LANGUAGE | ENGLISH
Why Titles Don’t Contain Periods
Disambiguating the “omitted period” trend
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Since the 19th and 20th century, it’s become common practice throughout the world of publishing to omit periods from titles and subtitles. Whether the headings are whole sentences or not, more and more publications have adopted the practice of formatting their article titles without periods. From The New York Times and The Guardian to The Washington Post, NPR, and Reuters, many of the biggest newspapers and magazines have done away with them entirely.
The reason behind this new standard is mostly to create a feeling of open-endedness before a piece has begun. When a concept is about to be explored, the period — or “full stop” — does as its name suggests. It fosters an air of finality or the sense of an idea already completed, rather than a discussion about to be opened or a topic still to be examined.
These omitted periods also have the effect of appearing more conversational and approachable to many. But much of the reason behind this gradual shift in the industry hinges largely on stylistic preference and the evolution of language.
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