Q: How to write the title for a quantitative research study?

The title of your paper is the first thing that the readers will see, and they will immediately form a view on what to expect from your research paper. If the title doesn’t appeal to the readers, they will not read any further. It is therefore important to write a clear, persuasive title that communicates what your study is about and engages the interests of the reader.

Let us first understand what makes a good research paper title. A good title is expected to do the following:

• Capture the essence of the paper
• Be accurate and specific, not overly general
• Not contain unnecessary, distracting details
• Be comprehensible to a broad academic readership
• Engage readers and generate curiosity

To write a good title for a quantitative paper, you should follow these steps:

1. List down the following items:
   • The most important key words/concepts in your study
   • The methodology used
   • The samples/areas studied
   • Your most important finding
2. Draft a title that includes all the items you’ve listed (if you wish, do so in a sentence format).
3. Delete anything that is unnecessary.
4. Use a general term to cover overly specific aspects, as shown in the example above.
5. Pay heed to any journal instructions or discipline-specific conventions for writing titles (e.g., adding a sub-title describing the study design, or restricting the number of words/characters to a certain count.

You can also look up titles of quantitative studies in your field to seek inspiration from them and frame your title accordingly.

Related reading:

• 3 Basic tips on writing a good research paper title
• How do I know if the title of my paper is appropriate?
• 5 Simple steps to write a good research paper title