This document provides 14 guidelines for writing effective titles for research articles, theses, and dissertations. The guidelines address topics such as mentioning key variables or populations in the title, avoiding complete sentences, indicating the purpose but not the findings, and using title case formatting. Following the guidelines can help authors create clear, informative titles that accurately reflect their research.

1. Writing Titles for Research
Articles, Thesis and
Dissertation
Farahat Ali
Senior Lecturer
University of Central Punjab,
Lahore, Pakistan

2. Agenda
1. When should the types of variables (instead of the
individual variables) be mentioned in a title?
2. Do journal article titles tend to be longer than the titles
of theses and dissertations?
3. Why should a researcher avoid stating the findings of a
study in the title?
4. Summary
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3. Guideline 1. If only a small number of variables is studied,
the title should name the variables.
1. The Relationship Between Self-Esteem and Aggressiveness
2. Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Tobacco Consumption
3. The Relationship between Media Literacy and Critical Thinking
Skills
4. The Relationship between Social Media Use and Youth Political
Engagement
5. The Role of Parenting Style and Self-Esteem in Adolescent
Depression
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4. Guideline 2. A title should not be a complete
sentence.
Notice that Examples shared in guideline 1 are not sentences and
do not end with a period, both of which are appropriate
characteristics of titles.
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5. Guideline 3. Only the types of variables should be named if many
variables are studied.
1. The Influence of Demographic Variables on Attitudes Toward
Climate Change
2. The Relationship Between Parenting Styles and Adolescent Substance
Use: A Study of Demographic Factors
3. The Impact of Social Support on Mental Health in College Students:
A Study of Demographic and Academic Variables
4. Relationships Between Students' Attitudes Toward School and
Selected Demographic Variables
5. The Role of Media Representation in Public Perceptions of Gender
Equality: An Exploration of Demographic and Cultural Factors
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6. Guideline 4. The title of a journal article should be
concise; the title of a thesis or dissertation may be longer.
Disclaimer
Students preparing theses or dissertations should ask their
committees/supervisors whether concise titles- such as those
commonly used in journals- or longer titles- which are more
typical (but not universal) in theses and dissertations- are expected.
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7. Guideline 5. A title should indicate what was studied-not
the findings of the study.
Examples
1. Strong Religious Beliefs and
Taking Part in Religious Practices
Are Associated With Less Frequent
Underage Alcohol Use
2. College students with strong
religious beliefs but infrequent
religious behaviors were found to
have significantly higher rates of
substance use
Improved Version of Examples
1. The Role of Religious Beliefs and
Behaviors in Predicting Underage
Alcohol Use
2. Religious beliefs and behaviors as
predictors of substance use among
college students
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8. Guideline 6. Consider mentioning the population(s) in a
title.
Examples
1. Exploring Culturally Specific Drug
Resistance Strategies of Hawaiian
Youth in Rural Communities
2. Hand Dominance and Grip
Strength of Older Asian Adults
3. The Role of Media Representation
in Public Perceptions of
Immigration: A Study of Urban and
Rural Populations
Examples
1. The Relationship Between Parenting
Styles and Adolescent Substance Use in
Rural Communities
2. The Impact of Social Support on
Mental Health in Older Adults
3. The Relationship Between Media
Literacy and Critical Thinking Skills in
Urban Youth
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Note: This guideline applies when a study has been deliberately delimited to a particular
population.

9. Guideline 7. Consider the use of subtitles to indicate the
methods of study.
Examples
1. A Pilot Study on the Role of
Alcoholism in Dysfunctional
Families
2. A National Survey of
Experienced Kindergarten
Teachers' Definitions of
Literacy
Improved Version of Examples
1. The Role of Alcoholism in
Dysfunctional Families: A
Pilot Study
2. Experienced Kindergarten
Teachers' Definitions of
Literacy: A National Survey
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10. Guideline 8. If a study is strongly tied to a particular
model or theory, consider mentioning it in the title.
Examples
1. The Role of Male Siblings in the
Mathematics Achievement of
Adolescent Girls: A Social Learning
Theory Perspective
2. Technology makes the heart grow
fonder? A test of media
multiplexity theory for family
closeness
Examples
1. Perceived involvement of network
members in courtships: A test of the
relational turbulence model
2. Experiences of US military couples
during the post-deployment transition:
Applying the relational turbulence
model
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Note: If a study was designed to explore some aspect of a model or theory, mentioning this in
the title will help the reader to locate relevant research.

11. Guideline 9. Omit the names of specific measures unless
they are the focus of the research.
Examples
1. The Effectiveness of a
Home Care Program for
Improving the Functional
Abilities of Elderly Individuals
as Measured by the Functional
Abilities Self-Rating Scale
Improved Version of Examples
1. The Effectiveness of a
Home Care Program for
Improving the Functional
Abilities of Elderly Individuals
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Note: The main exception to this guideline is when the instruments are the focus of
the research, such as research on the reliability and validity of specific instruments.
Example: Development of the Grandparents' Role Identity Scale: A Reliability and Validity Study

12. Guideline 10. A title may be in the form of a question, but
this form should be used rarely and with caution.
Examples
1. Do Private Colleges and
Universities Accommodate
Students With Physical
Disabilities?
2. Local people's accounts of
climate change: to what extent
are they influenced by the media?
Improved Version of Examples
1. To What Extent Do Private
Colleges and Universities
Accommodate Students With
Physical Disabilities?
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1. To what extent does the reporting behavior of the media regarding a celebrity suicide influence
subsequent suicides in South Korea?
2. Does the media matter? A field experiment measuring the effect of newspapers on voting behavior
and political opinions
3. Does the media matter to suicide?: Examining the social dynamics surrounding media reporting on
suicide in a suicide-prone community

13. Guideline 11. In titles, use the words effect and influence with
caution.
Examples
1. The Effects of Three Schedules of
Reinforcement on the Maze Performance of
Rats
2. The effects of social media use on
preventive behaviors during infectious
disease outbreaks: The mediating role of
self-relevant emotions and public risk
perception
Examples
1. The Effects of Having Students Retell
Stories in Writing on Their Achievement
on a Standardized Test of Writing Skills
2. A study on the effects of social media
marketing activities on brand equity and
customer response in the airline industry
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Note: The words effect and influence are frequently used in the titles of research reports in
which cause-and-effect relationships were studied. To examine such relationships, true
experimental and quasi-experimental methods should usually be employed
Note that effects is used as a noun in the two examples. As a noun, it means
"influence." When used as a noun, the word affect means "feelings or
emotions." Clearly, effect is the correct noun to use in these examples.

14. Guideline 12. A title should be consistent with the
research hypothesis, objective, purpose, or question.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role
of the media in shaping public perceptions of climate change.
Corresponding Title: The Media's Influence on Public Perceptions of
Climate Change: A Content Analysis of News Coverage.
Research Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the role of
social media in political participation and engagement among young
adults.
Corresponding Title: Social Media Use and Political Participation
Among Young Adults: A Qualitative Study.
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15. Guideline 13. Consider mentioning the unique features of
a study in its title.
1. Short-term and long-term effects of caesarean section on the health of
women and children
2. Immediate and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delivery
of surgical services
3. The Impact of Parental Involvement on Student Academic Outcomes: A
Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies
4. First-year university students' self-regulated learning during the COVID-19
pandemic: a qualitative longitudinal study
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16. Guideline 14. Avoid using "clever" titles.
1. Publishing Criminal Justice Research in the New Millennium: Things
Gutenberg Never Taught You
2. Taking the Sting Out of Stuttering: A Comparison of the Effectiveness of
Two Methods for Treating Stuttering
Note: In general, throughout the research paper, avoid the temptation to be
clever or humorous. The function of a research report is to inform-not to
entertain.
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17. Guideline 14. Learn the conventions for capitalization in
titles.
 In AP A style, titles at the beginning of research paper follow the usual
rules of capitalization for titles.
 However, in a reference list, only three elements are capitalized: (1) the
first letter of the first word, (2) the first letter ofthe first word in a subtitle,
and (3) proper nouns.
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18. Thank you
Farahat Ali
farahatali08@gmail.com