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How to Make a Research Paper Title with Examples

What is a research paper title and why does it matter?

A research paper title summarizes the aim and purpose of your research study. Making a title for your research is one of the most important decisions when writing an article to publish in journals. The research title is the first thing that journal editors and reviewers see when they look at your paper and the only piece of information that fellow researchers will see in a database or search engine query. Good titles that are concise and contain all the relevant terms have been shown to increase citation counts and Altmetric scores .

Therefore, when you title research work, make sure it captures all of the relevant aspects of your study, including the specific topic and problem being investigated. It also should present these elements in a way that is accessible and will captivate readers. Follow these steps to learn how to make a good research title for your work.

How to Make a Research Paper Title in 5 Steps

You might wonder how you are supposed to pick a title from all the content that your manuscript contains—how are you supposed to choose? What will make your research paper title come up in search engines and what will make the people in your field read it? 

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. To make the title writing process as simple as possible, we have broken it down into 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Answer some key questions about your research paper

What does your paper seek to answer and what does it accomplish? Try to answer these questions as briefly as possible. You can create these questions by going through each section of your paper and finding the MOST relevant information to make a research title.

Step 2: Identify research study keywords

Now that you have answers to your research questions, find the most important parts of these responses and make these your study keywords. Note that you should only choose the most important terms for your keywords–journals usually request anywhere from 3 to 8 keywords maximum.

Step 3: Research title writing: use these keywords

“We employed a case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years to assess how waiting list volume affects the outcomes of liver transplantation in patients; results indicate a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and negative prognosis after the transplant procedure.”

The sentence above is clearly much too long for a research paper title. This is why you will trim and polish your title in the next two steps.

Step 4: Create a working research paper title

To create a working title, remove elements that make it a complete “sentence” but keep everything that is important to what the study is about. Delete all unnecessary and redundant words that are not central to the study or that researchers would most likely not use in a database search.

“ We employed a case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years to assess how the waiting list volume affects the outcome of liver transplantation in patients ; results indicate a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and a negative prognosis after transplant procedure ”

Now shift some words around for proper syntax and rephrase it a bit to shorten the length and make it leaner and more natural. What you are left with is:

“A case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcome of transplantation and showing a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and a negative prognosis” (Word Count: 38)

This text is getting closer to what we want in a research title, which is just the most important information. But note that the word count for this working title is still 38 words, whereas the average length of published journal article titles is 16 words or fewer. Therefore, we should eliminate some words and phrases that are not essential to this title.

Step 5: Remove any nonessential words and phrases from your title

Because the number of patients studied and the exact outcome are not the most essential parts of this paper, remove these elements first:

 “A case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the US aged 20-50 years assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcomes of transplantation and showing a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and a negative prognosis” (Word Count: 19)

In addition, the methods used in a study are not usually the most searched-for keywords in databases and represent additional details that you may want to remove to make your title leaner. So what is left is:

“Assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcome and prognosis in liver transplantation patients” (Word Count: 15)

In this final version of the title, one can immediately recognize the subject and what objectives the study aims to achieve. Note that the most important terms appear at the beginning and end of the title: “Assessing,” which is the main action of the study, is placed at the beginning; and “liver transplantation patients,” the specific subject of the study, is placed at the end.

This will aid significantly in your research paper title being found in search engines and database queries, which means that a lot more researchers will be able to locate your article once it is published. In fact, a 2014 review of more than 150,000 papers submitted to the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) database found the style of a paper’s title impacted the number of citations it would typically receive. In most disciplines, articles with shorter, more concise titles yielded more citations.

Adding a Research Paper Subtitle

If your title might require a subtitle to provide more immediate details about your methodology or sample, you can do this by adding this information after a colon:

“ : a case study of US adult patients ages 20-25”

If we abide strictly by our word count rule this may not be necessary or recommended. But every journal has its own standard formatting and style guidelines for research paper titles, so it is a good idea to be aware of the specific journal author instructions , not just when you write the manuscript but also to decide how to create a good title for it.

Research Paper Title Examples

The title examples in the following table illustrate how a title can be interesting but incomplete, complete by uninteresting, complete and interesting but too informal in tone, or some other combination of these. A good research paper title should meet all the requirements in the four columns below.

Tips on Formulating a Good Research Paper Title

In addition to the steps given above, there are a few other important things you want to keep in mind when it comes to how to write a research paper title, regarding formatting, word count, and content:

• Write the title after you’ve written your paper and abstract
• Include all of the essential terms in your paper
• Keep it short and to the point (~16 words or fewer)
• Avoid unnecessary jargon and abbreviations
• Use keywords that capture the content of your paper
• Never include a period at the end—your title is NOT a sentence

Research Paper Writing Resources

We hope this article has been helpful in teaching you how to craft your research paper title. But you might still want to dig deeper into different journal title formats and categories that might be more suitable for specific article types or need help with writing a cover letter for your manuscript submission.

In addition to getting English proofreading services , including paper editing services , before submission to journals, be sure to visit our academic resources papers. Here you can find dozens of articles on manuscript writing, from drafting an outline to finding a target journal to submit to.

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Home » Research Paper Title – Writing Guide and Example

Research Paper Title – Writing Guide and Example

Table of Contents

Research Paper Title

Research Paper Title is the name or heading that summarizes the main theme or topic of a research paper . It serves as the first point of contact between the reader and the paper, providing an initial impression of the content, purpose, and scope of the research . A well-crafted research paper title should be concise, informative, and engaging, accurately reflecting the key elements of the study while also capturing the reader’s attention and interest. The title should be clear and easy to understand, and it should accurately convey the main focus and scope of the research paper.

Examples of Research Paper Title

Here are some Good Examples of Research Paper Title:

• “Investigating the Relationship Between Sleep Duration and Academic Performance Among College Students”
• “The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Employment: A Systematic Review”
• “The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis”
• “Exploring the Effects of Social Support on Mental Health in Patients with Chronic Illness”
• “Assessing the Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial”
• “The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Consumer Behavior: A Systematic Review”
• “Investigating the Link Between Personality Traits and Leadership Effectiveness”
• “The Effect of Parental Incarceration on Child Development: A Longitudinal Study”
• “Exploring the Relationship Between Cultural Intelligence and Cross-Cultural Adaptation: A Meta-Analysis”
• “Assessing the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Chronic Pain Management”.
• “The Effects of Social Media on Mental Health: A Meta-Analysis”
• “The Impact of Climate Change on Global Crop Yields: A Longitudinal Study”
• “Exploring the Relationship between Parental Involvement and Academic Achievement in Elementary School Students”
• “The Ethics of Genetic Editing: A Review of Current Research and Implications for Society”
• “Understanding the Role of Gender in Leadership: A Comparative Study of Male and Female CEOs”
• “The Effect of Exercise on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial”
• “The Impacts of COVID-19 on Mental Health: A Cross-Cultural Comparison”
• “Assessing the Effectiveness of Online Learning Platforms: A Case Study of Coursera”
• “Exploring the Link between Employee Engagement and Organizational Performance”
• “The Effects of Income Inequality on Social Mobility: A Comparative Analysis of OECD Countries”
• “Exploring the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Mental Health in Adolescents”
• “The Impact of Climate Change on Crop Yield: A Case Study of Maize Production in Sub-Saharan Africa”
• “Examining the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders: A Meta-Analysis”
• “An Analysis of the Relationship Between Employee Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment”
• “Assessing the Impacts of Wilderness Areas on Local Economies: A Case Study of Yellowstone National Park”
• “The Role of Parental Involvement in Early Childhood Education: A Review of the Literature”
• “Investigating the Effects of Technology on Learning in Higher Education”
• “The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges”
• “A Study of the Relationship Between Personality Traits and Leadership Styles in Business Organizations”.

How to choose Research Paper Title

Choosing a research paper title is an important step in the research process. A good title can attract readers and convey the essence of your research in a concise and clear manner. Here are some tips on how to choose a research paper title:

• Be clear and concise: A good title should convey the main idea of your research in a clear and concise manner. Avoid using jargon or technical language that may be confusing to readers.
• Use keywords: Including keywords in your title can help readers find your paper when searching for related topics. Use specific, descriptive terms that accurately describe your research.
• Be descriptive: A descriptive title can help readers understand what your research is about. Use adjectives and adverbs to convey the main ideas of your research.
• Consider the audience : Think about the audience for your paper and choose a title that will appeal to them. If your paper is aimed at a specialized audience, you may want to use technical terms or jargon in your title.
• Avoid being too general or too specific : A title that is too general may not convey the specific focus of your research, while a title that is too specific may not be of interest to a broader audience. Strive for a title that accurately reflects the focus of your research without being too narrow or too broad.
• Make it interesting : A title that is interesting or provocative can capture the attention of readers and draw them into your research. Use humor, wordplay, or other creative techniques to make your title stand out.
• Seek feedback: Ask colleagues or advisors for feedback on your title. They may be able to offer suggestions or identify potential problems that you hadn’t considered.

Purpose of Research Paper Title

The research paper title serves several important purposes, including:

• Identifying the subject matter : The title of a research paper should clearly and accurately identify the topic or subject matter that the paper addresses. This helps readers quickly understand what the paper is about.
• Catching the reader’s attention : A well-crafted title can grab the reader’s attention and make them interested in reading the paper. This is particularly important in academic settings where there may be many papers on the same topic.
• Providing context: The title can provide important context for the research paper by indicating the specific area of study, the research methods used, or the key findings.
• Communicating the scope of the paper: A good title can give readers an idea of the scope and depth of the research paper. This can help them decide if the paper is relevant to their interests or research.
• Indicating the research question or hypothesis : The title can often indicate the research question or hypothesis that the paper addresses, which can help readers understand the focus of the research and the main argument or conclusion of the paper.

Advantages of Research Paper Title

The title of a research paper is an important component that can have several advantages, including:

• Capturing the reader’s attention : A well-crafted research paper title can grab the reader’s attention and encourage them to read further. A captivating title can also increase the visibility of the paper and attract more readers.
• Providing a clear indication of the paper’s focus: A well-written research paper title should clearly convey the main focus and purpose of the study. This helps potential readers quickly determine whether the paper is relevant to their interests.
• Improving discoverability: A descriptive title that includes relevant keywords can improve the discoverability of the research paper in search engines and academic databases, making it easier for other researchers to find and cite.
• Enhancing credibility : A clear and concise title can enhance the credibility of the research and the author. A title that accurately reflects the content of the paper can increase the confidence readers have in the research findings.
• Facilitating communication: A well-written research paper title can facilitate communication among researchers, enabling them to quickly and easily identify relevant studies and engage in discussions related to the topic.
• Making the paper easier to remember : An engaging and memorable research paper title can help readers remember the paper and its findings. This can be especially important in fields where researchers are constantly inundated with new information and need to quickly recall important studies.
• Setting expectations: A good research paper title can set expectations for the reader and help them understand what the paper will cover. This can be especially important for readers who are unfamiliar with the topic or the research area.
• Guiding research: A well-crafted research paper title can also guide future research by highlighting gaps in the current literature or suggesting new areas for investigation.
• Demonstrating creativity: A creative research paper title can demonstrate the author’s creativity and originality, which can be appealing to readers and other researchers.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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6 Important Tips on Writing a 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:

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.

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!

• 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

Thank you so much:) Have a nice day!

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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.

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

Hi 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/ .

thanks for helping me like this!!

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. 🙂 )

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?

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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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.

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.

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Ever find it hard to come up with a catchy title for your research paper? You're not alone! Many people struggle with creating titles that grab attention and show what their work is about.

It can be frustrating because your title is like a first impression. If it's not interesting, people might ignore your research. 

But no worries! 

In this blog, we'll give you practical tips and examples to make sure your research paper title stands out. 

Whether you're a beginner or an expert, we want to help you write research paper titles that would make others excited about your work!

So, let’s get started.

• 1. What is a Research Paper Title, and Why Does it Matter?
• 2. How to Write a Good Research Paper Title in 5 Steps
• 3. Step 2: Keep it Clear and Concise
• 4. Research Paper Title Examples
• 5. Tips for Writing an Effective Research Paper Title

What is a Research Paper Title, and Why Does it Matter?

A research paper title is like the name tag for your work. It tells people what your research paper is about. It's the first thing readers see, and it's important because it helps them decide if they want to read more.

Think of it like this: Have you ever picked up a book because the title sounded interesting? It's kind of the same idea. A good title grabs attention and makes people curious about what's inside.

In the world of research, a well-crafted title is crucial because it sets the stage for your whole paper. 

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Key Characteristics of a Good Research Paper Title

Here are some important factors that create an engaging and interesting research paper title:

• Clarity and Precision: Clearly conveys the main idea.
• Relevance to Content: Reflects core focus and findings.
• Conciseness: Keeps title brief and to the point.
• Keywords and Phrases: Includes important search keywords.
• Captivating Language: Engages interest without sacrificing accuracy.
• Reflects Paper's Tone: Matches the research paper's tone and style.

How to Write a Good Research Paper Title in 5 Steps

Writing an effective research paper title doesn't have to be difficult. Follow these five straightforward steps to craft a title that not only reflects your research but also captures the reader's interest.

Step 1: Understand Your Paper's Main Message

Think of your research as a big idea or a story. Imagine it as the most important thing you want to share with others. 

Ask yourself: What's the main thing or research problem I want people to know about my research? 

Once you're clear on this, you're ready to move on.

Step 2: Keep it Clear and Concise

When making your title, make it short and simple. Don't use too many words or make it confusing. 

The goal is to make it easy for people to understand what your paper is about right away. Think of it like telling a quick and clear story with your title!

Step 3: Be Specific, Not Too General

When writing your title, make sure it talks about your research and not just anything general. Don't use titles that could fit lots of different studies. 

Being specific helps people know exactly what your paper is going to tell them. It's like giving them a clear roadmap to your research!

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Step 4: Inject a Hint of Creativity or Intrigue

Make your title a little exciting! Use engaging words or ask a fun question to make people curious. Imagine your title as a little mystery that makes them want to learn more

Step 5: Check for Keywords and Relevance

Think about the words people might use when searching for research like yours. Use those words in your title to help people find your work. 

Including relevant keywords can improve the visibility of your paper in searches.

Adding a Research Paper Subtitle

A research paper subtitle is like an extra description that comes after the main title. It gives more details about what your research is about. 

Adding a subtitle is a choice, but it can be helpful. If your main title is short and you want to say more about your research, a subtitle is a good idea. 

It's like a bonus that provides extra information for readers. Consider using a subtitle when you want to give a bit more insight into your research topic.

Research Paper Title Examples

Check out the examples below and see how they perform in front of different factors:

Tips for Writing an Effective Research Paper Title

Follow these tips to make your research paper title engaging and attention-grabbing:

• Add important words related to your research for better search results.
• Make your title brief and clear to convey your research focus effectively.
• Use words that grab attention and spark curiosity about your study.
• Craft a title that anyone, whether an expert or newcomer, can understand.
• Aim for a title that's not too general or too technical, striking the right balance.

In conclusion,

Writing a standout research paper title is a crucial step to ensure your work gets the attention it deserves. Following the simple tips shared in this guide can help you create a title that is clear, engaging, and perfectly aligned with your research focus. 

Remember, your title is the first thing readers see, so making it count is key!

However, if you need writing assistance, MyPerfectWords.com is here for you. Our skilled writers are not only ready to help with writing compelling titles but can also write custom research paper just for you.

So don’t wait! Reach out and buy custom essay online today and take your academic writing to the next level!

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

John K. is a professional writer and author with many publications to his name. He has a Ph.D. in the field of management sciences, making him an expert on the subject matter. John is highly sought after for his insights and knowledge, and he regularly delivers keynote speeches and conducts workshops on various topics related to writing and publishing. He is also a regular contributor to various online publications.

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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

• Choosing a Title
• Purpose of Guide
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• Glossary of Research Terms
• Reading Research Effectively
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
• Broadening a Topic Idea
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The title summarizes the main idea or ideas of your study. A good title contains the fewest possible words needed to adequately describe the content and/or purpose of your research paper.

Importance of Choosing a Good Title

The title is the part of a paper that is read the most, and it is usually read first . It is, therefore, the most important element that defines the research study. With this in mind, avoid the following when creating a 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 research is assumed to be deliberate based on a desire to learn and improve understanding of the 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"].

Appiah, Kingsley Richard et al. “Structural Organisation of Research Article Titles: A Comparative Study of Titles of Business, Gynaecology and Law.” Advances in Language and Literary Studies 10 (2019); 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.

Structure and Writing Style

The following parameters can be used to help you formulate a suitable research paper title:

• The purpose of the research
• The scope of the research
• The narrative tone of the paper [typically defined by the type of the research]
• The methods used to study the problem

The initial aim of a title is to capture the reader’s attention and to highlight the research problem under investigation.

Create a Working Title Typically, the final title you submit to your professor is created after the research is complete so that the title accurately captures what has been done . The working title should be developed early in the research process because it can help anchor the focus of the study in much the same way the research problem does. Referring back to the working title can help you reorient yourself back to the main purpose of the study if you find yourself drifting off on a tangent while writing. The Final Title Effective titles in research papers have several characteristics that reflect general principles of academic writing.

• Indicate accurately the subject and scope of the study,
• Rarely use abbreviations or acronyms unless they are commonly known,
• 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,
• Reveal how the paper will be organized,
• Suggest a relationship between variables which supports the major hypothesis,
• Is limited to 5 to 15 substantive words,
• Does not include redundant phrasing, such as, "A Study of," "An Analysis of" or similar constructions,
• Takes the form of a question or declarative statement,
• If you use a quote as part of the title, the source of the quote is cited [usually using an asterisk and footnote],
• 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, and
• Rarely uses an exclamation mark at the end of the title.

The Subtitle Subtitles are frequently used in social sciences research papers because it helps the reader understand the scope of the study in relation to how it was designed to address the research problem. Think about what type of subtitle listed below reflects the overall approach to your study and whether you believe a subtitle is needed to emphasize the investigative parameters of your research.

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." [Palomares, Manuel and David Poveda.  Text & Talk: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language, Discourse and Communication Studies 30 (January 2010): 193-212]

2.  Adds substance to a literary, provocative, or imaginative title or quote , e.g., "Listen to What I Say, Not How I Vote": Congressional Support for the President in Washington and at Home." [Grose, Christian R. and Keesha M. Middlemass. Social Science Quarterly 91 (March 2010): 143-167]

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." [Marcu, Silvia. Geopolitics 14 (August 2009): 409-432]

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." [Grossman, Hal B. Libraries & the Cultural Record 46 (2011): 102-128]

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." [La Torre, Massimo. Sociologia del Diritto 28 (January 2001): 75 - 98]

6.  Identifies the methodology used , e.g. "Student Activism of the 1960s Revisited: A Multivariate Analysis Research Note." [Aron, William S. Social Forces 52 (March 1974): 408-414]

7.  Defines the overarching technique for analyzing the research problem , e.g., "Explaining Territorial Change in Federal Democracies: A Comparative Historical Institutionalist Approach." [ Tillin, Louise. Political Studies 63 (August 2015): 626-641.

With these examples in mind, think about what type of subtitle reflects the overall approach to your study. This will help the reader understand the scope of the study in relation to how it was designed to address the research problem.

Anstey, A. “Writing Style: What's in a Title?” British Journal of Dermatology 170 (May 2014): 1003-1004; Balch, Tucker. How to Compose a Title for Your Research Paper. Augmented Trader blog. School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Tech University; Bavdekar, Sandeep B. “Formulating the Right Title for a Research Article.” Journal of Association of Physicians of India 64 (February 2016); Choosing the Proper Research Paper Titles. AplusReports.com, 2007-2012; Eva, Kevin W. “Titles, Abstracts, and Authors.” In How to Write a Paper . George M. Hall, editor. 5th edition. (Oxford: John Wiley and Sons, 2013), pp. 33-41; Hartley James. “To Attract or to Inform: What are Titles for?” Journal of Technical Writing and Communication 35 (2005): 203-213; General Format. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Kerkut G.A. “Choosing a Title for a Paper.” Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology 74 (1983): 1; “Tempting Titles.” In Stylish Academic Writing . Helen Sword, editor. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012), pp. 63-75; Nundy, Samiran, et al. “How to Choose a Title?” In How to Practice Academic Medicine and Publish from Developing Countries? A Practical Guide . Edited by Samiran Nundy, Atul Kakar, and Zulfiqar A. Bhutta. (Springer Singapore, 2022), pp. 185-192.

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How to Write a Good Research Paper Title: Tips and Examples

Learn how to create good titles for research papers with our comprehensive guide. Discover tips, techniques, and examples to make your research stand out.

Kate Windsor

Jun 16, 2024

Writing a research paper is a crucial part of academic life, but crafting a compelling title can be just as important as the content itself. A good research paper title not only captures the essence of your work but also attracts potential readers and helps your paper stand out in a sea of academic literature. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the importance of good titles for research papers, provide tips on creating effective titles, and share examples to inspire your own title-writing process.

Understanding the Importance of a Research Paper Title

Why a good research paper title matters.

A suitable research paper title matters because:

a) It draws readers in and makes a research study stand out.

b) An effective research paper title is less likely to be overlooked.

c) It contributes to the professionalism and impact of the research.

According to a study by Jamali and Nikzad (2011), articles with shorter titles tend to be downloaded more often than those with longer titles. This highlights the importance of creating concise and engaging titles for your research papers.

Dr. John Smith, a renowned professor of psychology, states on research titles, "The title of a research paper is the first thing that readers, including peer reviewers and journal editors, will see. It's crucial to make a strong first impression with a clear, concise, and compelling title."

The role of a title in a research paper

A research title plays a critical role in the research process as it:

a) Facilitates the dissemination of knowledge.

b) Contributes to the professionalism and impact of the research.

c) Serves as a critical component of the overall research communication process.

Moreover, a well-crafted and good title or a good research title can increase the chances of your research paper being accepted for publication in your target journal or a reputable journal. Editors and reviewers often use the title as a first screening tool to determine the relevance and quality of the research.

Crafting a Compelling Research Paper Title

Identifying research study keywords for a strong title

Research titles matter. The best research paper title starts with:

a) Finding the most important parts of your research questions.

b) Choosing only the most important terms for your keywords.

c) Drawing 3 to 8 keywords maximum, avoiding very lengthy titles.

When selecting keywords for your research paper title, consider using tools like Google Keyword Planner or SEMrush to identify high-traffic, relevant keywords in your field of study.

Look at social science research papers or for example, looking at a research paper in the field of environmental science might have a title like: "The Impact of Deforestation on Biodiversity: A Meta-Analysis of Neotropical Rainforests." This title effectively uses keywords such as "deforestation," "biodiversity," and "Neotropical rainforests" to convey the main focus of the research.

Using keywords to create a working research paper title

Descriptive research titles draw keywords.

a) Use the identified keywords to create a research title

b) Ensure the title accurately captures what you have done

c) Keep the title concise and relevant

Easily pronounces technical words in any field

Characteristics of Effective Research Paper Titles

Key qualities of a good research paper title.

A good research title should have the elements below to make it stand out.

a) A good research title should be concise and to the point

b) Accurately reflects or the research title describes the content of the research paper.

c) Easy to understand and remember.

d) Unique and not easily confused with other research titles.

What makes a research paper title stand out

A good title should:

a. Predict the content of the research paper.

b. Be interesting to the reader.

c. Reflect the tone of the writing.

d. Contain important keywords for easier location during a keyword search.

Supporting Evidence:

A study by Habibzadeh and Yadollahie (2010) found that articles with questions in their titles are more likely to be cited than those without. Consider incorporating a question into your research paper title to pique readers' curiosity and encourage engagement.

For instance, a research paper in a particular academic journal like the field of psychology might have a title like: "Can Mindfulness Meditation Reduce Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression? A Randomized Controlled Trial." This title effectively uses a question to grab the reader's attention and clearly conveys the main focus of the research.

Writing a Research Paper Title that Grabs Attention

Techniques for crafting a compelling research paper title

a) Use a clear and concise format, such as [method] study of [topic] among [sample].

b) Use keywords from the research topic to make the title more discoverable.

c) Keep the title short and to the point, avoiding unnecessary words or phrases.

When writing your research paper title, consider the writing tips and best practices for writing scientific papers to ensure your title is effective and engaging.

Avoiding common mistakes in research paper titles

a) Avoid using abbreviations or acronyms unless they are commonly used in the field and are essential to convey the research focus.

b) Eliminate any nonessential words and phrases from your title.

c) Aim for a word count of 16 words or fewer.

The Role of Subtitles in Research Paper Titles

When to use a subtitle and how to write one effectively.

Add a subtitle after a colon to provide more immediate details about methodology or sample. Be aware of the specific journal author instructions for research paper titles.

If your research paper includes an annex , consider mentioning it in the subtitle to provide additional context for your readers.

Examples of Good Research Paper Titles

Analyzing effective research paper titles.

Titles can be interesting but incomplete, complete but uninteresting, or too informal in tone

Examples of research paper titles that work

Good titles that are concise and contain all relevant terms increase citation counts and Altmetric scores.

Here are a few examples of effective research paper titles:

• " The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health: A Systematic Review ". This title effectively uses keywords such as "social media," "adolescent," and "mental health" to convey the main focus of the research. The use of "systematic review" indicates the comprehensive nature of the study.
• " Exploring the Relationship Between Exercise and Cognitive Function in Older Adults ". This title clearly states the main variables being investigated (exercise and cognitive function) and the specific population (older adults). It is concise and easy to understand.
• " Evaluating the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Chronic Pain Management ". This title effectively communicates the intervention being studied (mindfulness-based stress reduction) and the specific application (chronic pain management). It is specific and informative.
• " The Role of Exosomes in Cancer Progression: A Comprehensive Review ". This title uses keywords such as "exosomes" and "cancer progression" to convey the main focus of the research. The use of "comprehensive review" indicates the depth and breadth of the study.
• " Machine Learning Approaches for Predicting Stock Market Trends: A Comparative Analysis ". This title effectively communicates the main techniques being investigated (machine learning approaches) and the specific application (predicting stock market trends). The use of "comparative analysis" suggests that different approaches will be evaluated and compared.

Refining Your Research Paper Title

Refining your title: removing nonessential words and phrases.

Eliminate any nonessential words and phrases from your title and keep the title concise and relevant. Aim for a word count of 16 words or fewer.

Getting feedback on your research paper title

Consider delegating your most complex tasks to skilled writers. Get feedback from peers, mentors, or editors to refine your title.

When refining your research paper title, consider the order of authors and how it may impact the perceived importance of each contributor.

It is crucial to seek feedback and guidance from your advisors and colleagues when refining your research paper title. They can provide valuable insights and help ensure that your title accurately represents your research and aligns with the requirements of your specific academic discipline. Don't hesitate to reach out to your network for support and advice throughout the title-writing process.

Final Tips for a Good Research Paper Title

Additional tips for writing a good research paper title.

Keep in mind the formatting, word count, and content when writing a research paper title and aim for a concise and relevant title. Use a good research paper title to make a significant difference in the success of a research study

In her book "Stylish Academic Writing," Helen Sword (2012) emphasizes the importance of crafting engaging and informative titles to capture readers' attention and effectively communicate the content of your research.

Best practices for research paper titles

A good research paper title should be concise, informative, and accurately represent the content and purpose of the study. Paperpal can help generate outstanding research titles in a click.

Consider the UK's Research Excellence Framework when crafting your title. The UK's Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

When crafting your research paper title, consider how it aligns with the REF's criteria for research quality, which include originality, significance, and rigor. A well-crafted title that effectively communicates the value and impact of your research can contribute to a stronger REF submission.

Joshua Schimel's "Writing Science: How to Write Papers That Get Cited and Proposals That Get Funded" (2012) provides valuable insights into the art of scientific writing, including the importance of creating compelling research paper titles that accurately reflect the content and significance of your work.

Additional Resources for Crafting Effective Research Paper Titles:

1. The Academic Phrasebank - A useful resource for finding appropriate phrases and terminology for your research paper title.

2. Paperpal Title Generator - An online tool that helps generate effective research paper titles based on your keywords and research focus.

In conclusion, writing a good research paper title is a critical aspect of the research process, as it can significantly impact the visibility and success of your work. By understanding the importance of titles, following best practices, and refining your title based on feedback, you can create compelling titles that accurately represent your research and attract the attention of your target audience. Whether you're conducting theoretical research or applied research , a well-crafted title is essential for effectively communicating your findings to the scientific community.

As Michael Alley notes in his book "The Craft of Scientific Writing" (2018), a well-written research paper title not only captures the essence of your work but also serves as a critical tool for attracting readers and increasing the impact of your research.

Research Paper Optimization

Effective Research Titles

Research Paper Writing

Title Writing Tips

Academic Writing

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How to write a good research paper title

“Unread science is lost science .”

Credit: Mykyta Dolmatov/Getty

“Unread science is lost science.”

28 July 2020

Mykyta Dolmatov/Getty

With the influx of publications brought on by the pandemic, it’s become more challenging than ever for researchers to attract attention to their work.

Understanding which elements of a title will attract readers – or turn them away – has been proven to increase a paper’s citations and Altmetric score .

“In the era of information overload, most students and researchers do not have time to browse the entire text of a paper,” says Patrick Pu , a librarian at the National University of Singapore.

“The title of a paper, together with its abstract, become very important to capture and sustain the attention of readers.”

1. A good title avoids technical language

Since the primary audience of a paper is likely to be researchers working in the same field, using technical language in the title seems to make sense.

But this alienates the wider lay audience, which can bring valuable attention to your work . It can also alienate inexperienced researchers, or those who have recently entered the field.

“A good title does not use unnecessary jargon,” says Elisa De Ranieri , editor-in-chief at the Nature Communications journal (published by Springer Nature, which also publishes Nature Index.) “It communicates the main results in the study in a way that is clear and accessible, ideally to non-specialists or researchers new to the field.”

How-to: When crafting a title, says De Ranieri, write down the main result of the manuscript in a short paragraph. Shorten the text to make it more concise, while still remaining descriptive. Repeat this process until you have a title of fewer than 15 words.

2. A good title is easily searchable

Most readers today are accessing e-journals, which are indexed in scholarly databases such as Scopus and Google Scholar.

“Although these databases usually index the full text of papers, retrieval weightage for ‘Title’ is usually higher than other fields, such as ‘Results’,” Pu explains.

At the National University of Singapore, Pu and his colleagues run information literacy programmes for editors and authors. They give advice for publishing best practice, such as how to identify the most commonly used keywords in literature searches in a given field.

“A professor once told us how he discovered that industry experts were using a different term or keyword to describe his research area,” says Pu.

“He had written a seminal paper that did not include this ‘industry keyword’. He believes his paper, which was highly cited by academics, would have a higher citation count if he had included this keyword in the title. As librarians, we try to highlight this example to our students so that they will consider all possible keywords to use in their searches and paper titles.”

How-to: Authors should speak to an academic librarian at their institution to gain an understanding of keyword and search trends in their field of research. This should inform how the paper title is written.

3. A good title is substantiated by data

Authors should be cautious to not make any claims in the title that can’t be backed up by evidence.

“For instance, if you make a discovery with potential therapeutic relevance, the title should specify whether it was tested or studied in animals or humans/human samples,” says Irene Jarchum , senior editor at the journal Nature Biotechnology (also published by Springer Nature, which publishes the Nature Index.)

Jarchum adds that titles can be contentious because different authors have different views on the use of specific words, such as acronyms, or more fundamentally, what the main message of the title should be.

Some authors may over-interpret the significance of their preliminary findings, and want to reflect this in the title.

How-to: If you know your paper will be contentious within the scientific community, have the data ready to defend your decisions .

4. A good title sparks curiosity

A one-liner that sparks a reader’s interest can be very effective.

“A title has to pique the interest of the person searching for literature in a split-second – enough that they click on the title to read the abstract. Unread science is lost science,” says Christine Mayer , editor-in-chief of the journal Advanced Therapeutics .

Paper titles such as, "White and wonderful? Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic" ( 2019 Science ), and “Kids these days: Why the youth of today seem lacking” ( 2019 Science Advances ) are good examples of this principle. Both papers have high Altmetric Attention scores, indicating that they have been widely read and discussed online.

How-to: Take note of the characteristics of paper titles that spark your own interest. Keep a record of these and apply the same principles to your own paper titles.

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Writing Effective Research Paper Titles: Advice and Examples

Are you ready to submit your research paper for publication but haven't settled on a title yet? Do you have a title but aren't sure if it will be the right one for the journal editor or research database search engines? This article will help you fine tune or create an effective research paper title for your work.

Now that you have finished your research and analysis, and you're ready to take the final step before sending your work to journal editors and reviewers. The first thing journal editors and search engine results will see and show is your research paper title. Creating an effective research paper title is highly important to getting your paper in front of the right people. It is also going to be the only part of your paper that is available to everyone for free, and it will be what search engines use to index and show your work in search results. You therefore must design a clear and persuasive title that accurately represents your work.

When writing an effective research paper title, you want to ensure that the title includes all the relevant aspects of your work. Showcase those aspects in a way that entices the audience to read more. Be sure to use the nomenclature common in your field of study, because that will help your work show up in more search results and it will grab the attention of journal editors looking for articles that clearly represent the industry. If you are studying landslides, for example, you will want to include keywords relating to soil composition or grain size; if you are working on a study about organ transplants, then include the specific feature or procedure that affected successful transplants. Identify what parts of your research are going to interest your intended audience.

There are two key pieces of information that people will need to see in your paper title: the subject and the objective. Because you are already familiar with your study and its purpose, creating an effective research paper title is simply a matter of whittling down the words that describe the important aspects of your paper. The advice below will help you take steps to identify key areas of your research, organize the information, and trim it down to the right size for a title.

Develop a topic statement

To get started, consider a topic statement of your paper that includes the subject and scope of the study. The first step in building a topic statement is to ask yourself the following questions:

• What is your research paper about? "My paper is about gene therapy and how it can improve cognitive function in dementia patients."
• What was the subject of your study? "I used data from 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US."
• What method did you use to perform your research? "I performed a randomized trial."
• What were the results? "My study showed that gene therapy improved cognitive function in those who received the treatment."

Once you have answered those questions (such as in the example answers above), make a list of the keywords you used. For this example, those keywords would include the following:

• gene therapy
• cognitive function
• 40 dementia patients
• improved cognitive function
• 10 states in the US
• randomized trial

Then, create your topic statement using those keywords. It might read something like this:

"This study is a randomized trial that investigates whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US. The results show improved cognitive function in those who received the treatment."

This statement has 36 words — too long for a title. However, it does contain the main required elements: the subject and the objective. It also includes a summary of the results, which can be used to increase the persuasive nature of the title. If you are writing this down on paper, it may be helpful to underline or circle the keywords you used in the statement, as this will help you visually see how the keywords work together in your statement.

Trim the statement

The next step is to remove all unnecessary words to create a working title. Unnecessary words include elements that make the sentences complete sentences. Also remove words that are not central to your study or that would not be used in a research database search.

" This study is a randomized trial that investigates whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US. The results show improved cognitive function in those who received the treatment ."

Next, take those words and move them around to form a new phrase. This may take a few tries to get it right, but it is worth the time.

"A randomized trial investigating whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US showed improved cognitive function."

This sample now has 24 words. We still need to get it down to the ideal 15 or fewer total words, with just the exact information journal editors will want. One way to do this is to use the keywords at the beginning and end of your title. Remove any irrelevant facts that other researchers will not be searching for. For example, the method you used is not usually the most searched-for keyword.

" A randomized trial investigating whether gene therapy improved cognitive function in 40 dementia patients from 10 states in the US showed improved cognitive function. "

The final result may be something like this:

"Investigating the impact of gene therapy on cognitive function in dementia patients"

The resulting title has 13 words, had the main action at the beginning, and the main subject of the study at the end. This is a good example of how to create an effective research paper title that will increase journal editors' and reviewers' interest, and it may even help your paper receive more citations down the road.

Main tips to remember

If you are working on your first research paper title, the process can seem intimidating. Even with the process outlined above, creating the best research paper title possible for your work can be difficult and time consuming. Be sure to set aside a good amount of time to developing your title so that you don't feel rushed. Some writers go through 20 or more iterations before they arrive at a title that achieves effectiveness, persuasiveness, and clarity of purpose all in one.

In addition to the above process, keep the following main tips in mind when writing an effective research paper title:

• Write your paper and abstract first, then work on your title. This will make the process much easier than trying to nail a title down without a full, finished paper to start from.
• Keep your title short! Do not include more than 15 words.
• Do not use a period at the end of your title.
• Be sure that the keywords you use truly represent the content of your paper.
• Do not use abbreviations in your title.
• Include all essential key terms from your paper. This ensures your paper will be indexed properly in research databases and search engines. If you are unsure of the best keywords to use, talk to an academic librarian at your institution. They can help you identify keyword and search trends in your research field.

Examples of research paper titles

The lists below illustrate what effective and ineffective research paper titles look like. Use these examples to help guide your research paper title.

Effective titles

• Nurses on the Move: A Quantitative Report on How Meditation Can Improve Nurse Performance
• Correction of the ion transport defect in cystic fibrosis transgenic mice by gene therapy
• Landslide mapping techniques and their use in the assessment of the landslide hazard
• HLA compatibility and organ transplant survival: Collaborative Transplant Study

Ineffective titles

• Meditation Gurus
• The landslide story
• Landslide hazard and risk assessment
• Pharmacodynamics of oral ganciclovir and valganciclovir in solid organ transplant recipients

No matter what kind of field you are doing research in, you have the opportunity to create an amazing and effective research paper title that will engage your readers and get your paper in front of the journal editors and reviewers you want. By taking the time to go through the title development process, you will finish your work with a title that matches the work outlined in your research paper.

Header photo by Stokkete .

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How to Write a Research Paper Title

Knowing how to write a research paper title is an art that not every researcher possesses, and researchers often spend a lot of time skimming through articles to find the right research paper title.

According to an interesting estimate, researchers read more than 100 publications every year and spend long hours, weeks and months searching for and reading articles relevant to their field of study. 1 While open access publishing and online repositories have made it easier to find articles, researchers still need to browse through a sea of research, often using research paper titles, to find relevant information for their research study. Researchers also face the challenge of ensuring their work reaches a broader audience in order to get more citations. This is where the importance of a good title for a research paper becomes evident.

Your research paper title is one of the first things readers in your research paper and plays an important role in influencing whether they will actually go through the entire article. This makes it critical to have a good research paper title that captures the reader’s attention. In this article, we look at the key characteristics of a good research title and what to keep in mind to create a research title that works for you.

Generate outstanding research titles in a click with Paperpal. Try it now!  

What to keep in mind when writing a research paper title

• Convey the key research findings: Before writing a research paper title, list down what your study is about, what you have achieved or discovered, and the methodology used. Try and identify the one or two key elements that make your study novel or significant in your subject area. Combine these elements to create the best research title that showcases your article accurately and effectively.
• Choose a declarative research paper title : Declarative titles are more informative and help readers to quickly grasp what the body of the article may contain. Therefore, it is considered to be more impactful and more likely to attract the reader’s attention. Additionally, most editors agree that papers with declarative titles are more likely to be shared online, allowing researchers to reach a far wider audience. 2
• A good research title must pique reader interest : Researchers browsing through online platforms during their literature search often spend only a few seconds to read the title and evaluate an article’s relevance. This makes it important to create a catchy title for your research paper that will spark curiosity in the minds of your audience, which may prompt them pause, read, share, and discuss your research paper.
• Avoid making any unsubstantiated claims: This is an important aspect to keep in mind when creating research paper titles. While it may be tempting to write titles with claims that will immediately attract reader attention and get you more citations, your research should be able to back-up these claims with substantive, studied evidence. Failing to do so can create mistrust about the research and even hurt your reputation.
• Keep it simple and avoid jargon: It’s tempting to use technical words in a research paper title when you know that your primary audience is most likely to be other researchers working in the same field. However, this can prove counter-productive as readers who are not familiar with these complicated words may end up skipping your article. Some early career researchers might also give your paper a pass as they may feel that it is too technical for them so avoid using jargon.

Let Paperpal generate a suitable title for your content in minutes. Try it now!

• Use phrases to keep your research title concise: One mistake early career researchers make is using full sentences to write the research paper title. Avoid complex phrases and unnecessary details as it makes the title unnecessarily lengthy. Remember to ensure proper syntax when trying to rephrase the title to make it leaner. A good research paper title offers a concise summary of the paper’s content; keep your title to under 12 words as lengthy titles can be hard to understand and may seem unfocused and uninteresting.
• Include keywords to make your article discoverable: Today most researchers turn to online databases and search engines like Google Scholar to find the right research. This makes it critical to identify and use the best keywords for your research subject/topic when creating a research title. The best research paper title is one that is easily discoverable, making it easy for your readers to find and read your article.

A review of more than 150,000 papers  submitted to UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) database found that the style of a research paper’s title impacted the number of citations it would typically receive. 3 Writing a good research paper title is worth the time and effort, and we’re sure the points listed above will help!

How to generate research paper titles with Paperpal?

A research paper title is the first impression for journal editors, reviewers, and readers to understand the aim and purpose of your research study. However, picking a research paper title that encapsulates your research’s content can be daunting. Your research paper title should accurately capture your work, contain highly searched keywords, and should also sound interesting to people who work on a similar topic.   

Paperpal’s secure generative AI helps you write research paper titles twice as fast, ensuring they align with your research topic. Follow these simple steps to create an impactful research paper title: 

• Sign Up or Log In: Start by creating an account or logging into Paperpal . 
• Paste your content: Once logged in, paste your research paper’s content or abstract onto the document. 
• Generate your title: Click on ‘Templates’ in the side navigation pane, go to Titles, and select ‘Generate’ . 

Paperpal will analyze your content and propose a fitting research paper title. If it doesn’t quite hit the mark, simply click regenerate to get additional title options until you find the perfect one. Remember, while Paperpal provides a solid starting point, personalizing the title to capture the essence of your research is key to making it stand out.  

• How Scientists Retrieve Publications: An Empirical Study of How the Internet Is Overtaking Paper Media. Journal of Electronic Publishing, December 2000. [Accessed November 3, 2022] Available at https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jep/3336451.0006.202?view=text;rgn=main
• Di Girolamo, N. Health care articles with simple and declarative titles were more likely to be in the Altmetric Top 100. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, December 2016. [Accessed November 3, 2022] Available at https://www.jclinepi.com/article/S0895-4356(16)30853-8/fulltext
• Hudson, J. An analysis of the titles of papers submitted to the UK REF in 2014: authors, disciplines, and stylistic details. Scientometrics, July 2016. [Accessed November 3, 2022] Available at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-016-2081-4

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

It is generally recommended to avoid using a question to write a good research paper title. Titles should be concise and informative, conveying the main focus of the study. While questions can be used in the introduction or research objectives, a clear and declarative title is preferred to accurately represent the content and purpose of the research.

A research paper title should be concise and to the point. Ideally, it should be around 10 to 12 words or less. A shorter title is more effective in grabbing readers’ attention and conveying the main idea succinctly. However, it’s important to ensure that the title still accurately represents the research and provides enough information for readers to understand the scope of the study.

Including specific keywords related to the research topic can be beneficial. Keywords help in indexing and searching for relevant papers. However, it is not necessary to include all keywords in the title. Instead, focus on incorporating essential and relevant keywords that reflect the core aspects of the study. Use keywords that are commonly used and recognized in the field to increase the discoverability and relevance of your research.

Abbreviations or acronyms should generally be avoided in the research paper title. The title should be clear and easily understandable to a broad audience. If an abbreviation is commonly used in the field and is essential to convey the research focus, it can be included, but it’s important to provide the full term upon its first mention in the paper for clarity.

Whether you can change the research paper title after submission depends on the specific guidelines and policies of the journal or conference. Some publications allow minor revisions, including title changes, during the review process. However, it is best to ensure that the title is carefully chosen and reviewed before submission. If a change is necessary, it is recommended to contact the editor or conference organizers for guidance on whether it’s permissible to modify the title.

The preferred formatting style for research paper titles varies depending on the specific guidelines of the target journal or conference. Generally, sentence case is commonly used, where only the first word and proper nouns are capitalized. However, some publications may prefer title case, where the first letter of each major word is capitalized. It is important to carefully review the submission guidelines or consult the specific style guide recommended by the publication to ensure consistency with their preferred formatting style.

Paperpal is a comprehensive AI writing toolkit that helps students and researchers achieve 2x the writing in half the time. It leverages 21+ years of STM experience and insights from millions of research articles to provide in-depth academic writing, language editing, and submission readiness support to help you write better, faster.  

Get accurate academic translations, rewriting support, grammar checks, vocabulary suggestions, and generative AI assistance that delivers human precision at machine speed. Try for free or upgrade to Paperpal Prime starting at US$19 a month to access premium features, including consistency, plagiarism, and 30+ submission readiness checks to help you succeed.  

Experience the future of academic writing – Sign up to Paperpal and start writing for free!  

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How to write a research paper outline: simple steps for researchers.

• Manuscript Withdrawal: Reasons, Consequences, and How to Withdraw Submitted Manuscripts
• Supplementary Materials in Research: 5 Tips for Authors
• What is an Expository Essay and How to Write It

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How to Write a Title for Your Research Paper – The 10 Most Common Mistakes

The title of your research paper is your shop front. If it doesn’t appeal to your reader they won’t read further. Here are 10 common mistakes I see researchers make when they choose a title for their research paper. Make sure to not be one of them!

How many references did you discard after reading the title the last time you made a literature search? And how often have you wasted time because the paper you retrieved wasn’t about what it seemed to promise? Exactly… 

And think about this: When a journal editor assesses your paper, they are also likely to read the title first. So, that’s your chance to make a first impression. Surely, you don’t want to confuse, or — even worse — annoy them.

How to write a title for a research paper: Mistakes to avoid

In the Researchers’ Writing Academy, our academic writing online course, we teach researchers how to write an effective title for a research paper and give feedback. Here are the ten most common mistakes I found researchers make in the titles of their research papers:

1. The title doesn’t describe the main result of the paper

Different from headlines in magazines and newspapers, the title of a research paper isn’t as much a teaser. Your reader wants to know what exactly you added to the field. It isn’t enough to just give them hint about the general topic area.

For this, it is important to know your main message. In fact, this is crucial for the whole paper writing process and is one of the very first steps of the system for writing papers that we teach inside the Researchers’ Writing Academy .

You might also be interested to know that papers with titles that describe the result are more likely to get picked up by the press or discussed on social media .

2. The title contains too much detail

This happens either when people want to cram in too much information, or when they are unclear about their main message. Sometimes authors also try to convey several key messages instead of focusing on the main one.

Does writing for a high-impact journal feel intimidating? Partly because you’ve never received proper academic writing training?

In this free online training, Dr Anna Clemens introduces you to her template to write papers in a systematic fashion — demystifying the process of writing for journals with wide audiences.

3. The title is too long

Long titles take longer to read and comprehend. A study found that papers get more views and citations if the title contains fewer than 95 characters.

4. The title is unspecific

If you provide a title that isn’t very specific, your reader won’t know if your article provides what they are looking for. Here, it counts to maintain a balance between being general enough for your target audience (see mistake 9) and specific enough to convey your key result (see mistake 1). Being specific in your title is also important for indexing purposes. So, make sure to provide the most important keyword(s) of your paper in the title.

5. The title contains question marks, hyphens and colons

By phrasing your title as a question, you merely present your research question instead of your key message. If people include a colon or hyphen in their title they often present too much detail (mistake 2) or they chose a title too broad and general (mistake 4). If you need more convincing, the study I cited earlier also found that papers receive fewer citations if they contain question marks, hyphens or colons.  

6. The title is too noun-heavy

You only have seconds to tell potential readers what your study is about. So, it’s important to make it easy for them. If your title is full of nouns, it will take your reader longer to read and comprehend than if it contains a verb. Chances are your reader will just give up without even considering opening your paper. However, not all journals permit using active verbs (“Eating spinach strengthens the teeth” – I made this up). Therefore, be sure to check the journal guidelines (see also mistake 10).

7. The title contains unnecessary filler words

The goal is to make your title as short as possible (see mistake 2). Don’t waste the space with phrases such as “an observation of” or “a study of” or filler words such as “on…” (as in “On the energy efficiency of solar cells…”). Tell the reader instead what you observed or what your study found (see mistake 1). Be specific about your result (see mistake 4).

8. Using acronyms in the title

A general rule is to always spell out acronyms. If your reader doesn’t know what an acronym means they are more likely to discard your paper. Nobody wants to do extra research. That said, it’s worth knowing your target audience. Perhaps there are some abbreviations or acronyms that you can expect the readership of the journal to know?

9.  The level of jargon doesn’t match the target audience

This is linked to the previous point (mistake 8). Always consider the audience of the journal you intend to publish in. If it is read by biologists, geologists, chemists and physicists all the same, you need to make sure they can all understand your title. Just be careful to not make your title too general, it should still reflect your specific result (see mistake 2).

10.  The title doesn’t adhere to the journal guidelines

Something I always suggest my clients to do before they start writing is to check the journal guidelines. Most journals have either strict rules or recommendations on how long a title should be and what they should or shouldn’t contain. For example, Nature doesn’t permit any acronyms, punctuation, technical terms  or active verbs .

There you have it. If you want to see examples of good research paper titles and get customised feedback on your title, join us inside the Researchers’ Writing Academy ! Check if this online course is a good fit for you by taking the free training class. 👇

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Writing the title and abstract for a research paper: Being concise, precise, and meticulous is the key

Milind s. tullu.

Department of Pediatrics, Seth G.S. Medical College and KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

This article deals with formulating a suitable title and an appropriate abstract for an original research paper. The “title” and the “abstract” are the “initial impressions” of a research article, and hence they need to be drafted correctly, accurately, carefully, and meticulously. Often both of these are drafted after the full manuscript is ready. Most readers read only the title and the abstract of a research paper and very few will go on to read the full paper. The title and the abstract are the most important parts of a research paper and should be pleasant to read. 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. The abstract should be consistent with the main text of the paper, especially after a revision is made to the paper and should include the key message prominently. It is very important to include the most important words and terms (the “keywords”) in the title and the abstract for appropriate indexing purpose and for retrieval from the search engines and scientific databases. Such keywords should be listed after the abstract. One must adhere to the instructions laid down by the target journal with regard to the style and number of words permitted for the title and the abstract.

Introduction

This article deals with drafting a suitable “title” and an appropriate “abstract” for an original research paper. Because the “title” and the “abstract” are the “initial impressions” or the “face” of a research article, they need to be drafted correctly, accurately, carefully, meticulously, and consume time and energy.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] Often, these are drafted after the complete manuscript draft is ready.[ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 , 10 , 11 ] Most readers will read only the title and the abstract of a published research paper, and very few “interested ones” (especially, if the paper is of use to them) will go on to read the full paper.[ 1 , 2 ] One must remember to adhere to the instructions laid down by the “target journal” (the journal for which the author is writing) regarding the style and number of words permitted for the title and the abstract.[ 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 12 ] Both the title and the abstract are the most important parts of a research paper – for editors (to decide whether to process the paper for further review), for reviewers (to get an initial impression of the paper), and for the readers (as these may be the only parts of the paper available freely and hence, read widely).[ 4 , 8 , 12 ] It may be worth for the novice author to browse through titles and abstracts of several prominent journals (and their target journal as well) to learn more about the wording and styles of the titles and abstracts, as well as the aims and scope of the particular journal.[ 5 , 7 , 9 , 13 ]

The details of the title are discussed under the subheadings of importance, types, drafting, and checklist.

Importance of the title

When a reader browses through the table of contents of a journal issue (hard copy or on website), the title is the “ first detail” or “face” of the paper that is read.[ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 13 ] Hence, it needs to be simple, direct, accurate, appropriate, specific, functional, interesting, attractive/appealing, concise/brief, precise/focused, unambiguous, memorable, captivating, informative (enough to encourage the reader to read further), unique, catchy, and it should not be misleading.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 12 ] It should have “just enough details” to arouse the interest and curiosity of the reader so that the reader then goes ahead with studying the abstract and then (if still interested) the full paper.[ 1 , 2 , 4 , 13 ] Journal websites, electronic databases, and search engines use the words in the title and abstract (the “keywords”) to retrieve a particular paper during a search; hence, the importance of these words in accessing the paper by the readers has been emphasized.[ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 12 , 14 ] Such important words (or keywords) should be arranged in appropriate order of importance as per the context of the paper and should be placed at the beginning of the title (rather than the later part of the title, as some search engines like Google may just display only the first six to seven words of the title).[ 3 , 5 , 12 ] Whimsical, amusing, or clever titles, though initially appealing, may be missed or misread by the busy reader and very short titles may miss the essential scientific words (the “keywords”) used by the indexing agencies to catch and categorize the paper.[ 1 , 3 , 4 , 9 ] Also, amusing or hilarious titles may be taken less seriously by the readers and may be cited less often.[ 4 , 15 ] An excessively long or complicated title may put off the readers.[ 3 , 9 ] It may be a good idea to draft the title after the main body of the text and the abstract are drafted.[ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]

Types of titles

Titles can be descriptive, declarative, or interrogative. They can also be classified as nominal, compound, or full-sentence titles.

Descriptive or neutral title

This has the essential elements of the research theme, that is, the patients/subjects, design, interventions, comparisons/control, and outcome, but does not reveal the main result or the conclusion.[ 3 , 4 , 12 , 16 ] Such a title allows the reader to interpret the findings of the research paper in an impartial manner and with an open mind.[ 3 ] These titles also give complete information about the contents of the article, have several keywords (thus increasing the visibility of the article in search engines), and have increased chances of being read and (then) being cited as well.[ 4 ] Hence, such descriptive titles giving a glimpse of the paper are generally preferred.[ 4 , 16 ]

Declarative title

This title states the main finding of the study in the title itself; it reduces the curiosity of the reader, may point toward a bias on the part of the author, and hence is best avoided.[ 3 , 4 , 12 , 16 ]

Interrogative title

This is the one which has a query or the research question in the title.[ 3 , 4 , 16 ] Though a query in the title has the ability to sensationalize the topic, and has more downloads (but less citations), it can be distracting to the reader and is again best avoided for a research article (but can, at times, be used for a review article).[ 3 , 6 , 16 , 17 ]

From a sentence construct point of view, titles may be nominal (capturing only the main theme of the study), compound (with subtitles to provide additional relevant information such as context, design, location/country, temporal aspect, sample size, importance, and a provocative or a literary; for example, see the title of this review), or full-sentence titles (which are longer and indicate an added degree of certainty of the results).[ 4 , 6 , 9 , 16 ] Any of these constructs may be used depending on the type of article, the key message, and the author's preference or judgement.[ 4 ]

Drafting a suitable title

A stepwise process can be followed to draft the appropriate title. The author should describe the paper in about three sentences, avoiding the results and ensuring that these sentences contain important scientific words/keywords that describe the main contents and subject of the paper.[ 1 , 4 , 6 , 12 ] Then the author should join the sentences to form a single sentence, shorten the length (by removing redundant words or adjectives or phrases), and finally edit the title (thus drafted) to make it more accurate, concise (about 10–15 words), and precise.[ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 ] Some journals require that the study design be included in the title, and this may be placed (using a colon) after the primary title.[ 2 , 3 , 4 , 14 ] The title should try to incorporate the Patients, Interventions, Comparisons and Outcome (PICO).[ 3 ] The place of the study may be included in the title (if absolutely necessary), that is, if the patient characteristics (such as study population, socioeconomic conditions, or cultural practices) are expected to vary as per the country (or the place of the study) and have a bearing on the possible outcomes.[ 3 , 6 ] Lengthy titles can be boring and appear unfocused, whereas very short titles may not be representative of the contents of the article; hence, optimum length is required to ensure that the title explains the main theme and content of the manuscript.[ 4 , 5 , 9 ] Abbreviations (except the standard or commonly interpreted ones such as HIV, AIDS, DNA, RNA, CDC, FDA, ECG, and EEG) or acronyms should be avoided in the title, as a reader not familiar with them may skip such an article and nonstandard abbreviations may create problems in indexing the article.[ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 12 ] Also, too much of technical jargon or chemical formulas in the title may confuse the readers and the article may be skipped by them.[ 4 , 9 ] Numerical values of various parameters (stating study period or sample size) should also be avoided in the titles (unless deemed extremely essential).[ 4 ] It may be worthwhile to take an opinion from a impartial colleague before finalizing the title.[ 4 , 5 , 6 ] Thus, multiple factors (which are, at times, a bit conflicting or contrasting) need to be considered while formulating a title, and hence this should not be done in a hurry.[ 4 , 6 ] Many journals ask the authors to draft a “short title” or “running head” or “running title” for printing in the header or footer of the printed paper.[ 3 , 12 ] This is an abridged version of the main title of up to 40–50 characters, may have standard abbreviations, and helps the reader to navigate through the paper.[ 3 , 12 , 14 ]

Checklist for a good title

Table 1 gives a checklist/useful tips for drafting a good title for a research paper.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 12 ] Table 2 presents some of the titles used by the author of this article in his earlier research papers, and the appropriateness of the titles has been commented upon. As an individual exercise, the reader may try to improvise upon the titles (further) after reading the corresponding abstract and full paper.

Checklist/useful tips for drafting a good title for a research paper

Some titles used by author of this article in his earlier publications and remark/comment on their appropriateness

The Abstract

The details of the abstract are discussed under the subheadings of importance, types, drafting, and checklist.

Importance of the abstract

The abstract is a summary or synopsis of the full research paper and also needs to have similar characteristics like the title. It needs to be simple, direct, specific, functional, clear, unbiased, honest, concise, precise, self-sufficient, complete, comprehensive, scholarly, balanced, and should not be misleading.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 17 ] Writing an abstract is to extract and summarize (AB – absolutely, STR – straightforward, ACT – actual data presentation and interpretation).[ 17 ] The title and abstracts are the only sections of the research paper that are often freely available to the readers on the journal websites, search engines, and in many abstracting agencies/databases, whereas the full paper may attract a payment per view or a fee for downloading the pdf copy.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 14 ] The abstract is an independent and stand-alone (that is, well understood without reading the full paper) section of the manuscript and is used by the editor to decide the fate of the article and to choose appropriate reviewers.[ 2 , 7 , 10 , 12 , 13 ] Even the reviewers are initially supplied only with the title and the abstract before they agree to review the full manuscript.[ 7 , 13 ] This is the second most commonly read part of the manuscript, and therefore it should reflect the contents of the main text of the paper accurately and thus act as a “real trailer” of the full article.[ 2 , 7 , 11 ] The readers will go through the full paper only if they find the abstract interesting and relevant to their practice; else they may skip the paper if the abstract is unimpressive.[ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 13 ] The abstract needs to highlight the selling point of the manuscript and succeed in luring the reader to read the complete paper.[ 3 , 7 ] The title and the abstract should be constructed using keywords (key terms/important words) from all the sections of the main text.[ 12 ] Abstracts are also used for submitting research papers to a conference for consideration for presentation (as oral paper or poster).[ 9 , 13 , 17 ] Grammatical and typographic errors reflect poorly on the quality of the abstract, may indicate carelessness/casual attitude on part of the author, and hence should be avoided at all times.[ 9 ]

Types of abstracts

The abstracts can be structured or unstructured. They can also be classified as descriptive or informative abstracts.

Structured and unstructured abstracts

Structured abstracts are followed by most journals, are more informative, and include specific subheadings/subsections under which the abstract needs to be composed.[ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 , 17 , 18 ] These subheadings usually include context/background, objectives, design, setting, participants, interventions, main outcome measures, results, and conclusions.[ 1 ] Some journals stick to the standard IMRAD format for the structure of the abstracts, and the subheadings would include Introduction/Background, Methods, Results, And (instead of Discussion) the Conclusion/s.[ 1 , 2 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 17 , 18 ] Structured abstracts are more elaborate, informative, easy to read, recall, and peer-review, and hence are preferred; however, they consume more space and can have same limitations as an unstructured abstract.[ 7 , 9 , 18 ] The structured abstracts are (possibly) better understood by the reviewers and readers. Anyway, the choice of the type of the abstract and the subheadings of a structured abstract depend on the particular journal style and is not left to the author's wish.[ 7 , 10 , 12 ] Separate subheadings may be necessary for reporting meta-analysis, educational research, quality improvement work, review, or case study.[ 1 ] Clinical trial abstracts need to include the essential items mentioned in the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials) guidelines.[ 7 , 9 , 14 , 19 ] Similar guidelines exist for various other types of studies, including observational studies and for studies of diagnostic accuracy.[ 20 , 21 ] A useful resource for the above guidelines is available at www.equator-network.org (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research). Unstructured (or non-structured) abstracts are free-flowing, do not have predefined subheadings, and are commonly used for papers that (usually) do not describe original research.[ 1 , 7 , 9 , 10 ]

The four-point structured abstract: This has the following elements which need to be properly balanced with regard to the content/matter under each subheading:[ 9 ]

Background and/or Objectives: This states why the work was undertaken and is usually written in just a couple of sentences.[ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 ] The hypothesis/study question and the major objectives are also stated under this subheading.[ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 ]

Methods: This subsection is the longest, states what was done, and gives essential details of the study design, setting, participants, blinding, sample size, sampling method, intervention/s, duration and follow-up, research instruments, main outcome measures, parameters evaluated, and how the outcomes were assessed or analyzed.[ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 17 ]

Results/Observations/Findings: This subheading states what was found, is longer, is difficult to draft, and needs to mention important details including the number of study participants, results of analysis (of primary and secondary objectives), and include actual data (numbers, mean, median, standard deviation, “P” values, 95% confidence intervals, effect sizes, relative risks, odds ratio, etc.).[ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 17 ]

Conclusions: The take-home message (the “so what” of the paper) and other significant/important findings should be stated here, considering the interpretation of the research question/hypothesis and results put together (without overinterpreting the findings) and may also include the author's views on the implications of the study.[ 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 17 ]

The eight-point structured abstract: This has the following eight subheadings – Objectives, Study Design, Study Setting, Participants/Patients, Methods/Intervention, Outcome Measures, Results, and Conclusions.[ 3 , 9 , 18 ] The instructions to authors given by the particular journal state whether they use the four- or eight-point abstract or variants thereof.[ 3 , 14 ]

Descriptive and Informative abstracts

Descriptive abstracts are short (75–150 words), only portray what the paper contains without providing any more details; the reader has to read the full paper to know about its contents and are rarely used for original research papers.[ 7 , 10 ] These are used for case reports, reviews, opinions, and so on.[ 7 , 10 ] Informative abstracts (which may be structured or unstructured as described above) give a complete detailed summary of the article contents and truly reflect the actual research done.[ 7 , 10 ]

Drafting a suitable abstract

It is important to religiously stick to the instructions to authors (format, word limit, font size/style, and subheadings) provided by the journal for which the abstract and the paper are being written.[ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 13 ] Most journals allow 200–300 words for formulating the abstract and it is wise to restrict oneself to this word limit.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 22 ] Though some authors prefer to draft the abstract initially, followed by the main text of the paper, it is recommended to draft the abstract in the end to maintain accuracy and conformity with the main text of the paper (thus maintaining an easy linkage/alignment with title, on one hand, and the introduction section of the main text, on the other hand).[ 2 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ] The authors should check the subheadings (of the structured abstract) permitted by the target journal, use phrases rather than sentences to draft the content of the abstract, and avoid passive voice.[ 1 , 7 , 9 , 12 ] Next, the authors need to get rid of redundant words and edit the abstract (extensively) to the correct word count permitted (every word in the abstract “counts”!).[ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 13 ] It is important to ensure that the key message, focus, and novelty of the paper are not compromised; the rationale of the study and the basis of the conclusions are clear; and that the abstract is consistent with the main text of the paper.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 17 , 22 ] This is especially important while submitting a revision of the paper (modified after addressing the reviewer's comments), as the changes made in the main (revised) text of the paper need to be reflected in the (revised) abstract as well.[ 2 , 10 , 12 , 14 , 22 ] Abbreviations should be avoided in an abstract, unless they are conventionally accepted or standard; references, tables, or figures should not be cited in the abstract.[ 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 13 ] It may be worthwhile not to rush with the abstract and to get an opinion by an impartial colleague on the content of the abstract; and if possible, the full paper (an “informal” peer-review).[ 1 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 17 ] Appropriate “Keywords” (three to ten words or phrases) should follow the abstract and should be preferably chosen from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of the U.S. National Library of Medicine ( https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/search ) and are used for indexing purposes.[ 2 , 3 , 11 , 12 ] These keywords need to be different from the words in the main title (the title words are automatically used for indexing the article) and can be variants of the terms/phrases used in the title, or words from the abstract and the main text.[ 3 , 12 ] The ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors; http://www.icmje.org/ ) also recommends publishing the clinical trial registration number at the end of the abstract.[ 7 , 14 ]

Checklist for a good abstract

Table 3 gives a checklist/useful tips for formulating a good abstract for a research paper.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 17 , 22 ]

Checklist/useful tips for formulating a good abstract for a research paper

Concluding Remarks

This review article has given a detailed account of the importance and types of titles and abstracts. It has also attempted to give useful hints for drafting an appropriate title and a complete abstract for a research paper. It is hoped that this review will help the authors in their career in medical writing.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

Acknowledgement

The author thanks Dr. Hemant Deshmukh - Dean, Seth G.S. Medical College & KEM Hospital, for granting permission to publish this manuscript.

Training videos   |   Faqs

How to Write Catchy Research Paper Titles with Examples

Hey there, fellow researchers! Have you ever felt the struggle of coming up with the perfect title for your paper? You’re not alone. The title is like the headline of your favorite news article – it’s got to be catchy yet informative. Let’s dive into some tips and tricks to ensure your title stands out in the academic crowd.

1. Why is the Research Paper Title Important?

Every word in your title is crucial. It’s the first thing a reviewer or reader will see, and it can determine whether your paper gets read or skipped.

✖ Title is too long, wordy, and confusing An In-depth Examination into The Overall Chance of Becoming a World-Renowned Athlete vs Getting an Executive Position in a Fortune 500 Company ✖ Title is written for a small group of readers Examining Humor in Asian Nations as Expressed in Instagram Videos ✔ Title is short and to the point Autonomous Cars: The Ethical Dilemma

A great title is a concise summary of your research and a sneak peek into your work’s unique aspects and main findings. It’s a balance between being specific and informative without overwhelming the reader with details.

2. Rules for Writing Good Titles

Rules for writing great titles are like rules for good writing in general. Let’s look at some basic rules to follow while crafting a fitting title for your research paper.

2.1 Be Specific and Avoid Being Generic

A generic title is broad, vague, and lacks specificity about the research findings. It does not highlight the research’s unique factors or the study’s contribution.

✖ Generic title An Analysis of Healthcare Data Privacy ✔ Improved title Assessing the Effectiveness of Encryption Techniques in Protecting User Data Privacy in a Healthcare Organization _ Focus of research _ Context _ Aspect being studied

2.2 Highlight Your Main Findings and Unique Aspects

Craft the perfect title using three steps.

2.3 Make it Concise and Short

While a five-word short title may seem ideal, when trying to include the specificity of focus, method, and context, you are likelier to have an 8-12 word title. This length is perfect for journal articles.

✖ Not concise A Comprehensive Examination of the Use and Impact of AI-Driven Predictive Analytics for Improving Patient Outcomes in Healthcare Settings Including Hospitals, Labs, Physician’s Offices and Primary Care Facilities ✔ Concise AI-Driven Predictive Analytics in Healthcare: Improving Patient Outcomes

2.4 Attract Attention to Your Work

You want people to be able to find your research article easily through a Google search. Specificity is essential. Using vague adjectives like novel or unique to describe a method doesn’t mean anything, and these words are not likely to be entered into a search bar. Ask yourself, what would the person likely type into the search bar?

✖ Title with poor searchability A Novel Technique for Learning Science ✔ Title with good searchability AI Driven Exercises for Elementary Science Classes

3. Common Questions

Many questions arise when writing an article title. We will answer some of the most common questions, starting with writing mechanics.

3.1 Should Titles be Grammatically Correct?

You might wonder if using prepositions (for, in, of, for, by) in a title is okay. The answer is yes. It is often necessary for the title to make sense and be grammatically correct. Using articles (the, a, an) correctly is also essential. Let’s look at some examples.

Please remember, a countable singular noun (factor, cause, risk) must be preceded by an article. Are verbs acceptable in titles?  Absolutely. Verbs make titles more dynamic.

Tip: Use the …ing form of verbs rather than vague nouns.

✖ Using abstract nouns The examination and categorization of educational software for high schools ✔ Replace abstract nouns with …ing form of verb Examining and categorizing educational software for high schools

Using verbs in the second example adds action words that depict the tasks performed in the study.

3.2 Can I Add Humor to My Title?

Humor can make a title more engaging and memorable, but it must be balanced with relevance to the research topic. The humor must not detract from the study’s credibility.

3.3 Can I Formulate My Paper Title as a Question?

Titles that ask questions are well-suited to abstracts submitted to conferences. Questioning titles are informal and catch the reader’s attention quickly.  The question must be aligned with the primary focus of the research.

Rule: A title can end with a question mark. However, no other punctuation is required at the end of a title.

3.4 What is the Difference Between Conference and Journal Titles?

When you submit an abstract to a conference, you want it noticed so it will be accepted as a presentation. However, you also hope it will be published in the conference proceedings. You want to attract attention, but the title can’t be too witty as to lose professionalism. Two-part titles work well to blend fun and professionalism.

3.5 When is a Two-Part Title a Good Idea

Two-part titles can pose a question in the first part to grab attention, with the second part providing a more academic description of the content. Two-part questions can also use the second part to explain the first part. Two-part questions must be specific, and the two parts must be connected.

✖ Poorly written two-part title : first and second parts don’t connect Advanced Algorithms in Machine Learning: Can They Really Improve Anything? ✔ Improved title Advanced Algorithms in Predictive Analytics: Are They Transforming Healthcare Outcomes?

The poorly written title does not strongly connect the first and second parts. “Can They Really Improve Anything?” isn’t specific enough to connect to the first part, which also lacks specificity.

Crafting an engaging and informative research article title is crucial for capturing attention and ensuring your work is read. You can create titles that stand out by being specific, highlighting unique findings, keeping titles concise, and ensuring grammatical correctness. Remember, a well-placed question or a bit of humor can enhance your title, but it must remain relevant and professional. Whether for journals or conferences, a well-crafted title can make a difference in the searchability and impact of your research. Happy titling!

If you have any questions, please drop a comment below, and we will answer as soon as possible. We also recommend you to refer to our other blogs on  academic writing tools ,   academic writing resources ,  academic writing phrases ,  research paper examples  and  research paper writing tips  which are relevant to the topic discussed in this blog. 

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Writing a scientific paper.

• Writing a lab report

What is a "good" title?

"title checklist" from: how to write a good scientific paper. chris a. mack. spie. 2018., other hints for writing a title.

• INTRODUCTION
• LITERATURE CITED
• Bibliography of guides to scientific writing and presenting
• Peer Review
• Presentations
• Lab Report Writing Guides on the Web

The title will be read by many people. Only a few will read the entire paper, therefore all words in the title should be chosen with care. Too short a title is not helpful to the potential reader. However too long a title can sometimes be even less meaningful. Remember a title is not an abstract. Also a title is not a sentence.

Goals: • Fewest possible words that describe the contents of the paper. • Avoid waste words like "Studies on", or "Investigations on" • Use specific terms rather than general • Watch your word order and syntax • Avoid abbreviations and jargon

 The title should be clear and informative, and should reflect the aim and approach of the work.

 The title should be as specific as possible while still describing the full range of the work. Does the title, seen in isolation, give a full yet concise and specific indication of the work reported?

 Do not mention results or conclusions in the title.

 Avoid: overly clever or punny titles that will not fare well with search engines or international audiences; titles that are too short to be descriptive or too long to be read; jargon, acronyms, or trademarked terms. 

• Whenever possible, use a declarative rather than a neutral title
• Don't end your title with a question mark?
• Begin with the keywords
• Use verbs instead of abstract nouns
• Avoid abbrev. in the title

From: How to Write and Illustrate a Scientific Paper (2008)

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Free Research Title Generator

Looking for a creative and catchy title for a research proposal, thesis, dissertation, essay, or other project? Try our research title maker! It is free, easy to use, and 100% online.

Welcome to our free online research title generator. You can get your title in 3 simple steps:

• Type your search term and choose one or more subjects from the list,
• Click on the “Search topic” button and choose among the ideas that the title generator has proposed,
• Refresh the list by clicking the button one more time if you need more options.

Please try again with some different keywords or subjects.

• ️✅ Research Title Generator: 4 Benefits
• ️👣 Making a Research Title in 3 Steps
• ️🔗 References

Creating a topic for the research is one of the most significant events in a researcher’s life. Whether it is a thesis, dissertation, research proposal , or term paper, all of these assignments are time-consuming and require a lot of effort.

It is essential to choose a topic that you like and are genuinely interested in because you will spend a lot of time working on it. Our research title generator can help you with this crucial task. By delegating this work to our research title maker, you can find the best title for your research.

✅ Research Title Generator: 4 Benefits

There are many different research title makers online, so what makes our thesis title generator stand out?

👣 How to Make a Research Title: 3 Simple Steps

Research can be the most stressful period in a student’s life. However, creating a title is not as hard as it may seem. You can choose a topic for your paper in three simple steps.

Step 1: Brainstorm

The first step to take before getting into your research is to brainstorm . To choose a good topic, you can do the following:

• Think of all your interests related to your field of study. What is the reason you've chosen this field? Think of the topics of your area that you like reading about in your free time.
• Go through your past papers and choose the ones you enjoyed writing. You can use some lingering issues from your previous work as a starting point for your research.
• Go through current events in your field to get an idea of what is going on. Whether you are writing a literary analysis , gender studies research, or any other kind of paper, you can always find tons of articles related to your field online. You can go through them to see what issue is getting more attention.
• Try to find any gaps in current researches in your field. Use only credible sources while searching. Try to add something new to your field with your research. However, do not choose a completely new issue.
• Discuss what topic is suitable for you with your professors. Professor knows a lot of information about current and previous researches, so try to discuss it with them.
• Discuss lingering issues with your classmates. Try to ask what questions do they have about your field.
• Think of your desired future work . Your research might serve as a starting point for your future career, so think of your desired job.
• Write down 5-10 topics that you might be interested in. Ph.D. or Master’s research should be specific, so write down all the appropriate topics that you came up with.

Step 2: Narrow It Down

As you are done brainstorming, you have a list of possible research topics. Now, it is time to narrow your list down.

Go through your list again and eliminate the topics that have already been well-researched before. Remember that you need to add something new to your field of study, so choose a topic that can contribute to it. However, try not to select a topic not researched at all, as it might be difficult.

Once you get a general idea of what your research will be about, choose a research supervisor. Think of a professor who is an expert in your desired area of research. Talk to them and tell them the reason why you want to work with them and why you chose this area of study.

As you eliminated some irrelevant topics and shortened your list to 1-3 topics, you can discuss them with your supervisor. Since your supervisor has a better insight into your field of study, they can recommend a topic that can be most suitable for you. Make sure to elaborate on each topic and the reason you chose it.

Step 3: Formulate a Research Question

The next step is to create a research question. This is probably the most important part of the process. Later you'll turn your research question into a thesis statement .

Learn as many materials as you can to figure out the type of questions you can ask for your research. Make use of any articles, journals, libraries, etc. Write notes as you learn, and highlight the essential parts.

First, make any questions you can think of. Choose the ones that you have an interest in and try to rewrite them. As you rewrite them, you can get a different perspective on each of the questions. An example of the potential question:

How did the economic situation in the 19th century affect literature?

Think of a question that you can answer and research best. To do it, think of the most convenient research process and available materials that you have access to. Do you need to do lab testing, quantitative analysis, or any kind of experiment? What skills do you have that can be useful?

Discuss the question that you came up with your supervisor. Get their feedback as they might have their own opinion on that topic and give you creative advice.

❓ Research Title Maker FAQ

❓ how to make a research title.

To make a research title:

• Brainstorm your field of study first.
• Think of the topics that you are interested in.
• Research current events in your study area and discuss your possible topics with your professors and classmates.
• Avoid random topics that are not well-researched.

❓ What is a working title for a research paper?

To make a good research paper title, analyze your area of study and all the related current events. Discuss your possible topics with your classmates and professors to get their opinion on them. You can also use our research title maker for free.

❓ What is the title page of a research paper?

The title page of the research paper is the first paper of your work. It includes your name, research type, and other essential information about your research.

❓ How to title a research proposal?

The research proposal title should be clear enough to showcase your research. Think of a statement that best describes your work and try to create a title that reflects it.

Updated: Jun 5th, 2024

🔗 References

• Research Topics | Frontiers
• Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
• Strategies for Selecting a Research Topic - ResearchGate
• The First Steps: Choosing a Topic and a Thesis Supervisor
• How to Pick a Masters Thesis Topic | by Peter Campbell

Using keywords to write your title and abstract

Help people find your research with our advice on using keywords to describe your work.

Writing your title and abstract are often the final things you do before you submit an article. However, it is very important not to rush this process as they are both crucial for making your article easy to discover and telling readers what they can expect to learn.

Follow the advice below to help you choose your keywords, and make sure your title and abstract are as effective as possible.

Choosing keywords for your research paper

Selecting the right keywords is how to start a good title and abstract, as well as helping the right readers find your article online.

When you submit your article you’ll usually need to include keywords. These will be used to index your article on  Taylor & Francis Online and on search engines such as  Google Scholar TM .

These keywords will help others find your article quickly and accurately. Think of them as the labels for your article. A strong correlation exists between online hits and subsequent citations for journal articles, therefore it is important to have effective keywords.

But how do you choose your keywords? Put yourself in the mindset of someone searching for articles on your topic, what words or phrases would you enter?

Before you begin your list, check the instructions for authors on your target journal’s homepage on Taylor & Francis Online . There may be specific journal requirements on how many keywords to choose. If they haven’t specified, you could look through a recent paper to get an idea.

Basic tips for creating your keyword list

Read through your paper and highlight any key terms or phrases that are most relevant to the focus of your work.

Draw up a shortlist.

Try searching with your keywords to make sure the results fit with your article and so you can see how useful they would be to others.

Narrow down your keywords to make sure they are as accurate as possible.

Review your final list and ask yourself, will these keywords be most effective at indexing my article online?

Sustainable Development Goal keywords

As more research continues to make important contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we want to support authors in drawing attention to the relevance of their work.

We have recently introduced a set of SDG keywords to selected journals and these keywords will be used to tag papers related to each SDG. This tagging will better highlight the research to readers and enable readers to search for all papers on Taylor & Francis Online using that keyword, with the collection growing over time as tagged papers are published.

Use of these keywords is author-led, with authors determining if their submitted manuscript is relevant to one or more of the SDGs and choosing to add the keywords as appropriate. If a journal is offering SDG keyword tagging, you will be made aware of it in the Instructions for Authors.

Include the relevant SDG keywords within your manuscript file using the format of the keywords list shown below – see ‘The SDG keyword list’. On submission you will be given the option to add the relevant keywords to your submission via a keyboard dropdown menu.

The SDG keyword list The collection of SDG-relevant research will grow over time as tagged papers are published on Taylor & Francis Online

SDG 1: No poverty

SDG 2: Zero hunger

SDG 3: Good health and well-being

SDG 4: Quality education

SDG 5: Gender equality

SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation

SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

SDG 10: Reduced inequalities

SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities

SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

SDG 13: Climate action

SDG 14: Life below water

SDG 15: Life on land

SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions

SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals

How to write an effective title for your paper

Good writing titles should be concise, accurate, and informative, and it should tell the reader exactly what the article is about. This is where the keywords you’ve identified come in. It’s vital to incorporate your most relevant keywords in your title to make your article more discoverable in online searches.

The title should include 1-2 keywords, and these keywords should be within the first 65 characters of the title so that they are visible in the search engine results. This will help you produce an effective title.

Writing an effective title increases the potential audience for your article by making it more accessible to readers.

A good title for research paper should:

Incorporate the keywords, so that the article is more likely to be included in the results for relevant online searches.

Be understandable to a reader from outside its field.

Avoid abbreviations, formulae, and numbers.

Keep away from using “Investigation of…”; “Study of…”; “More about…”; “…revisited”.

Get straight to the point of what the article adds to the topic.

Editor’s view

Professor Mark Brundrett, Editor of Education 3-13

What is the abstract in a paper?

An abstract is ‘a few sentences that gives the main idea in an article or a scientific paper’ – definition of abstract from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press.

The abstract section of a research paper is the selling pitch of your article. It is where researchers can get a quick insight and decide whether to continue reading and cite your content, or instead look elsewhere.

It’s worth spending time to write an abstract that will win readers over. Think about article abstracts that you have read in the past.

What qualities would encourage you to read the full article? Is there anything that would put you off delving any deeper into the article? Consider these factors when writing your abstract.

Here are some ideas on what to focus on, to achieve the purpose of an abstract in research paper:

What your research is about

What methods have been used

What you found out

Each journal will have its own word limit for abstracts which you’ll find in the instructions for authors, but approximately 100–200 words are what you have to work with. Check the guidelines for the word count before you start writing.

As you would expect, accuracy is crucial in a good abstract. Whatever you argue or claim in the abstract must reflect what is in the main body of your article. There’s no room for discussion, or introducing any further points.

Tips for writing an abstract

Make sure that your abstract is self-contained, without abbreviations, footnotes, or incomplete references.

It should be a concise summary that makes sense on its own.

Include keywords throughout, but make sure the writing still flows naturally.

You should also avoid including any images, background information or technical terms that may not be understood without further explanation.

There is a significant difference between original research papers and review papers when it comes to abstracts.

For original papers, you should describe your method and procedures.

For reviews, you should first state the primary objective of the review, the reasoning behind your choice, the main outcomes and results of your review, and the conclusions that might be drawn, including their implications for further research, application, or practice.

Example of a well-constructed title and abstract

You can see below a clear and concise title built around five keywords highlighting the main points covered in the article.

The keywords are also used throughout the abstract in a natural way, without affecting readability.

Modelling malaria dynamics with partial immunity and protected travellers: optimal control and cost-effectiveness analysis

A mathematical model of malaria dynamics with naturally acquired transient immunity in the presence of protected travellers is presented. The qualitative analysis carried out on the autonomous model reveals the existence of backward bifurcation, where the locally asymptotically stable malaria-free and malaria-present equilibria coexist as the basic reproduction number crosses unity. The increased fraction of protected travellers is shown to reduce the basic reproduction number significantly. Particularly, optimal control theory is used to analyse the non-autonomous model, which incorporates four control variables. The existence result for the optimal control quadruple, which minimizes malaria infection and costs of implementation, is explicitly proved. Effects of combining at least any three of the control variables on the malaria dynamics are illustrated. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness analysis is carried out to reveal the most cost-effective strategy that could be implemented to prevent and control the spread of malaria with limited resources.

Keywords:  Malaria model ,  temporary immunity ,  protected travellers ,  optimal control ,  cost-effective analysis

Modelling malaria dynamics with partial immunity and protected travellers: optimal control and cost-effectiveness analysis  by S. Olaniyi, K. O. Okosun, S. O. Adesanya & R. S. Lebelo is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Abstract checklist

Have you clearly summarized the article?

Have you included your keywords?

Does it encourage researchers to read on?

Does it fit within the word count?

Is it easy to understand without any prior knowledge of the topic?

Video abstract

A video abstract lets you introduce readers to your article in your own words, telling others why they should read your research.

These short videos (three minutes or less) are published alongside the text abstract on Taylor & Francis Online and are an increasingly popular way of getting others to engage with published research, increasing the visibility of your work.

Find out more about creating a video abstract.

Graphical abstract

A graphical abstract is a useful tool that provides a concise, visual summary of the main conclusions of your article. It can be a great additional way to communicate your findings and is shown to potential readers in several places.

On  Taylor & Francis Online  you’ll see graphical abstracts on the journal’s table of contents page, on the article page itself, and in the PDF version of the article. Where there’s a print version of the journal, it’ll be included there too. Your graphical abstract can be an existing figure from your article if there’s something suitable, or it can be specifically designed for the purpose.

If you supply a graphical abstract, it will be shown in social media shares of your article. This is a great way to increase engagement with your article.

How should a graphical abstract be formatted?

Please make sure you follow these simple guidelines when formatting your graphical abstract:

Your image will often be displayed online at a width 525 pixels, so please make sure that the image is legible at this size.

The image should be saved as a .jpg, .png, or .tiff file.

Supply your graphical abstract as a separate file, labelled GraphicalAbstract1. Do not embed it in your manuscript file.

For optimal online display, your image should be supplied in landscape format with a 2:1 aspect ratio (2 length x 1 height).

A graphical abstract is mandatory for some journals, and for others it may be optional or may not be accepted at all. Always check the instructions for authors to make sure.

Example of a graphical abstract from  Organic Eu3+-complex-anchored porous diatomite channels enable UV protection and down conversion in hybrid material  by Xiaoshuang Yu, Lili Li, Yue Zhao, Xinzhi Wang, Yao Wang, Wenfei Shen, Xiaolin Zhang, Yanying Zhang, Jianguo Tang & Olle Inganäs, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

If you’d like to see some further examples of graphical abstracts then take a look at articles in  Science and Technology of Advanced Materials  and  Journal of Coordination Chemistry .

Expert help for your manuscript

Taylor & Francis Editing Services  offers a full range of pre-submission manuscript preparation services to help you improve the quality of your manuscript and submit with confidence.

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Organizing Academic Research Papers: Choosing a Title

• Purpose of Guide
• Design Flaws to Avoid
• Glossary of Research Terms
• Narrowing a Topic Idea
• Broadening a Topic Idea
• Extending the Timeliness of a Topic Idea
• Academic Writing Style
• Choosing a Title
• Making an Outline
• Paragraph Development
• Executive Summary
• Background Information
• The Research Problem/Question
• Theoretical Framework
• Citation Tracking
• Content Alert Services
• Evaluating Sources
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Tertiary Sources
• What Is Scholarly vs. Popular?
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Using Non-Textual Elements
• Limitations of the Study
• Common Grammar Mistakes
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Footnotes or Endnotes?
• Further Readings
• Annotated Bibliography
• Dealing with Nervousness
• Using Visual Aids
• Grading Someone Else's Paper
• How to Manage Group Projects
• Multiple Book Review Essay
• Reviewing Collected Essays
• About Informed Consent
• Writing Field Notes
• Writing a Policy Memo
• Writing a Research Proposal
• Acknowledgements

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 title is without doubt the part of a paper that is read the most, and it is usually read first . If the title is too long it usually contains too many unnecessary words, e.g., "A Study to Investigate the...." On the other hand, a title which is too short often uses words which are too general. For example, "African Politics" could be the title of a book, but it does not provide any information on the focus of a research paper.

Structure and Writing Style

The following parameters can be used to help you formulate a suitable research paper title:

• The purpose of the research
• The narrative tone of the paper [typically defined by the type of the research]
• The methods used

The initial aim of a title is to capture the reader’s attention and to draw his or her attention to the research problem being investigated.

Create a Working Title Typically, the final title you submit to your professor is created after the research is complete so that the title accurately captures what was done . The working title should be developed early in the research process because it can help anchor the focus of the study in much the same way the research problem does. Referring back to the working title can help you reorient yourself back to the main purpose of the study if you feel yourself drifting off on a tangent while writing. The Final Title Effective titles in academic research papers have several 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:

• 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."
• 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."
• 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."
• 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."
• 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."

Balch, Tucker. How to Compose a Title for Your Research Paper . Augmented Trader blog. School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Tech University;  Choosing the Proper Research Paper Titles . AplusReports.com, 2007-2012; General Format. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University.

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• 10 Research Question Examples to Guide Your Research Project

10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project

Published on October 30, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on October 19, 2023.

The research question is one of the most important parts of your research paper , thesis or dissertation . It’s important to spend some time assessing and refining your question before you get started.

The exact form of your question will depend on a few things, such as the length of your project, the type of research you’re conducting, the topic , and the research problem . However, all research questions should be focused, specific, and relevant to a timely social or scholarly issue.

Once you’ve read our guide on how to write a research question , you can use these examples to craft your own.

Note that the design of your research question can depend on what method you are pursuing. Here are a few options for qualitative, quantitative, and statistical research questions.

Other interesting articles

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, October 19). 10 Research Question Examples to Guide your Research Project. Scribbr. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-question-examples/

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Other students also liked, writing strong research questions | criteria & examples, how to choose a dissertation topic | 8 steps to follow, evaluating sources | methods & examples, what is your plagiarism score.

How to Start a Research Project: Choosing a Topic

• Choosing a Topic

Beginning Your Research Project

You have an assignment coming up in class. You need to write a research paper, create an annotated bibliography, or make a presentation. These are just some research projects you may need to do.

This guide will show you different ways to start a research project. When following this guide, please consider 3 concepts:

• Center your personal research interests - What are you interested in?
• Take as long on each step as you would like.
• Skip steps and repeat steps as you need.

Starting from Nothing: The Mind Map

A mind map is a visual way of building a topic into a research question .

A topic is the basic idea that interests you. This is the idea that sparks your research. A topic could be "barbeque," "The Cold War," "flightless birds," or "the common cold." If you are having trouble choosing a topic , review the class syllabus or canvas modules. Find a topic covered in class that you can see yourself spending time with.

A research question is the focus of your research project. It is the thesis of your paper or the point of your presentation.

Work with us through the mind map steps to build your own research question .

To create a mind map , you will need to be able to write or type text, and the text must also be rearrangeable.

• Start with an idea like "Kitchen Design". Place your idea in the center.

• Surround your central idea with related concepts. I wrote all the kinds of kitchens I could think of. I could have also chosen to list appliances or design themes instead.

• Out of the kitchen-types, I was most drawn to "Hospital Kitchens". I then added concepts around "Hospital Kitchens". These concepts can be moved to also combined with other ideas.

• I also thought more about "Home Kitchens". I combined, "Kitchen Safety", "Consumer Preferences", and "Advertisements."

• My final version of my mind map example is very small. Don't worry if you have many more ideas and need more time rearranging your cards and planning.

I have identified two different starting research questions by combining my concepts:

• How could hospital managers design hospital kitchens to be safer for employees?
• How do kitchen appliance manufacturers advertise the safety of their products to consumers?

Research Questions

A research question is the focus of your research project. It is the thesis of your paper or the point of your presentation. Here are some requirements of a good research question:

• Research questions cannot be answered with "yes" or "no".
• Research questions can be researched.
• A small research paper shouldn't have a research question with a giant scope: How does preventative healthcare get planned?
• A small research paper should have a research question with a manageable scope: How do preventative care programs for type II diabetes in Alabaman clinics get advertised?

In this example, we narrowed the scope of our initial research question in a few ways:

• Type: "Preventative care" was limited to - "type II diabetes"
• Place: We had no initial location limit. We limited ourselves to "Alabaman clinics"
• Action: "Planned" was defined as "advertised"

Sometimes, research questions need to change slightly after you have done some research. If you were not able to find any useful resources for the example research question, then you could try changing the scope. If you cannot find anything specific to Alabaman clinics, then you could change that part of your research question to "United States clinics" or "Alabaman healthcare providers."

Still stuck? Please check Monash University's Developing Research Questions guide .

Turning your Research Question into a Search

Useful links.

• Purdue OWL: Choosing a Topic This handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding sources.
• UNC: Brainstorming This handout discusses techniques that will help you start writing a paper and continue writing through the challenges of the revising process. Brainstorming can help you choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen your understanding of the topic’s potential.
• University Writing Center Schedule a session with a tutor at the University Writing Center.
• Next: JSTOR >>
• Last Updated: Aug 6, 2024 12:46 PM
• URL: https://libguides.southalabama.edu/start-research

Use of Italics

This page addresses when to use italics, when to avoid italics, how to use italics for emphasis, and when to use reverse italics. Additional cases and examples are provided in the Publication Manual ; users’ most common questions are addressed here.

When to use italics

In APA Style papers, use italics for the following cases:

When not to use italics

Do not use italics for the following cases in APA Style papers:

Italics for emphasis

In general, avoid using italics for emphasis. Instead, rewrite your sentence to provide emphasis. For example, place important words or phrases at the beginning or end of a sentence instead of in the middle, or break long sentences into several shorter sentences.

However, do use italics if emphasis might otherwise be lost or the material might be misread, as in the following example.

Whereas creative self-efficacy typically focuses on confidence beliefs prior to engaging in creative endeavors, perceived creative credit focuses on the beliefs developed after engaging in creative tasks (Ng & Yam, 2019, p. 1146).

If you add emphasis to a direct quotation, place the words “[emphasis added]” in square brackets after the words you have italicized.

Research on creativity indicates that “promoting creativity without attending to the subsequent psychological and behavioral changes decreases rather than increases [emphasis added] organizational performance over the long run” (Ng & Yam, 2019, p. 1157).

Reverse italics

When words that would normally be italicized appear within text that is already italicized, those words should be set in standard (nonitalic) type, referred to as reverse italicization . For example, if an italic symbol appears in a table title (which is also italicized), use standard type for the symbol.

Demographic Characteristics of Study Participants ( N = 250)

Italics and reverse italics are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 6.22 and 6.23 and the Concise Guide Sections 4.15 and 4.16

From the APA Style blog

Navigating the not-so-hidden treasures of the APA Style website

This post links directly to APA Style topics of interest that users may not even know exist on the website.

How to Write a Salary Increase Letter (Example Included!)

Negotiating your salary can be a key step in advancing your career and boosting your financial stability—but it can also be pretty intimidating. The good news is that with the right approach, it doesn’t have to be so scary. That's where a salary increase letter comes in.

Whether you're asking for a raise due to your great performance, increased responsibilities, or changes in the market, a well-crafted letter asking for salary increment can be a powerful (and smooth) way to make your case.

In this article, we'll walk you through everything you need to know about writing a salary increase letter, from understanding its purpose to tips on crafting an effective one. We'll also include sample letters and templates to help you get started. Plus, we’ve interviewed Muse career coach Jenn Smith , who shares her top advice on navigating this critical career move.

Need a higher salary? Check out open jobs on The Muse for your next big move »

What is a salary increase letter?

A salary increase letter is a formal document that employees use to request a raise from their employer. Unlike a salary review letter—which is typically initiated by the employer to communicate pay adjustments—a salary increase letter is written by the employee seeking a boost in compensation.

Writing a salary increase letter can be necessary for several reasons:

• Performance improvements : You've consistently exceeded your performance goals or achieved a significant milestone and believe your contributions are worth a higher salary.
• Increased responsibilities : Your role has expanded significantly, and your current salary no longer reflects the scope of your responsibilities.
• Market adjustments : Industry standards and market rates for your position have increased, and your current salary needs to catch up to these benchmarks.

When writing a letter to request a salary increase, it's generally more effective to address it to your direct manager or your department’s director rather than HR. Your manager is more familiar with your work, contributions, and the value you bring to the team. They are also likely involved in budget decisions and have the authority to advocate for your raise.

Is it OK to ask for a raise through a salary increase letter?

Yes, writing a salary increase letter can be a formal and respectful way to request a raise. It allows you to clearly articulate your reasons, provide evidence of your achievements , and give your employer time to consider your request. Plus, a letter is a documented record of your request and can be reviewed by decision-makers at different levels of the organization.

On the other hand, having an in-person conversation can be generally more effective. “This allows you to present your case dynamically, outlining your accomplishments, contributions, and the value you bring, and respond to questions or concerns in real-time,” Smith says, adding that a direct conversation also allows for immediate feedback. “Your manager can provide insights into decision-making, share any constraints or considerations, and offer guidance.”

She also believes it’s a good idea to supplement your conversation with a follow-up email to ensure clarity and provide a reference for future discussions.

How to write a salary increase letter

These tips will prepare you for writing an effective pay raise letter:

1. Research salary benchmarks

Conducting extensive research will strengthen your case and help you present a compelling argument.

“Research industry salary benchmarks for your role, experience level, and geographic location,” Smiths says. “Use reliable sources like industry salary surveys, compensation reports, and online salary databases.”

Additionally, be sure to understand your company's salary ranges, performance evaluation criteria, and typical raise percentages.

2. Choose the right time

Timing is crucial when it comes to writing a letter requesting pay increase. Making your request at the wrong time can significantly reduce your chances of success.

“Typically, organizations have annual or semiannual performance review cycles,” Smiths says. “Discuss this with your manager before the performance review process starts so they can consider it as they begin budget conversations.”

One common mistake she sees is “asking for a raise at an inappropriate time, such as during a company's financial downturn or immediately after a major organizational change or layoffs.” Avoid doing that at all costs.

3. Keep it clear and straightforward

Begin your letter by setting the context for your request and remind your employer of your role within the company. Clearly state your position, tenure with the company, and the purpose of the letter.

4. Detail your contributions and impact

In the main section of your letter, outline your accomplishments and contributions to the company. Highlight specific achievements, projects, or responsibilities that demonstrate your value.

Provide evidence of your impact, such as performance metrics, positive feedback from clients or colleagues, and examples of how your work has benefited the company, explaining how your contributions justify the proposed raise.

5. Conclude with gratitude and reaffirmation

Summarize your key points and reiterate your appreciation for the opportunity to discuss your compensation. Express gratitude for the support and experiences you have gained and reiterate your commitment to the company. This positive tone reinforces your professionalism and leaves a lasting impression.

Salary increase request letter example

Here’s a sample letter for salary increase request to show you how these tips can be put into practice:

Alex Johnson 123 Elm Street Springfield, IL 62704 [email protected] July 25, 2024

Emma Thompson Director of Sales Innovative Tech Solutions 456 Maple Avenue Springfield, IL 62704

Dear Ms. Thompson,

I hope you are well. I am writing to formally request a review of my current salary. I have thoroughly enjoyed working at Innovative Tech Solutions over the past three years and appreciate the opportunities for growth and development that have been provided to me.

During my time here, I have consistently exceeded expectations and made significant contributions to the Sales team. For example, I spearheaded a new email marketing campaign that increased sales by 15% and successfully launched our new TechY product line, resulting in a 20% revenue boost.

In addition to my core responsibilities, I have taken on new challenges, such as leading the training program for new sales representatives and managing key client accounts, which have significantly contributed to our team's success.

I have also undertaken several professional development activities, including completing a certification in Advanced Sales Strategies and attending workshops on market trends, which have further enhanced my skills and ability to contribute to our team.

Based on my research of industry standards and salary benchmarks for my role and experience level, I believe that an adjustment in my compensation is warranted. Therefore, I respectfully request a salary increase to $85,000. This adjustment would better reflect the value I bring to the team and align my compensation with industry standards.

I am confident this increase will further motivate me to continue delivering high-quality work and contributing to the success of Innovative Tech Solutions. I am more than willing to discuss this request in person and provide any additional information that may be required.

Thank you for considering my request and for your ongoing support.

Sincerely, Alex Johnson

Raise request letter template

Now, here's a template for a raise request letter to help guide you in drafting your own:

[Your Name] [Your Address] [Email Address] [Date]

[Recipient’s Name] [Recipient’s Title] [Company’s Name] [Company’s Address]

Dear [recipient’s name],

I hope you are well. I am writing to formally request a review of my current salary. I have thoroughly enjoyed working at [Company’s Name] over the past [number] years and appreciate the opportunities for growth and development that have been provided to me.

During my time here, I have consistently exceeded expectations and made significant contributions to the [Department] team. For example, I [List your accomplishments, using quantifiable results whenever possible, such as increased sales by 15% through a new email marketing campaign; successfully launched a new product line, resulting in a 20% revenue increase; etc.].

In addition to my core responsibilities, I have taken on new challenges, such as [List additional responsibilities].

In addition to these accomplishments, I have undertaken several professional development activities, including [certifications, courses, and training programs], which have further enhanced my skills and ability to contribute to our team.

Based on my research of industry standards and salary benchmarks for my role and experience level, I believe that an adjustment in my compensation is warranted. Therefore, I respectfully request a salary increase to [desired salary or salary range]. This adjustment would better reflect the value I bring to the team and align my compensation with industry standards.

I am confident this increase will further motivate me to continue delivering high-quality work and contributing to the success of [Company Name]. I am more than willing to discuss this request in person and provide any additional information that may be required.

Sincerely, [Your name]

How often should I make a salary raise proposal ?

Typically, you should ask for a raise once a year, ideally around your annual performance review. If you have taken on significant additional responsibilities or have had exceptional achievements, it might be appropriate to request a salary review sooner. However, be mindful of your company's financial health and the timing of your request.

Should I wait for a performance review?

Waiting for a performance review is often a good strategy, as this is a natural time for salary discussions. However, if you feel that your contributions have significantly outpaced your current compensation, you might consider requesting a meeting outside of the review cycle. Just ensure your request is well-timed and substantiated.

What if the salary increase request is denied?

If a salary review is denied, consider asking for specific feedback. “Work with your manager to set clear goals—create a development plan that outlines the steps you need to receive a raise,” Smith says. “Consider discussing alternative forms of compensation, which could include bonuses, additional vacation days, flexible working arrangements, and professional development opportunities.”

Key takeaways

Whether you opt for a formal letter via email , a direct conversation, or a combination of both, the key is to present a well-reasoned case for your increased-salary request. When crafting your letter, keep these takeaways in mind:

• Avoid approaching the conversation with an aggressive or entitled attitude. Politeness and professionalism will help you make a positive impression.
• Document any professional development activities you've undertaken , such as certifications, courses, training programs, or conferences. This shows your commitment to growing within your role and adds weight to your request.
• Be confident in your request to demonstrate your self-assurance and understanding of your worth. Clearly state your desired salary or salary range and show you are informed about salary ranges for your position.
• Explain how a salary increase will help you contribute even more to the company's success. Position your request as a mutually beneficial arrangement that will enhance your productivity and the value you bring to the organization.
• Use clear and concise language, avoiding jargon or overly complex sentences. Ensure your message is easily understood and directly addresses your key points. After writing it, don’t forget to proofread it.

Mounting research shows that COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, including significant drops in IQ scores

Chief of Research and Development, VA St. Louis Health Care System. Clinical Epidemiologist, Washington University in St. Louis

Disclosure statement

Ziyad Al-Aly receives funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

View all partners

From the very early days of the pandemic, brain fog emerged as a significant health condition that many experience after COVID-19.

Brain fog is a colloquial term that describes a state of mental sluggishness or lack of clarity and haziness that makes it difficult to concentrate, remember things and think clearly.

Fast-forward four years and there is now abundant evidence that being infected with SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – can affect brain health in many ways .

In addition to brain fog, COVID-19 can lead to an array of problems , including headaches, seizure disorders, strokes, sleep problems, and tingling and paralysis of the nerves, as well as several mental health disorders .

A large and growing body of evidence amassed throughout the pandemic details the many ways that COVID-19 leaves an indelible mark on the brain. But the specific pathways by which the virus does so are still being elucidated, and curative treatments are nonexistent.

Now, two new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine shed further light on the profound toll of COVID-19 on cognitive health .

I am a physician scientist , and I have been devoted to studying long COVID since early patient reports about this condition – even before the term “long COVID” was coined. I have testified before the U.S. Senate as an expert witness on long COVID and have published extensively on this topic.

How COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain

Here are some of the most important studies to date documenting how COVID-19 affects brain health:

Large epidemiological analyses showed that people who had COVID-19 were at an increased risk of cognitive deficits , such as memory problems.

Imaging studies done in people before and after their COVID-19 infections show shrinkage of brain volume and altered brain structure after infection .

A study of people with mild to moderate COVID-19 showed significant prolonged inflammation of the brain and changes that are commensurate with seven years of brain aging .

Severe COVID-19 that requires hospitalization or intensive care may result in cognitive deficits and other brain damage that are equivalent to 20 years of aging .

Laboratory experiments in human and mouse brain organoids designed to emulate changes in the human brain showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers the fusion of brain cells . This effectively short-circuits brain electrical activity and compromises function.

Autopsy studies of people who had severe COVID-19 but died months later from other causes showed that the virus was still present in brain tissue . This provides evidence that contrary to its name, SARS-CoV-2 is not only a respiratory virus, but it can also enter the brain in some individuals. But whether the persistence of the virus in brain tissue is driving some of the brain problems seen in people who have had COVID-19 is not yet clear.

Studies show that even when the virus is mild and exclusively confined to the lungs, it can still provoke inflammation in the brain and impair brain cells’ ability to regenerate .

COVID-19 can also disrupt the blood brain barrier , the shield that protects the nervous system – which is the control and command center of our bodies – making it “leaky.” Studies using imaging to assess the brains of people hospitalized with COVID-19 showed disrupted or leaky blood brain barriers in those who experienced brain fog.

A large preliminary analysis pooling together data from 11 studies encompassing almost 1 million people with COVID-19 and more than 6 million uninfected individuals showed that COVID-19 increased the risk of development of new-onset dementia in people older than 60 years of age.

Drops in IQ

Most recently, a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine assessed cognitive abilities such as memory, planning and spatial reasoning in nearly 113,000 people who had previously had COVID-19. The researchers found that those who had been infected had significant deficits in memory and executive task performance.

This decline was evident among those infected in the early phase of the pandemic and those infected when the delta and omicron variants were dominant. These findings show that the risk of cognitive decline did not abate as the pandemic virus evolved from the ancestral strain to omicron.

In the same study, those who had mild and resolved COVID-19 showed cognitive decline equivalent to a three-point loss of IQ. In comparison, those with unresolved persistent symptoms, such as people with persistent shortness of breath or fatigue, had a six-point loss in IQ. Those who had been admitted to the intensive care unit for COVID-19 had a nine-point loss in IQ. Reinfection with the virus contributed an additional two-point loss in IQ, as compared with no reinfection.

Generally the average IQ is about 100. An IQ above 130 indicates a highly gifted individual, while an IQ below 70 generally indicates a level of intellectual disability that may require significant societal support.

To put the finding of the New England Journal of Medicine study into perspective, I estimate that a three-point downward shift in IQ would increase the number of U.S. adults with an IQ less than 70 from 4.7 million to 7.5 million – an increase of 2.8 million adults with a level of cognitive impairment that requires significant societal support.

Another study in the same issue of the New England Journal of Medicine involved more than 100,000 Norwegians between March 2020 and April 2023. It documented worse memory function at several time points up to 36 months following a positive SARS-CoV-2 test.

Parsing the implications

Taken together, these studies show that COVID-19 poses a serious risk to brain health, even in mild cases, and the effects are now being revealed at the population level.

A recent analysis of the U.S. Current Population Survey showed that after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional 1 million working-age Americans reported having “serious difficulty” remembering, concentrating or making decisions than at any time in the preceding 15 years. Most disconcertingly, this was mostly driven by younger adults between the ages of 18 to 44.

Data from the European Union shows a similar trend – in 2022, 15% of people in the EU reported memory and concentration issues .

Looking ahead, it will be critical to identify who is most at risk. A better understanding is also needed of how these trends might affect the educational attainment of children and young adults and the economic productivity of working-age adults. And the extent to which these shifts will influence the epidemiology of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is also not clear.

The growing body of research now confirms that COVID-19 should be considered a virus with a significant impact on the brain. The implications are far-reaching, from individuals experiencing cognitive struggles to the potential impact on populations and the economy.

Lifting the fog on the true causes behind these cognitive impairments, including brain fog, will require years if not decades of concerted efforts by researchers across the globe. And unfortunately, nearly everyone is a test case in this unprecedented global undertaking.

• Intelligence
• Long COVID-19
• SARS-CoV-2 virus
• Cognitive health

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How to Write a Cover Letter That Gets You a Job Interview

Learn to avoid the biggest mistake job seekers make and write a cover letter that truly makes an impact.

Customers Interviewed by:

Most job seekers don’t know how to write a proper cover letter. They believe a cover letter is just a “here is my resume” note. This is a wasted opportunity!

In this article, you’ll discover the secret to writing a professional cover letter that’s truly effective. It’s not hard to do and will give you a significant edge over the competition. We’ll walk you through the process in a few straightforward steps and provide examples to help you along the way.

Ready to get started? Let’s dive in and create a cover letter that opens doors to your next opportunity.

What is a cover letter and do you really need one?

A cover letter is a short document (around 300 words) that accompanies your resume. Your cover letter should not simply repeat what your resume says . Instead, it should complement your resume, highlight your personality, and potentially address any weaknesses that could otherwise prevent you from getting an interview.

But do you really need a cover letter in 2024? The short answer is YES.

“Over 80% of hiring managers read a cover letter and 60% of applications require one as part of the application,” says career coach Madelyn Mackie . “Even hiring managers and recruiters who say they never read cover letters may find themselves drawn in by a particularly compelling letter.”

In fact, Jobscan analyzed nearly 1 million job applications and found that including a cover letter with your resume makes you  1.9 times more likely  to be invited for an interview compared to those who left out a cover letter.

What’s the biggest cover letter mistake?

The biggest mistake job seekers make when writing their cover letter is to focus only on themselves .

“It’s not about you,” says career coach Susan Schwartz . “It’s about what you can do for them. Talking to them about what they care about—not about what you want—is what’s going to make them want to read your letter. And to hire you!”

According to Schwartz, this is the best way to write a cover letter:

Paragraph 1. A single sentence (maximum two) stating the PROBLEM that the company faces. What is the issue/need/opportunity that this role will address?

Paragraph 2. what solution do you offer how are you the answer to their need again, keep it to a sentence or two., paragraph 3. explanation: what experience do you have that supports your assertion that you can help this paragraph can be 3-4 sentences, but keep it short., paragraph 4. call to action: suggest next steps. not “thank you” but let’s plan to discuss this next week..

Since hiring managers often spend less than 20 seconds on an application, your cover letter needs to grab their attention and get them to look at your resume. By highlighting how your experience matches the job, you make it easier for them to see you as a great fit for the role.

Now let’s examine each of these steps in more detail.

How to write a strong cover letter step-by-step

Now that you know the basics of what to include in your cover letter, let’s go through the process from start to finish to see how you can write a cover letter that will make you stand out from the rest of the candidates.

1. Do your research

Before writing your cover letter, research the company to understand its current challenges and goals. Visit the company website, read their latest news and press releases, and follow their social media channels.

Don’t skip this step! It’s crucial for writing a cover letter that truly resonates with a potential employer and sets you apart from other candidates.

After you’ve researched the company, carefully read the job description. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What specific problems or challenges is this role designed to address?
• How do my skills and experiences align with the job requirements?
• Am I a good fit for the role?
• What unique value can I bring to the company in this role?
• Are there any keywords or phrases that I should incorporate into my cover letter?

After researching the company and the role, you’re ready to start writing your cover letter.

2. Write your opening paragraphs

Many job seekers make the mistake of being too wordy in their cover letters. You’re not writing a novel. Use short words in short sentences. Remember, a hiring manager is going to quickly scan your application, so you need to get right to the point.

Here are some examples of how to start a cover letter:

Dear [Hiring Manager’s Name],

I’ve noticed that NexGen is working hard to stand out in a crowded digital market, and keeping your brand top-of-mind for customers can be tough.

That’s where I come in—I specialize in creating engaging content and smart SEO strategies that boost online presence and drive customer engagement.

I understand that Weissman is seeking to maintain its innovative edge in the dancewear industry while consistently meeting sales and margin targets.

I am confident that my experience and passion for design can help Weissman continue to create stunning, market-leading dancewear.

I understand that Timmons Company needs motivated individuals to manage sales territories and boost product visibility in retail grocery stores around Quincy, IL.

I am excited to bring my self-motivation and sales-oriented mindset to your team, ensuring your products not only maintain their shelf presence but also thrive.

3. Prove you can do the job

Now you need to provide evidence that you’re the right person for the job. The best way to do this is to highlight your relevant experience and achievements. Here are some things you should focus on:

• Specific Accomplishments : Share examples of your successes, such as increasing sales, leading projects, or improving processes.
• Relevant Skills : Highlight the skills that match the job requirements, like planning, organizing, technical proficiencies, or specific industry experience.
• Problem-Solving : Discuss times when you successfully tackled challenges, such as resolving issues, managing conflicts, or implementing solutions.
• Industry Knowledge : Demonstrate your understanding of the field and awareness of current trends and standards.
• Team Collaboration : Mention how you’ve effectively worked in teams, mentored others, or collaborated across departments.

Remember to keep it concise. Your letter isn’t meant to tell your whole story; it’s about making a compelling case that you understand the key aspects of the job.

Your goal is to leave the reader eager to learn more about you. Here are some examples:

“Over the past five years, I’ve led digital marketing campaigns that ramped up organic traffic by 40% and bumped up conversion rates by 25%. I’ve worked with diverse teams to create compelling content that resonates with audiences and used data analytics to refine strategies for maximum impact. My experience with social media management and email marketing also ensures a holistic approach to your digital marketing needs.”

“With over ten years in apparel design, specializing in activewear and dancewear, I have a proven track record of developing designs that resonate with customers and drive sales. My expertise includes conducting global trend research, selecting inspiring materials, and leading teams to transform creative concepts into market-ready products. I am proficient in Adobe Creative Suite and have experience with CLO3D, ensuring that my designs are both innovative and technically sound. My leadership skills have been honed by mentoring junior designers and managing cross-functional teams, fostering a collaborative and efficient design process.”

“With several years of experience in CPG retail sales and merchandising, I have successfully managed sales territories, maintained product placements, and executed promotional strategies. My ability to plan and organize, combined with proficiency in Microsoft Office and familiarity with iPads, positions me well to contribute effectively to your sales team. I am adept at thinking on my feet and delivering results in dynamic environments, ensuring that products are always tagged, rotated, and optimally displayed.”

4. Conclude with a call to action

When wrapping up your cover letter, it’s crucial to include a strong call to action in your closing paragraph. This isn’t just about expressing gratitude—it’s about setting the stage for the next steps in the hiring process.

Instead of a simple “thank you,” aim to propose a specific plan, such as scheduling a meeting or a call to discuss how you can contribute to the company.

Here are some examples of how to end a cover letter :

“Let’s discuss how I can help NexGen Creative Agency achieve its sales goals next week. Please let me know your availability for a meeting.”

“How about we chat next week about how I can help Weissman shine even brighter? Let me know when you’re free.”

“Let’s plan to discuss how my self-motivation and sales-oriented mindset can boost product visibility for Timmons Company next week. Please let me know your availability for a meeting.”

There is no need to add anything more. Time is valuable, so hiring managers won’t spend it on a cover letter that isn’t concise and to the point.

Expert tips for writing a cover letter

We’ve gone over the basics of how to write a good cover letter. Here are some expert tips for formatting and how to make your cover letter even better.

Format your contact information correctly

Before diving into the content of your cover letter, it’s important to format the contact details and header correctly. You’ll need to include your name, full address, phone number, and email address.

Here’s an example:

Personalize your greeting

To whom should you address your cover letter to? “For maximum impact, see if you can find the hiring manager or recruiter for the role, and send your letter to them,” says career coach Susan Schwarz . “Addressing your letter to a specific person will significantly increase the likelihood of someone reading it.”

Check the company’s website or LinkedIn profile to find the name of the hiring manager. However, if you can’t find a specific name, “Dear Hiring Manager” will suffice.

To end a cover letter, you can use “best regards” or “kind regards” followed by your full name.

Show your personality

While it’s important to maintain a professional tone in your cover letter, don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. But remember, you don’t want to overdo it—keep it concise and relevant .

Here are some ways to show your personality in your cover letter:

• Briefly mention a specific project or experience you enjoyed.
• Highlight a distinctive skill or trait that sets you apart.
• Talk about how your values align with the company’s mission or culture.
• Describe a unique volunteer experience.

Emphasize your adaptability

According to LinkedIn , the top “skill of the moment” is adaptability . This means being open to new ideas, ready to pivot when needed, and always looking for ways to improve. In a world where the only constant is change, being adaptable can set you apart.

Here’s an example of how to incorporate adaptability into your cover letter:

“In my previous role as a CPG retail sales merchandiser, I consistently demonstrated my ability to adjust to changing market conditions, customer preferences, and sales strategies. This adaptability allowed me to increase sales by 25% in a highly competitive market.”

Show enthusiasm

Research shows that 40% of employers would not hire a candidate if they lacked enthusiasm. Remember, you’re much more attractive to employers when you’re on fire .

Here’s an example of how to show enthusiasm for the company you’re applying to:

“I’ve long admired Weissman’s commitment to the dance community and the artistry of your costumes. Your dedication to empowering performances and celebrating creativity is inspiring, and I’m excited about the opportunity to join your passionate team.”

Balance professionalism with friendliness

Try to strike a balance between a professional and friendly tone. Don’t use overly formal language, but make sure your writing is polished and error-free. Use humor sparingly, as it can be easily misinterpreted.

This approach helps you come across as both competent and personable, making you an ideal candidate.

Cover letter do’s and don’ts

• Do personalize . Address your cover letter to a specific person whenever possible.
• Do be concise . Keep your cover letter to one page.
• Do show enthusiasm . Mention specific reasons why you want to work there.
• Do include measurable accomplishments . These are achievements that can be quantified , such as increasing sales by a percentage.
• Do show your personality . Share brief anecdotes or unique experiences relevant to the job.
• Do be professional yet friendly . Avoid overly formal language.
• Do proofread your cover letter. A single mistake can damage your chances of getting an interview.
• Do include a call to action. Suggest scheduling a meeting or a call.
• Don’t be too formal . Strike a balance between professionalism and friendliness.
• Don’t overuse humor . Humor can be easily misinterpreted or come off as unprofessional.
• Don’t repeat your resume . Your cover letter should complement your resume, not repeat it.
• Don’t include irrelevant information. Focus only on what’s most relevant to the job you’re applying for.
• Don’t use clichés . Phrases like “I am a hard worker” or “I think outside the box” are overused and add little value.
• Don’t make excuses . Avoid explaining gaps in employment or other potential negatives.
• Don’t forget to tailor each letter . Customizing each cover letter will help it pass through Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Cover letter examples

Here are a few cover letter examples that show how to highlight your skills, show your personality, and match your experiences with the job.

Cover letter example for someone with no work experience

Starting your career can be challenging, especially when you don’t have much experience to showcase. But don’t worry—a well-written cover letter can highlight your strengths and potential.

• Addresses the company’s needs : The letter begins by acknowledging the challenges the company faces, demonstrating an understanding of the industry and the company’s needs.
• Offers a solution : The candidate clearly states how they can provide value by offering a fresh perspective and innovative ideas.
• Highlights relevant experience : Even with limited work experience, the letter mentions a successful internship project that aligns with the job’s requirements.
• Shows enthusiasm and passion : The mention of a passion for sustainability and eagerness to contribute to the company’s efforts showcases the candidate’s genuine interest.
• Proposes next steps : The call to action is clear and professional, suggesting a meeting to discuss how the candidate can contribute, which shows initiative and confidence.

Cover letter example for someone changing careers

Changing careers can be a bold and exciting move, especially when you have a strong foundation of transferable skills. The following example of a cover letter demonstrates how to effectively highlight your previous experience and enthusiasm for a new industry.

• Engaging opening : Starts with a bold question that captures attention and sets the tone for the rest of the letter.
• Clear value proposition : Quickly establishes how the candidate’s project management skills can benefit the finance industry.
• Relevant experience : Highlights a specific project that showcases the candidate’s ability to improve efficiency and manage complex tasks.
• Expresses enthusiasm : Shows genuine excitement about the career change and the specific company.
• Call to action : Concludes with a clear and confident call to action, suggesting a meeting to discuss how the candidate can contribute to the company’s success.

Cover letter example for someone re-entering the workforce

Re-entering the workforce after a significant break can be challenging, but it’s also an opportunity to showcase your resilience and the valuable skills you’ve developed during your time away.

The following cover letter example demonstrates how to effectively address employment gaps while highlighting your strengths and enthusiasm for the role.

• Strong opening statement : The cover letter begins with a compelling statement about the importance of adaptability and innovation, setting a positive and forward-thinking tone.
• Addresses employment gap : It acknowledges the employment gap upfront, providing context without dwelling on it, which demonstrates honesty and transparency.
• Highlights relevant experience : The letter emphasizes past accomplishments and specific projects, showcasing the candidate’s skills and ability to deliver results.
• Shows enthusiasm for the role : The candidate expresses excitement about re-entering the workforce and aligns their values with the company’s mission.
• Proposes next steps : It ends with a clear call to action, suggesting a meeting to discuss how the candidate can contribute to the company’s success.

Generate a perfectly crafted cover letter in seconds

If you’re still having trouble writing your cover letter, try Jobscan’s AI cover letter generator . It analyzes both your resume and the job ad to create a completely original cover letter customized for the job you’re applying for.

To learn more about how the cover letter generator works, watch this brief video:

You can try Jobscan’s cover letter generator for free below:

Key takeaways

Follow these key takeaways to write a compelling cover letter that sets you apart from other candidates and opens doors to new career opportunities.

• Write with the employer’s needs in mind. Explain how you can address their specific challenges and contribute to their goals.
• Keep it brief . Use short sentences and paragraphs to make it easy for hiring managers to scan quickly.
• Address your letter to a specific person . If you can’t find a name, “Dear Hiring Manager” will suffice.
• Showcase your relevant experience. Use specific examples to demonstrate your abilities.
• Inject your personality. Share brief anecdotes or unique experiences relevant to the job.
• End with a strong call to action . Suggest a meeting or a call to discuss how you can contribute to the company’s success.
• Proofread your letter. A single error can torpedo your chances at getting an interview.
• Show enthusiasm. Showing excitement and a willingness to learn can make you a more attractive candidate.

A cover letter should be one page long, consisting of three to four paragraphs. The total word count should be around 250-400 words.

When you don’t have a specific name, you can use “Dear Hiring Manager.” Avoid using “To Whom It May Concern,” as it is considered old-fashioned.

When emailing a cover letter, use a clear subject line like “Application for Content Developer – [Your Name].” Paste your cover letter into the email body. Attach your resume.

Yes, a cover letter is necessary because good first impressions are important. By highlighting your qualifications and showing enthusiasm for the role, you can gain an advantage over someone who doesn’t send one.

Employers look for personalization in a cover letter, showing that it’s tailored to the specific job and company. Highlight relevant experience and skills that match the job requirements. Include specific achievements that demonstrate your capabilities and contributions.

Yes. Providing specific examples of your achievements helps demonstrate your skills and qualifications, making your application more compelling to employers.

A cover letter starts with your contact information, first and last name, the date, and the employer’s details. Begin with an introduction about your suitability for the role. Include a brief section highlighting relevant experience and skills with examples. Conclude by asking for an interview.

The primary goals of a simple cover letter are to make a good impression, get someone to read your resume, and offer you a job interview. It also shows you have good communication skills, which are highly valuable in today’s workforce.

The opening sentence should state the problem the company faces or pose a thought-provoking question to grab the hiring manager’s attention.

Robert Henderson, CPRW, is a career advice writer and a resume expert at Jobscan.

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