Use of ampersand, colon and dash in the title of a newsletter article

Question

Is it correct to use an ampersand and colon in a the title of a newsletter article:

Something & Something Else: A Subtitle

Or is it more correct to use the word "and" and a dash:

Something and Something Else - A Subtitle

Or a similar combination of either one?

Answer 1

I would use a colon rather than a dash and I would write the word 'and' instead of using a symbol. Although colons and dashes are often interchangeable, in this case the extra piece could be considered a 'title' or 'definition' of what went before. Dashes are usually used for extra information. Also, if you look at article titles (in anything I read), they use a colon. My comment about 'and' is really just personal preference. I always use the full word unless I am writing notes or space is really precious.

Answer 2

I would stick with the colon rather than a dash. Generally, a colon indicates that what follows is critical information, while a dash tends to imply that the following information is simply an addition and further explains what has already been stated. It's a matter of perception.

As for the ampersand, I would say it depends on a few things:

1. Does the publication have or follow a style guide that dictates this usage?
2. What is the medium? I tend to disagree with one of the comments on an answer above, that it should only be used in Web-based media. In fact, I would say the exact opposite, because space is rarely an issue in a fluid medium like a blog or e-zine. In print, however, titles/headlines need to be short because space is at a premium. Web media give you more freedom, and at that point the question becomes stylistic more so than convention.

Answer 3

I would use colon too. Never used a dash in a title before.

About & or and, to me, if it's a web article, then I'll use &. But if the article is gonna publish in newspaper or any kind of traditional media, "and" is used a lot; "&" not quite.