasonable alternative, and I know at least one other editor also does it in library format.

Personally, I prefer library format and think it reads clearer. Maybe it could be discussed and officially deemed acceptable?

(And I could have sworn the GCD format had part x, not Part X.)

Jim Van Dore: Is there a rule about "in" or "featuring" or the like? I'm thinking of cases in the Silver Age and earlier where the feature logo and the story title are linked, such as Batman in "The Case of the Silver Sword."

I would just put

The Case of the Silver Sword

but I have seen people put (the equivalent of)

"The Case of the Silver Sword"

or

In "The Case of the Silver Sword"... Ray says no "in"

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