More often than not, today's academic writing is full of dry and serious jargon-heavy language. So when you find a paper that breaks all the rules and makes you laugh, you'll want to shout it from the top of a mountain.
That's essentially what University of Western Australia obstetrics and microbiology researcher Lisa Stinson did when she stumbled across a rare title related to her field of study.
"STOP THE INTERNET!" she tweeted. "I just found the world's best paper title."
Below, was a pdf attachment that read: "Fantastic yeasts and where to find them: the hidden diversity of dimorphic fungal pathogens."
STOP THE INTERNET! I just found the world's best paper title. pic.twitter.com/MZVPurtwAb
— Lisa Stinson (@lisafstinson) July 9, 2019
Science Twitter, of course, was quick to respond.
As the tweet went viral, researchers and academics began adding their own favourite pun-filled papers, and the result is a long list of humorous and at times hilarious titles that got through the strenuous process of academic publishing and ended up in serious journals.
— Kim Madden (@KimMaddenPhD) July 9, 2019
Still my favorite - old but gold @xinajj pic.twitter.com/SeIMvuI1fI
— Rüdiger Groß (@r_gross_) July 9, 2019
The references to popular culture were out of control, with many of the titles including clever twists on movies, music and books.
— Fungal balla (@abiwalker24) July 10, 2019
Can’t forget this one #LabShenanigans 😉 pic.twitter.com/3r9qAvcvP6
— whatTheHEK (@LabShenanigans) July 10, 2019
This is a good thread pic.twitter.com/TH1hHWZB2B
— wii sports last resort (@coldzimbra) July 10, 2019
Other papers relied on nothing more than clever wordplay.
And this gem! pic.twitter.com/m7DchPWOHB
— Dr. Rebecca Foushee (@earthb1) July 9, 2019
https://t.co/sEVdTKxubu pic.twitter.com/17CcKW7GB8
— Stephen Davey (@stephengdavey) July 9, 2019
While some of the titles were chuckle-worthy simply because of their absurd topics.
The thread just goes to prove that you don't need to add "Harry Potter and" to the beginning of every academic title to make it a little more engaging.
Use your imagination, and cross your fingers your reviewer has a sense of humour, too.