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Formulating Research Titles

The title of a research paper is an important component that should be carefully formulated. An effective title is concise, contains between 10-15 words, accurately indicates the subject and scope of the study, and uses current terminology. It may also reveal how the paper is organized or suggest relationships between variables. The title should attract readers and inform them about the research, while maintaining an appropriate academic tone. Subtitles can provide additional context or qualify aspects like geography or time period. When choosing a title, the researcher should consider the purpose, narrative tone, methods, and scope of their work.

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1K views

Formulating Research Titles

The title of a research paper is an important component that should be carefully formulated. An effective title is concise, contains between 10-15 words, accurately indicates the subject and scope of the study, and uses current terminology. It may also reveal how the paper is organized or suggest relationships between variables. The title should attract readers and inform them about the research, while maintaining an appropriate academic tone. Subtitles can provide additional context or qualify aspects like geography or time period. When choosing a title, the researcher should consider the purpose, narrative tone, methods, and scope of their work.

Uploaded by

muna moono
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Formulating Research Titles

Introduction

The title is a part of a research report, dissertation or thesis that is read the most, and it is usually
read first therefore great care must be taken when formulating a title. The title summarizes the
main idea or ideas of your study. A good title contains the fewest possible words that adequately
describe the contents and/or purpose of your research paper. The School of Education at the
University of Zambia recommends that the title should not be more than twenty (20) words,
other institutions recommend even less words,

The sacred Heart University Library explain that effect titles in academic research papers have
the following characteristics:

 Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study.


 Avoid using abbreviations.
 Use words that create a positive impression and stimulate reader interest.
 Use current nomenclature from the field of study.
 Identify key variables, both dependent and independent.
 May reveal how the paper will be organized.
 Suggest a relationship between variables which supports the major hypothesis.
 Is limited to 10 to 15 substantive words.
 Do not include "study of," "analysis of" or similar constructions.
 Titles are usually in the form of a phrase, but can also be in the form of a question.
 Use correct grammar and capitalization with all first words and last words capitalized,
including the first word of a subtitle. All nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
that appear between the first and last words of the title are also capitalized.
 In academic papers, rarely is a title followed by an exclamation mark. However, a title or
subtitle can be in the form of a question.

The Subtitle

Subtitles are quite common in social science research papers. Examples of why you may
include a subtitle:

1. Explains or provides additional context, e.g., "Linguistic Ethnography and the Study of
Welfare Institutions as a Flow of Social Practices: The Case of Residential Child Care
Institutions as Paradoxical Institutions."
2. Adds substance to a literary, provocative, or imaginative title, e.g., "Listen to What I
Say, Not How I Vote: Congressional Support for the President in Washington and at
Home."
3. Qualifies the geographic scope of the research, e.g., "The Geopolitics of the Eastern
Border of the European Union: The Case of Romania-Moldova-Ukraine."
4. Qualifies the temporal scope of the research, e.g., "A Comparison of the Progressive
Era and the Depression Years: Societal Influences on Predictions of the Future of the
Library, 1895-1940."
5. Focuses on investigating the ideas, theories, or work of a particular individual, e.g.,
"A Deliberative Conception of Politics: How Francesco Saverio Merlino Related
Anarchy and Democracy."

When formulating a title using the following to guide you:

1. The purpose of the research


2. The narrative tone of the paper [typically defined by the type of the research]
3. The methods used
4. The scope of the research

Importance of Choosing a Good Title

 If the title is too long, this usually indicates there are too many unnecessary words. Avoid
language, such as, "A Study to Investigate the...," or "An Examination of the...." These
phrases are obvious and generally superfluous unless they are necessary to covey the
scope, intent, or type of a study.
 On the other hand, a title which is too short often uses words which are too broad and,
thus, does not tell the reader what is being studied. For example, a paper with the title,
"African Politics" is so non-specific the title could be the title of a book and so
ambiguous that it could refer to anything associated with politics in Africa. A good title
should provide information about the focus and/or scope of your research study.
 In academic writing, catchy phrases or non-specific language may be used, but only if it's
within the context of the study [e.g., "Fair and Impartial Jury--Catch as Catch Can"].
However, in most cases, you should avoid including words or phrases that do not help the
reader understand the purpose of your paper.
 Academic writing is a serious and deliberate endeavor. Avoid using humorous or clever
journalistic styles of phrasing when creating the title to your paper. Journalistic headlines
often use emotional adjectives [e.g., incredible, amazing, effortless] to highlight a
problem experienced by the reader or use "trigger words" or interrogative words like
how, what, when, or why to persuade people to read the article or click on a link. These
approaches are viewed as counter-productive in academic writing. A reader does not need
clever or humorous titles to catch their attention because the act of reading is assumed to
be deliberate based on a desire to learn and improve understanding of the research
problem. In addition, a humorous title can merely detract from the seriousness and
authority of your research. 
 Unlike everywhere else in a college-level social sciences research paper [except when
using direct quotes in the text], titles do not have to adhere to rigid grammatical or
stylistic standards. For example, it could be appropriate to begin a title with a
coordinating conjunction [i.e., and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet] if it makes sense to do so and
does not detract from the purpose of the study [e.g., "Yet Another Look at Mutual Fund
Tournaments"] or beginning the title with an inflected form of a verb such as those
ending in -ing [e.g., "Assessing the Political Landscape: Structure, Cognition, and Power
in Organizations"].

Hartley James. “To Attract or to Inform: What are Titles for?” Journal of Technical Writing and
Communication 35 (2005): 203-213; Jaakkola, Maarit. “Journalistic Writing and Style.” In
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Jon F. Nussbaum, editor. (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2018): https://oxfordre.com/communication.

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