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Research Titles
By Enago Academy
Enago Academy, "6 Important Tips on Writing a Research Paper Title." Enago Academy. September 19, 2017. https://www.enago.com/academy/write-irresistible-research-paper-title/.
When you are searching for a research study on a particular topic, you probably notice that articles with interesting, descriptive research titles draw you in. By contrast, research paper titles that are not descriptive are usually passed over, even though you may write a good research paper with interesting contents. This shows the importance of coming up with a good title for your research paper when drafting your own manuscript.
Importance of a Research Title
The research title plays a crucial role in the research process, and its importance can be summarized as follows:
Therefore, a research title serves as a critical component of the overall research communication process. It not only facilitates the dissemination of knowledge but also contributes to the professionalism, and impact of the research.
Why do Research Titles Matter?
Before we look at how to title a research paper, let’s look at a research title example that illustrates why a good research paper should have a strong title.
Imagine that you are researching meditation and nursing, and you want to find out if any studies have shown that meditation makes nurses better communicators. You conduct a keyword search using the keywords “nursing”, “communication”, and “meditation.” You come up with results that have the following titles:
- Benefits of Meditation for the Nursing Profession: A Quantitative Investigation
- Why Mindful Nurses Make the Best Communicators
- Meditation Gurus
- Nurses on the Move: A Quantitative Report on How Meditation Can Improve Nurse Performance
All four of these research paper titles may describe very similar studies—they could even be titles for the same study! As you can see, they give very different impressions.
- Title 1 describes the topic and the method of the study but is not particularly catchy.
- Title 2 partly describes the topic, but does not give any information about the method of the study—it could simply be a theoretical or opinion piece.
- Title 3 is somewhat catchier but gives almost no information at all about the article.
- Title 4 begins with a catchy main title and is followed by a subtitle that gives information about the content and method of the study.
As we will see, Title 4 has all the characteristics of a good research title.
Characteristics of a Good Research Title
According to rhetoric scholars Hairston and Keene, making a good title for a paper involves ensuring that the title of the research accomplishes four goals as mentioned below:
- It should predict the content of the research paper.
- It should be interesting to the reader.
- It should reflect the tone of the writing.
- It should contain important keywords that will make it easier to be located during a keyword search.
Let’s return to the examples in the previous section to see how to make a research title.
| Title | Predicts content? | Interesting? | Reflects tone? | Important keywords? |
| Benefits of Meditation for the Nursing Profession: A Quantitative Investigation | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Why Mindful Nurses Make the Best Communicators | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Meditation Gurus | No | Yes | No | No |
| Nurses on the Move: A Quantitative Report on How Meditation Can Improve Nurse Performance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
As you can see in the table above, only one of the four example titles fulfills all of the criteria of a suitable research paper title.
Related: You’ve chosen your study topic, but having trouble deciding where to publish it? Here’s a comprehensive course to help you identify the right journal.
Tips for Writing an Effective Research Paper Title
When writing a research title, you can use the four criteria listed above as a guide. Here are a few other tips you can use to make sure your title will be part of the recipe for an effective research paper:
- Make sure your research title describes (a) the topic, (b) the method, (c) the sample, and (d) the results of your study. You can use the following formula:
[Result]: A [method] study of [topic] among [sample]
Example: Meditation makes nurses perform better: a qualitative study of mindfulness meditation among German nursing students
- Avoid unnecessary words and jargons. Keep the title statement as concise as possible. You want a title that will be comprehensible even to people who are not experts in your field. Check our article for a detailed list of things to avoid when writing an effective research title.
- Make sure your title is between 5 and 15 words in length.
- If you are writing a title for a university assignment or for a particular academic journal, verify that your title conforms to the standards and requirements for that outlet. For example, many journals require that titles fall under a character limit, including spaces. Many universities require that titles take a very specific form, limiting your creativity.
- Use a descriptive phrase to convey the purpose of your research efficiently.
- Most importantly, use critical keywords in the title to increase the discoverability of your article.
Resources for Further Reading
In addition to the tips above, there are many resources online that you can use to help write your research title. Here is a list of links that you may find useful as you work on creating an excellent research title:
- The University of Southern California has a guide specific to social science research papers: http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/title
- The Journal of European Psychology Students has a blog article focusing on APA-compliant research paper titles: http://blog.efpsa.org/2012/09/01/how-to-write-a-good-title-for-journal-articles/
- This article by Kristen Hamlin contains a step-by-step approach to writing titles: http://classroom.synonym.com/choose-title-research-paper-4332.html
Are there any tips or tricks you find useful in crafting research titles? Which tip did you find most useful in this article? Leave a comment to let us know!
References
- Hairston, M., & Keene, M. 2003. Successful writing. 5th ed. New York: Norton.
- University of Southern California. 2017. Organizing your social sciences research paper: choosing a title. [Online] Available at: http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/title
Research Titles
27 Comments
RAFFY says
Thank you so much:) Have a nice day!
Reply
ISHTEE says
Thank you so much, it helped me.. God bless..
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Mary Kutton says
Thank you for the excellent article and tips for creating a research work, because I always forget about such an essential element as the keywords when forming topics. In particular, I have found a rapid help with the formation of informative and sound titles that also conforms to the standards and requirements.
Reply
Zubair khan says
I am doing a research work on sales girls or shop girls using qualititative method. Basicly I am from Pakistan and writing on the scenario of mycountry. I am really confused about my research title can you kindly give some suggestions and give me an approperaite tilte
Reply
Enago Academy says
See Also200 Best Research Paper Topics for 2023 + Examples - Paperell.netSage Research Methods - The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research MethodsThe Five Common TopicsHow to Start (and Complete) a Research Paper - TIP SheetHi Zubair,
Thank you for your question. However, the information you have provided is insufficient for drafting an appropriate title. Information on what exactly you intend to study would be needed in order to draft a meaningful title.
Meanwhile, you can try drafting your own title after going through the following articles our website:
https://www.enago.com/academy/top-10-tips-on-choosing-an-attractive-research-title/, https://www.enago.com/academy/writing-a-good-research-title-things-to-avoid/, https://www.enago.com/academy/write-irresistible-research-paper-title/
We would be happy to give you feedback and suggest changes if required.
Did you get a chance to install our free Mobile App? https://www.enago.com/academy/mobile-app/. Make sure you subscribe to our weekly newsletter https://www.enago.com/academy/subscribe-now/.Reply
adugna yadete says
thanks for helping me like this!!
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Feline says
Thank you for this. It helped me improve my research title. I just want to verify to you the title I have just made. “Ensuring the safety: A Quantitative Study of Radio Frequency Identification system among the selected students of ( school’s name ).
(I need your reply asap coz we will be doing the chap. 1 tomorrow. Thank u in advance. 🙂 )
Reply
Joan Gripo says
I am actually doing a research paper title. I want to know more further in doing research title. Can you give me some tips on doing a research paper?
Reply
Enago Academy says
Hi Joan,
Thank you for your question. We are glad to know that you found our resources useful. Your feedback is very valuable to us. You can try drafting your own title after going through the following articles on our website:
https://www.enago.com/academy/top-10-tips-on-choosing-an-attractive-research-title/, https://www.enago.com/academy/writing-a-good-research-title-things-to-avoid/, https://www.enago.com/academy/write-irresistible-research-paper-title/We would be happy to give you feedback and suggest changes if required. Did you get a chance to install our free Mobile App? https://www.enago.com/academy/mobile-app/. Make sure you subscribe to our weekly newsletter https://www.enago.com/academy/subscribe-now/.
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AAN ERLYANA FARDHANI says
That really helpful. Thanks alot
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Nahfizah says
Thank you so much. It’s really help me.
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liza says
Thanks for sharing this tips. Title matters a lot for any article because it contents Keywords of article. It should be eye-catchy. Your article is helpful to select title of any article.
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Swati Rapotra says
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Pedro Delrosa says
i’m found in selecting my ma thesis title ,so i’m going to do my final research after the proposal approved. Your post help me find good title.
Reply
Ben says
I need help. I need a research title for my study about early mobilization of the mechanically ventilated patients in the ICU. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.
Enago Academy says
Hi,
Thank you for posting your query on the website. When writing manuscripts, too many scholars neglect the research title. This phrase, along with the abstract, is what people will mostly see and read online. Title research of publications shows that the research paper title does matter a lot. Both bibliometrics and altmetrics tracking of citations are now, for better or worse, used to gauge a paper’s “success” for its author(s) and the journal publishing it. Interesting research topics coupled with good or clever yet accurate research titles can draw more attention to your work from peers and the public alike. You can check through the following search results for titles on similar topics: https://www.google.com/search?q=early+mobilization+of+the+mechanically+ventilated+patients+in+the+icu&rlz=1C1GCEU_enIN907IN907&oq=&aqs=chrome.0.69i59.4920093j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 .
We hope this would be helpful in drafting an attractive title for your research paper.
Please let us know in case of any other queries.
Reply
Louie says
I’ve been surfing online more than 3 hours these days, but I never found any interesting article like yours.
It is lovely worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all website owners and bloggers made just right content material as you did, the internet will be much more helpful than ever before.Reply
Reda says
Wonderful article! We will bee linking to this particularly great post on our site.
Keep up the good writing.Reply
Uta says
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment
but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up.
Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again.
Anyhow, just wanted to say fantastic blog!Reply
Elvis Rene says
In case the topic is new research before you’re writing.
And then to stand out, you end up being different.and be inclined to highlight yourself.There are many free directories, and more paid lists.
Reply
ROKIPEDIA says
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Myhomework Writers says
Nice and well written content you have shared with us. thanks a lot!
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Joselito says
(4/5)
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Khuzaima says
(3/5)
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