3 Basic tips on writing a good research paper title (2024)

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Sneha Kulkarni

Oct 17, 2013

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3 Basic tips on writing a good research paper title (2)

Let us discuss the most basic and important aspect of a research paper—the title. Writing a research paper title may seem a simple task, but it requires some serious thought.It might come as a surprise to most people that an author, having successfully written a detailed account of his/her research study, experiences a block while attempting to title the research paper. However, most authors, by virtue of possessing comprehensive details of the research paper, are perplexed with regard to how to maketheir research papertitle concise without sacrificing any relevant elements.

When writing a research paper title, authors should realize that despite being repeatedly warned against it, most people do indeed fall prey to “judging a book by its cover.” This cognitive bias tends to make readers considerably susceptible to allowing the research paper title to function as the sole factor influencing their decision of whether to read or skip a particular paper. Although seeking the professional assistance of a research paper writing service could help the cause, the author of the paper stands as the best judge for setting the right tone of his/her research paper.

Readers come across research paper titles in searches through databases and reference sections of research papers. They deduce what a paper is about and its relevance to them based on the title. Considering this, it is clear that the title of your paper is the most important determinant of how many people will read it.

A good research paper title:

  • Condenses the paper’s content in a few words
  • Captures the readers’ attention
  • Differentiates the paper from other papers of the same subject area

Scroll to the end of the article for a 3-minute interactive video on tips for writing an effective research paper title

So here are three basic tips to keep in mind while writing a title:

1] Keep it simple, brief and attractive:The primary function of a title is to provide a precise summary of the paper’s content. So keep the title brief and clear. Use active verbs instead of complex noun-based phrases, and avoid unnecessary details. Moreover, a good title for a research paper is typically around 10 to 12 words long. A lengthy title may seem unfocused and take the readers’ attention away from an important point.

Avoid: Drug XYZ has an effect of muscular contraction for an hour in snails of Achatina fulcia species

Better: Drug XYZ induces muscular contraction in Achatina fulcia snails

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2] Use appropriate descriptive words:A good research paper title should contain key words used in the manuscript and should define the nature of the study. Think about terms people would use to search for your study and include them in your title.

Avoid: Effects of drug A on schizophrenia patients: study of a multicenter mixed group

Better: Psychosocial effects of drug A on schizophrenia patients: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

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    A checklist for getting your research paper title right_0.docx

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    3] Avoid abbreviations and jargon:Known abbreviations such as AIDS, NATO, and so on can be used in the title. However, other lesser-known or specific abbreviations and jargon that would not be immediately familiar to the readers should be left out.

    Do you have any questions related to writing and publishing your research paper?

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    Avoid: MMP expression profiles cannot distinguish between normal and early osteoarthritic synovial fluid

    Better: Matrix metalloproteinase protein expression profiles cannot distinguish between normal and early osteoarthritic synovial fluid

    Always write down the hypothesis and then take into consideration these simple tips. This would help you in composing the besttitle for your research paper.

    Here's an quick 3-minute recap of the tips on writing an effective research paper title:

    You might also like to read the following related articles:

    • How to write an effective title and abstract and choose appropriate keywords
    • Quick tips to help you get the title of your research paper right
    • A 10-step guide to make your research paper abstract more effective
    • The complete guide to writing a brilliant research paper

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    Published on: Oct 17, 2013

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    Sneha Kulkarni

    Sneha’s interest in the communication of research led her to her current role of developing and designing content for researchers and authors.

    See more from Sneha Kulkarni

    Sneha’s interest in the communication of research led her to her current role of developing and designing content for researchers and authors.

    See more from Sneha Kulkarni

    3 Basic tips on writing a good research paper title (2024)

    FAQs

    3 Basic tips on writing a good research paper title? ›

    First, a good title predicts the content of the research paper. Second, a good title should be interesting to the reader. Third, it should reflect the tone of the writing.

    What are the 3 things to consider in writing the title in research? ›

    First, a good title predicts the content of the research paper. Second, a good title should be interesting to the reader. Third, it should reflect the tone of the writing.

    What are the three elements for a good research title? ›

    A good research title should be informative, concise, and reflective of the scientific content. It should capture the main idea or message of the research and attract readers' attention.

    What are the 3 major steps of writing a research paper? ›

    Your paper should consist of three parts: the introduction, the body of the paper and the conclusion. The introduction should state the thesis, summarize the main ideas of the paper and capture the reader's interest. The body of the paper should develop each section of the outline.

    How do you write a good research paper title? ›

    The “title” should be descriptive, direct, accurate, appropriate, interesting, concise, precise, unique, and should not be misleading. The “abstract” needs to be simple, specific, clear, unbiased, honest, concise, precise, stand-alone, complete, scholarly, (preferably) structured, and should not be misrepresentative.

    What are the three parts of a title? ›

    Three key parts of a title
    • Keywords.
    • Emphasis.
    • Impact.
    Aug 31, 2019

    What are the 5 parts of research title? ›

    There are five MAJOR parts of a Research Report:
    • Introduction.
    • Review of Literature.
    • Methods.
    • Results.
    • Discussion.

    What makes a good research title? ›

    In a nutshell, your research title should accurately capture what you have done, it should sound interesting to the people who work on the same or a similar topic, and it should contain the important title keywords that other researchers use when looking for literature in databases.

    What are the 4 important parts of a research title? ›

    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.

    What are the two 2 important components of the research title? ›

    Descriptive titles, which states the focus of the study: The effect of heat on ice. 2. Conclusion titles, which provide the authors' main conclusion from their study.

    What are the three 3 purposes of research in order? ›

    Three of the most common and useful purposes are ex- ploration, description, and explanation. Although a given study can have more than one of these pur- poses-and most do-examining them separately is useful because each has different implications for other aspects of research design.

    What are the 3 major types of research? ›

    There are several types of research methods. Exploratory, descriptive, and causal are the three main types that we'll walk you through. It helps to familiarize yourself with these types before designing your survey research.

    What is the step 3 of the research process? ›

    Step 3: Clarify the Problem

    In step 3 of the process, the researcher clarifies the problem and narrows the scope of the study. This can only be done after the literature has been reviewed. The knowledge gained through the review of literature guides the researcher in clarifying and narrowing the research project.

    What is the best research title? ›

    The title should be clear, unambiguous, and attractive. The second title is better since there are no extra words in it. Time and place of the study. If your research is descriptive, you can mention the time and place of the study.

    What are the 10 examples of research title qualitative? ›

    Examples of qualitative research topics in social science
    • Personalized learning: new technologies for individual development of students.
    • Nations and how they arose.
    • The influence of social networks on teenagers.
    • Problems of the modern family and ways to overcome them.
    Nov 7, 2023

    What are some research title? ›

    Sample Research Topics
    • Brain Injury: Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Brain Injury.
    • Data Analytics: Translational Data Analytics and Decision Science.
    • Foods for Health: Personalized Food and Nutritional Metabolic Profiling to Improve Health.
    • Food Security: Resilient, Sustainable and Global Food Security for Health.

    What are the things to consider in selecting a research title? ›

    Things to Consider in Choosing a Research Topic and Title

    There are six general aspects to consider in choosing a research topic and title. These include the research gap, policy relevance, data availability, clarity of relationships, researcher interest, and subject area focus.

    What should be avoided when writing a research title? ›

    A Handy List of Don'ts
    • The period generally has no place in a title (even a declarative phrase can work without a period)
    • Likewise, any kind of dashes to separates title parts (however, hyphens to link words is fine)
    • Chemical formula, like H2O, CH4, etc. ( ...
    • Avoid roman numerals (e.g., III, IX, etc.)
    Jul 17, 2017

    What not to do in a research title? ›

    How to write a title for a research paper: Mistakes to avoid
    • The title doesn't describe the main result of the paper. ...
    • The title contains too much detail. ...
    • The title is too long. ...
    • The title is unspecific. ...
    • The title contains question marks, hyphens and colons. ...
    • The title is too noun-heavy.
    Jul 4, 2018

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