10

I've seen dozens of examples and edits in both directions.

Which is a better question:

  • In Les Miserables what was Val Jean's crime?
  • What was Val Jean's crime?
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5 Answers 5

8

I am also of the opinion that the film name is redundant due to the presence of the tag. There might be exceptions for this. But usually a clear, concise title along with tags should be all is required. Other information can be added in the body.

I would personally prefer to see a loose no tags in titles policy purely for reasons of consistency. If "In Les Misérables, what was Val Jean's crime?" is better in that particular instance, it is a purely subjective preference. On one screen, it might fit perfectly on a single line. But how about on a mobile? When will the use of the "In Les Misérables" prefix cease to be better? When the overall question goes over a certain length? Or, when the title is longer than a certain length? "When does a few become several?"

Furthermore, imagine a front page full of questions pertaining to a new movie, each post prefixed with the movie's name.


"In 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb', why is the American President named Merkin Muffley?"

7

I agree with Liath, in general the movie name should not be required, especially if it crowds the title and makes it unnecessarily long.

However I don't think we should say that they must not be included, and the first example shown in the question "In Les Miserables what was Val Jean's crime?" is probably the better in this case.

3
  • Perhaps there's a length element to it? I'm just keen to avoid one person editing and another changing it back based on personal taste... it annoys me when someone edits my question because of personal preference
    – Liath
    Nov 14, 2013 at 17:11
  • 2
    "and the first example shown in the question "In Les Miserables what was Val Jean's crime?" is probably the better in this case." - That may also be because "Val Jean's crime" isn't such a good title for different reasons. The best would IMHO be "What was Val Jean's crime?".
    – Napoleon Wilson Mod
    Nov 14, 2013 at 17:46
  • 4
    I agree that if the movie title is properly included into the question title (as in the example given), it doesn't necessarily need to be removed. It would be a different case for "Les Miserables: What was Val Jean's crime" as that significantly clutters the title and hinders reading pleasure. Well after rethinking, the first example from the question should rather be changed to "What was Val Jean's crime in Les Miserables?" for optimal dynamic reading.
    – Napoleon Wilson Mod
    Nov 14, 2013 at 17:49
5

I think the film title in the question title helps make them more readable, and so it's fine if it's included.

1
  • 2
    In general this is not true, I think. It can help in certain situations to make it more readable while in others just cluttering it. So as a general statement this is just wrong.
    – Napoleon Wilson Mod
    Jan 2, 2014 at 19:42
2

My own opinion, I feel the film name is superfluous as it is already included in the tag

-2

If the title provides clarity, I say include it.

Take for example: What were the men building in the opening scene of S06E07?

I found this through Hot Network Topics, which obviously don't include tags

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