How to Write a Title for a Research Paper

Have you written a research paper and wondered how to name it? Meanwhile, it is essential to write a title for a research paper because it determines whether the entire text of your work will be read. In addition, a good title increases the number of citations because everyone looking for information on a topic enters keywords that should reflect the content of your research paper.

And often, coming up with a good title is more complicated than it seems. In this article, we will analyze the main secrets of a successful research paper title so that you can write an interesting paper and ensure as many people as possible will read it.

5 Steps to the Strong Research Paper Title

So, to begin with, let’s define what should be in a good title.

Knowing these principles, let’s figure out how to make a title for a research paper.

Step 1. Understand what your article is about

Your title’s task is to reflect everything you wrote about as accurately as possible. So the first step to write a good title is to figure out if you understand the head idea

Reread each section of your paper and answer the question for yourself:

Analyze your answers and describe what exactly your article is about. It is crucial if you need to title a scientific paper.

Step 2. Write down keywords on the research paper title

Throughout the research, you have used specific words that users can use to find your research paper. Analyze these words and make a list. It can be not just words but whole phrases. But choose only a few of them. It is better to have up to 10.

Step 3: Write a research paper title

Take the answers from the first step and assemble them into one sentence using keywords to create a title for a research paper. For example, you studied the effect of coffee on the nervous system of a 35-45-year-old person because you wanted to determine the relationship between caffeine use and mental state. As a result, they saw that moderate coffee consumption does not affect a person’s mental state.

Keywords in such a title can be “coffee,” “caffeine effect,” “stress,” and “mental state.”

The first research paper title might sound like this: The effect of caffeine on the mental state of people aged 35-45 years and the state of stress when drinking large amounts of coffee.

Do not worry. It is a preliminary research paper title. It will likely be more concise in the end.

Step 4. Remove all unnecessary parts of the research paper title

Review your research paper title and remove everything that does not affect the essence — all unnecessary words, numbers, and assumptions. Leave only the basic information, without which it will not be clear what your paper is about.

Step 5. Reread the written options to title a college paper and correct inaccuracies

Ensure there are no logical or format errors in your heading and all words are in the right place. If necessary, remove those words that do not carry any meaning. After that, recheck the written research paper title.

Adding a Research Paper Subtitle

Now that you have your main heading, let’s look at how to create subheadings. In general, the rules are the same as for the main title.

Subtitles are the names of small parts of your project. They allow you to quickly understand what is said in this part and determine whether it interests the reader. Some read only the results and conclusions. Some are interested in research methods. Subheadings help determine the most engaging research topic and go with you, as the author, through all the paper’s key points.

As a general rule, subheadings should also be short and precise. Therefore, please read the paragraph you want to name before writing it and decide how well you understand it. Select the main topic of the subsection and write a title for it. Be concise!

You should not divide the research paper into too short sections, but very long parts should be divided into smaller paragraphs.

Characteristics of a Good Title for Research Paper

Some students want to get as many citations as possible and go to the trick: they try to name their paper with some catchy, bright name. However, it does not always correctly reflect the essence of the written document.

Readers may be disappointed and not get the expected benefit in this case. Let’s highlight the main criteria for a good headline to prevent this from happening to your paper.

1. The research paper title reflects the essence of the work. Therefore, it should be written after the paper’s main text is ready. In this case, you will have all the data for the name of your paper ready.
2. It has no abbreviations. Thus, readers understand precisely what the work is about.
3. The title is intriguing. If the research topic is chosen correctly, people will be interested in what you came up with in your research. Therefore, they are likely to read your paper thoroughly.
4. The title contains keywords, and your paper is easy to find in the search.
5. The title does not contain jargon or words that are rarely used. All comments that you use in the title should be known to readers and entirely understandable.
6. The research paper title is short and clear. It should be at most 15 words so that you can quickly read it and understand what it is about the first time.

As you can see, making a good headline for the research paper is easy as long as you don’t use complicated terms and stay concise.

Tips for Writing an Effective Research Paper Header

When you first start writing research papers, it can be challenging to find a title. However, you will likely have your proven technology when you do this many times. Here are some secrets that will make your title and subheading work easier. Be sure to try them out when writing the title for your following research paper.

1. Read your work several times and take notes. Write to yourself what the study’s main goal was and what results you got. What methods and techniques is your data based on, and what main accents did you make in your essay?
2. Try to formulate the title of your work in one sentence and write several options ideally, if it is 3-4 options of titles for research papers. Read them several times and settle on the one that will reflect the essence of your paper most fully.
3. Ask your friend to read the chosen title and ask if they understand the article. Let them explain in their own words.
4. Read the title of your research paper aloud on your own and remove all those words that seem inappropriate or do not carry any meaning. As a rule, when you read aloud, finding errors and inaccuracies and quickly removing them is more straightforward.
5. Check that there are no works with the same title on the Internet. Otherwise, your document may look like plagiarism. And it is better to avoid such situations not to spoil your academic reputation.
6. Don’t be afraid to use numbers, data, or percentages in the title. It will add seriousness to your masterpiece.

Try to use all these tips and evaluate the finished result!

Research Paper Title Examples

Now let’s look at some examples of successful titles. They will help you find inspiration when you need fresh ideas.

How Meditation Affects the Development of the Brain of Adolescents 14-17 Years Old;

The Effect of Regular Exercise on the Pancreas;

The Influence of Climate on the Level of Iron in the Blood of Women 20-35 Years Old;

How the Number of Calories Eaten for Breakfast Affects the Results of Exams in Students;

The Interaction of Weight and Regular Meditation: The Impact of Meditation on Food Intake;

Influence of Intestinal Microflora of Escherichia Coli on the State of Human Immunity;

Development of Emotional Intelligence in Preschool Children;

The Impact of the Development of Piece Intelligence on the Education System in the United States;

Criminal and Administrative Liability of Minors When Committing Theft in Oklahoma;

Studies of the Influence of Infrared Radiation on The Functioning of the Eye’s Lens.

We have collected ten academic paper titles from various fields of knowledge. As you can see, these titles are short and accurately reflect the essence of the paper. Moreover, they are of interest and contain keywords for which interested people can search the text of the article.