Research Paper Title

Working Title First

Typically, the final title is created after the research is complete so that the title accurately captures what was done. The working title needs to be developed early in the research process because:

• The research project needs a name to facilitate communication
• Requests for funding or other forms of support will require a title
• The title may establish priority in regard to intellectual property issues [who was first to investigate blumpf]
• A good title can sell a research project and make it more attractive to administrators, colleagues, and community members

The Final Title

A good title has several characteristics:

1. Creates a positive impression and stimulates reader interest
2. Is retrievable in standard indexes and abstracts using appropriate key words [check applicable thesauri and classification schemes]
3. Uses current nomenclature of the field
4. Indicates subject and scope with some accuracy
5. Identifies key variables, both dependent and independent
6. Suggests a relationship between variables which supports the major hypothesis
7. Is limited to 15 to 20 substantive words
8. Does not include "study of," "analysis of" or similar constructions so that every word is absolutely necessary

The Subtitle

You may use a subtitle to explain or provide context. This is especially important if the main title is literary, provocative, or imaginative, i.e. "Rusty Rails in the Sunset: railroad images in 15 special collections in Tennessee academic libraries." Often, the subtitle will include scope qualifiers.

An Exercise

A good exercise to become more title critical is to examine titles on a table of contents page and identify the best and worst. Then contemplate why one seems successful and the other does not.